Striker hopeful of Royals promotion

Pavel Pogrebnyak is aiming for promotion for Reading, despite a summer of questions over his future.

The Russian forward made it no secret that he wanted to leave the Royals during the summer, but after failing to get a move convenient for him, he remains committed to the Berkshire club. Pog has started the last four games under Nigel Adkins, scoring two goals.

Quoted by SkySports, Pog said: ‘I don’t make a secret of it that I was waiting for a change to come. I couldn’t accept that I’d play in a lower division. It had an effect on my mood, but now I’m fully devoted to Reading. I do want to believe that we can go back to the Premier League after this season.’

‘After the transfer period, I told our manager that I’m ready to fight for the team and I started to work at the maximum – it’s the most important thing. Football is 90 per cent what you do in training and only 10 per cent playing.’

I think the surprise of the quality of the Championship is half the reason behind Pog’s surprise stay, a point he made the other day in an interview. The physicality of the league surprised him, but he is slowly adapting and is going to be a key player for us this season.