Published: Saturday, 28th March, 2009 10:00am

Duberry praise for "unlucky' Pearce

by Anthony Smith

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MICHAEL Duberry has tried to ease Alex Pearce's selection heartache by tipping the young defender for a big future in the game.

Pearce has been axed from the first-team squad for the last two matches with boss Steve Coppell plumping for the more experienced Andre Bikey.

Now back-to-back clean sheets in a 1-0 win at Doncaster Rovers and in a 0-0 draw at Crystal Palace on Saturday will keep Pearce out of the picture even longer.

Yet fellow centre-back Duberry believes the 20-year-old has been extremely unfortunate to miss out, suggesting he was displaying the best form of any defender over a nine-game run in the side.

Unfortunately, the team won just twice in that spell when they beat leaders Wolves at home and won 2-1 away at Sheffield Wednesday while suffering defeats to Bristol City, struggling Nottingham Forest and Ipswich Town along the way.

However, Duberry insisted: "Alex was the most consistent defender out of the back four over those games and he was very unlucky to lose his place. But the gaffer made a decision and Alex is young and strong to get over it.

"It has had no ill-effects. He trains to the high standard as he always does and he's pushing myself and Andre Bikey. We can't slip up because the gaffer has shown he will make a change just like that.

"It seems the manager has gone with experienced players and maybe those who can deal with the situation better. Alex is very unlucky but he understands and he's still pushing and challenging us.

"He's done his prospects no harm, he's bettered himself and people are taking note of him. He's on a par with all the defenders here."

And the 33-year-old argued: "The gaffer has a great selection of defenders to pick from, it's one of our strongest positions.

"Bikey and I are pleased with the clean sheets and we have to be. We had to get something going to stabilize the team after the run we had.

"Now the hope is that if Dave Kitson, Kevin Doyle, Shane Long and the rest start scoring goals we can go on a run and finish the season well."

Coppell let Pearce down gently and the Oxford-born player has taken it on the chin.

"The manager had a word with me privately," he explained. "He said he was going down the route of experience and I had no problem with that. We had lost a few games and I accepted it.

"It was nice of him to pull me to one side. When you drop out of the team it is nice to receive a little explanation.

"I thought I had done okay and I hopefully I can get back in soon and push the two who are in there now. If me pushing them keeps them on their toes and the team keeps winning then I'm doing my job. But hopefully if I get another chance I can take it."

Pearce has made 27 league and cup appearances this season and scored four goals. That includes a successful loan spell at Southampton where he played nine games and netted twice.

In addition to previous loans at Norwich, Bournemouth and Northampton Town, he has now made 69 career appearances and more are certain to follow.

"I've played a good few games now if you include my loans and I must be close to 30 games for this season," he explained. "I didn't set myself a target, I just wanted to play as many times as I could.

"I don't know if I would have settled for 30 games because when you get an opportunity you always want more. But I'd like to kick on because we're coming up to the end of the season and there aren't many games left. Anything can happen and there are more twists and turns to come yet."

Meanwhile, Duberry believes Royals must not get ahead of themselves in the promotion race like they did recently when they won just once in eight games.

"Right now the talk is about the next game and three points, that's all," declared the ex-Chelsea and Leeds star. "When we had our bad run we lost focus and began thinking there were 12 games to go. We didn't concentrate on the next hurdle.

"From a defensive points of view we have kept clean sheets in our last two games and we're getting back to some stability so we're quite pleased.

"We were in a similar position last season when we needed points and games were running out. But our mindset and our focus is different now, we're in a better place.

"Our focus is one game at a time. After that, what will be will be. We can only affect our games. We must stop looking at the finishing line and concentrate on the next game only which is Coventry City."

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