ADAM Federici admits the prospect of playing at the World Cup in Brazil could be key in deciding his Reading FC future.

The Australian, who has been with Royals since 2005, has played second fiddle to rising England ace Alex McCarthy so far this season.

While he has made nearly 200 appearances for the club, just four of those have come in the current campaign.

He was handed a rare start in the FA Cup loss at Brighton last weekend and was one of the few players to come out of the game with any credit after making a number of excellent saves.

But, as he is all too aware, he is still likely to find himself on the bench again for the Championship trip to Watford this Saturday (3pm ko).

And with the 2014 World Cup just around the corner - and long-time Socceroos number one Mark Schwarzer now retired - Federici admits the lack of first-team football is frustrating.

“It’s been hard, the last six months has been pretty hard to deal with, everyone loves playing and it’s a hard team to get into at the minute,” he said.

“I’m a goalkeeper who likes to play, I am not a number two and it has been difficult. I had a smile on my face playing in the Reading colours again and I really enjoyed it.

“It’s a World Cup year which is the frustrating thing, it’s an opportunity for me to go to the World Cup and play with Mark Schwarzer now retired.

“But there’s not much I can do apart from keep my head down and keep working hard like I have been. We will have to wait and see what happens.”

Unfortunately for Federici, he looks unlikely to take the gloves from McCarthy any time soon, unless the rumours of the England goalkeeper leaving the club in January come to fruition.

And with Royals now out of all cup competitions, he acknowledged his opportunities could be limited.

“It’s always hard for a goalkeeper when you are on the bench. Strikers come on in the last 10 minutes and get a bit of a run and you get form that way. But there’s not much I can do apart from keep working hard and see how it goes.” he commented.

“It is hard and it has been extremely hard to deal with but as a sportsman you have to deal with it and I think I have dealt with it quite well. I have kept myself in really good shape and work hard every day to play if I have to.

“Alex and I have been here a while now and we are quite close. We have a good bunch of keepers and Sal [Bibbo] is a good goalkeeping coach. I will always be supportive of everyone who is playing.

“At the end of the day it’s not about me it’s about the team, and I want them to win and I will do my best to play a part in that.”

Having been at the club for nearly a decade, Federici has experienced both the joys of promotion and the disappointment of relegation with Royals.

In fact, should Reading be promoted this season then the Australian would be the only player to be promoted with them to the Premier League on all three occasions.

He admits there has been a ‘different vibe’ around the team this time around but says the belief is still there despite their recent rocky form.

“The mood in the dressing room is good, the boys all like training with each other and it is a good vibe,” he said.

“I have played in a lot of different teams and got promoted with a lot of different teams here. There is a different vibe to the group this time but that’s the way football is changing.

“Reading are used to seeing a different kind of football and we are trying to change things and that’s how it works.”