READING FC boss Jaap Stam bemoaned his players' inability to keep hold of the ball and insisted it will be "difficult" for Royals to finish in the top six after a bitter 3-0 defeat to league leaders Brighton.

Chris Hughton's Seagulls hit the Royals on the break three times and, despite having good spells of possession, Reading could not find a way back in Saturday's televised clash at the Amex.

Reading's best chance came when Danny Williams squandered a free header from point-blank range before Roy Beerens had a shot just three yards from goal which Brighton stopper David Stockdale crucially blocked with his feet.

And Stam could not hide his frustration at the final whistle while admitting his players made things easy for their title-chasing hosts.

"It was a difficult game but we gave them three easy goals," declared the Dutchman. "It was three goals from counter attacks.

"We had a lot of possession and Roy Beerens had a good chance in the first half.

"The second goal we had a set piece and they came out on the break. Normally you would foul someone and the move is dead and you can get back into shape, but we didn't do it. They broke away and scored.

"It was the same for the third, we lost the ball near their box, not because they were pressing us in an aggressive way.

“They were easy goals and we made it hard for ourselves by conceding like that."

Reading looked lethargic for long spells of the game, but Stam insisted his players are in a tip-top condition.

"They're not tired mentally or physically,” he stressed. “They're working hard but they get their rest.

"Everyone is eager to win games and do well but sometimes you don't succeed."

The defeat was Reading's second in succession following the 1-0 loss at third-placed Huddersfield last week and it means they have slipped down to fifth in the Sky Bet Championship table after being overtaken by Leeds, who beat sixth-placed Sheffield Wednesday 1-0 at the weekend.

Stam's men are still in a strong position in their bid to claim a play-off spot as they remain seven points clear of seventh-placed Fulham, though the Cottagers do have a game in hand.

But Royals' will be hoping their form can improve from here on following just one victory in the their last five league fixtures.

Stam's men have also failed to score in three of their last four Championship matches, though Royals' boss was eager to keep his side's mini-slump in perspective.

"We need to be realistic in where we are in the process of developing a team," declared Stam.

"It's our first season and we are still in the top six.

"If you do well then every starts talking about promotion. We have come a long way and we have done well.

"It's difficult to finish the season in the top two or the top six."

Reading players will hit the training ground hard this week in preparation for back-to-back home fixtures against struggling Wolves this Saturday (3pm ko) and second-placed Newcastle United next Tuesday night (8pm ko).

Royals lost 2-0 at Wolves and 4-1 at Newcastle back in August.