Reading boss’s “£80m” Sheffield United verdict as he details disappointment

Paul Ince described Sheffield United as an £80m team after the Blades beat his Reading side to extend their lead in the race for the Premier League last night.

Iliman Ndiaye scored the winner for the Blades in Berkshire as his side bounced back from their weekend defeat at Blackburn, to restore their seven-point gap over Middlesbrough in the Championship table.

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Reading had not lost at home since before the World Cup break before United came to town and Ince, the former Manchester United man, admitted he was disappointed not to get anything out of the game.

“We played well tonight, really well,” Ince said. “I’m disappointed we didn’t get anything from the game. It was a great response from the poor second half at Middlesbrough and playing a team that could go up automatically or through the play-offs, and we competed.

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“We saw some good football and they were kicking up the park in the last 15 minutes, it was panic stations. It was a massive win for them but disappointing for us. We deserved something out of the game.

“One mistake, one fine detail, they went bang bang and scored. That’s what you get when you pay that amount of money. Sometimes I don’t think we’re hungry enough to score. I wouldn’t say it’s a problem but it’s about being positive. It was one minor detail that cost us the game.

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“They are an £80m team and this is a tough place to come. We’ll continue to make it like that and we gave as much as we got. there was nothing between the two teams. We were patched up at the start of the season and the likes of Norwood and Berge came down from the Premier League.”