Reading FC manager insists "it's not all Barnsley"

Going into Saturday’s fixture in Yorkshire, the Royals sit five points ahead of the Tykes with eight matches remaining, and match is being billed as the relegation decider.

However, Ince, someone who played in Cup finals for the likes of Manchester United and Wolverhampton Wanderers, has insisted that this is not treated like ‘the FA Cup Final.’

Speaking to the media ahead of the game, Ince emphasised: “It would be nice [to win] but whatever happens to Reading this year won’t rely on Saturday. We’ve got plenty of games and for me it’s about performing.

“Every game you play is important because it means so much to get those points. We’ve got to be calm and cool.

“If you can get a result, great but we’ve got to look at us and focus on what we do. If we perform like we did against Bournemouth and Blackburn, then we’ll be alright. If we don’t, we’ll lose, simple as that.

“You looked at the Nottingham Forest game and thought ‘god we’ve got Bournemouth and Blackburn to play’ but then we got and pick up four points. That’s what this league is all about, you can’t start predicting results so we’re going to take each game as it come and enjoy the challenge.

“Don’t think of it as an FA Cup final because it isn’t.

“I don’t want them to think that it’s all on Barnsley, I want them to think that it’s another game. It’s another game with a chance of picking up three points. I don’t want us to be nervous, I want us to be thinking that it’s another game.”

Reading come into the game in good form, having picked up four points in their last two matches against top six opponents.

Ince is trying to ensure his players carry that momentum over, despite the two-week international break.

He continued: “They know what it takes, they came seventh last year, they’ve got quality but now they’ve got to roll their sleeves up and fight. They did that against Bournemouth, and they did that against Blackburn. This is not a cup final for us. It might be for Barnsley, but we can’t afford to get emotionally involved in the atmosphere. We’ve got to go out and play our football and express ourselves.

“People are building it up to be bigger than what it is. It’s who performs on the day and who doesn’t let their emotions run away with them. I’ve played in Cup finals, and I’ve experienced it, some players freeze, and some players play the game. Mentally we have to be tough and not worry about the occasion. We’ve got to be cool and calm- it doesn’t mean we don’t want it as much as they do but there’s different ways of approaching games.

“It's not all or nothing, it’s not like you lose to Barnsley and we’re relegated. We’ve got to go there, the lads have got to know their jobs and their relaxed and it’s not the end of the world if we win, lose or draw. If we’re collectively a team and play the way, we have done the last two weeks then we’ll have a chance to come away with something.”