PAUL Clement urged his Reading FC players to use Cardiff City’s promotion celebrations as an impetus to challenge at the top end of the table next season.

The 47-year-old earned eight points in his first eight games as Royals’ boss and helped secure the club’s status in the second tier.

Royals’ relegation scrap went right down to the wire but a point against Neil Warnock’s Bluebirds was enough to cement their Championship status.

Thousands of supporters sprinted onto the pitch as Cardiff secure Premier League status for the second time in the club’s history and Clement hopes Reading can take inspiration from the scenes after the final whistle.

“The objective I had when I came here was to keep the team in the Championship,” asserted Clement.

“The confidence was low and the team was on the slide.

“I had eight games to do it and we had some ups and downs in that period.

“I wasn’t happy with the performances over the last two weeks.

“The players looked nervous and looked like they weren’t giving the required amount of spirit but I don’t necessarily think that was the case.

“There is a lot to be done and that starts straight away.

“We’ve seen Cardiff celebrating and that’s what we want.

“The club came very close last year and that’s what we have to build towards.”

Clement confirmed he expects players to move on in the summer and that he hopes to bring fresh blood in the transfer window.

And he plans to introduce a more attacking brand of football next season after some dire performances during a disappointing campaign.

He continued: “There is a lot of work to be done. We want to do some work on the recruitment side where we’re bringing in the right kind of quality.

“We want to establish an offensive style of play here. There wasn’t time for me to do that in the last eight games.

“It was about assuring ourselves defensively and grinding out results. We can build on that, that can be our foundation.

“During pre-season hopefully we can work on some offensive football that the fans are really going to enjoy watching.”