Royals boss Mark Bowen praised his young sides professionalism after the victory over Blackpool in the FA Cup on Tuesday evening.

Bowen made wholesale changes to the side who secured a last-gasp draw with Nottingham Forest on the weekend, naming a relatively inexperienced starting XI for the replay at Bloomfield Road.

Reading opened the scoring in the first half, with Lucas Boye reacting quickest to a loose ball in the area to prod the ball below Blackpool keeper Mark Howard.

Blackpool struggled to get past a resolute defensive setup as they sought to get back into the game in the second half.

Reading continued to press for a second goal to make the game safe and it was Jordan Obita who popped up with a late second to secure Reading’s progress into the fourth round.

Speaking after the game, Bowen said that he was delighted by the manner of the victory and the performance of his young stars.

“There wasn't anybody who was struggling. They all stood up and looked proper players with good decisions on the ball, good passing and they created problems. It was a really accomplished performance from a young side.

“Coming to a place like Blackpool, I knew it was going to be a battle, but it never became that because our decisions on the ball were really sharp and clever at times.

“We hit the bar twice, the post once so it was a really accomplished performance from a young side.

“We handed the game well throughout. We were professional. I'm delighted for the lads and really proud.”

Garath McCleary came in for individual praise from the manager after the game.

The captain on the night, McCleary played in an unfamiliar role – playing deep in the middle of midfield, surging forward and starting attacks on numerous occasions as well as effectively breaking the play up in the middle of pitch.

Bowen said: “He is an intelligent player and he has the capacity, when you put him in a certain situation, he makes the right decisions.

“I gave him the responsibility of captain and he led all the way through the game. He gave sound bits of advice to the youngsters around him.”

It is now nine unbeaten for Mark Bowen’s side, who face a tricky test away at promotion hopefuls Millwall on Saturday.