NICK Blackman has confessed Reading FC have their sights firmly set on promotion back to the Premier League this season.

Royals chalked up a sixth win in seven Championship matches on Saturday by overcoming gritty Charlton Athletic 1-0 at Madejski Stadium to move up to second in the table.

Blackman netted the decisive goal 14 minutes before the end when he converted Lucas Piazon's cross.

The 25-year-old striker now has 10 goals for the season and he admitted: “We want to get promoted – that’s what we want within the changing room, and we’re going to go about our business and try and be up there at the end of the season. Everyone is contributing.

“The team doing well overall is the most important thing. All of the players are playing with real confidence and we have managed to grind out a great result.

“It’s looking good at the moment. Everyone is working really hard on the training ground. We’re not getting complacent – we’re just going about our business and taking each game as it comes.”

He added: “The squad is fantastic. We’ve made a couple of changes and you could see the quality and calibre of player that was on the bench – Danny Williams and Garath McCleary came on and it was fantastic to see.

“It only gives confidence to the rest of the boys that are already on the field, when players that good are coming on.”

Blackman is playing the best football of his Reading career, though he paid tribute to the support he receives from his Royals teammates.

“We have fantastic forward players,” stated Blackman, after Royals were missing injured duo Hal Robson-Kanu and Matej Vydra on Saturday.

“We didn’t even have Matej Vydra in the squad, so we’ve got him to come back in which is going to be another massive boost.

“Everyone is enjoying playing with everyone, and you can see the quality of some of the link-up play we have got when we go forward. It’s frightening sometimes.

“Lucas is fantastic. He has great natural ability and talent, and he is a great guy within the dressing room which is important as well. And he has got the quality to score and assist, as he did on Saturday.”

Blackman, meanwhile, puts his own blistering form down to a regular run in Steve Clarke's side.

“I have always had belief in myself and in my ability, but I think I’m being given a run of games by the manager so I’ve been able to pick up a bit of form,” he explained.

“The main thing is playing every week. You can’t get into any sort of form when you’re coming off the bench for 20 minutes here and there, or if you’re playing as a rigid right-winger.

“I did that for the team with no problem, and I always worked as hard as I could, but I don’t think it was my best position.

“The manager is playing me in a bit more of a forward role and giving me a run of games. I’m a forward and he wants me to play as a forward, but I’ve got my defensive duties as well.”

Reading face back-to-back Championship games this week with a trip to Rotherham United on Tuesday night (7.45pm ko) and Fulham this Saturday (1.30pm ko).