Captain Graeme Murty made his first appearance in almost eight months this weekend, and he was bitterly disappointed to end the game with a 2-0 defeat.

Steve Coppell made eight changes to his starting eleven for this FA Cup test, but the Royals put in a decent performance against a full-strength Cardiff team.

The outcome could have been different if we had taken a couple of chances that came our way, and Cardiff also profited from a cheap goal to make it 1-0.

Murty said, "It's hard to take, to be honest. I thought we had them at arm's length for the majority of the game but a couple of misunderstandings let them in.

"The first goal made all the difference and it was a lack of communication. It wasn't anyone's fault and we still nearly got back in the game despite going behind.

"We thought maybe he was offside when the ball got crossed in a second time, and we left Fedders exposed but I still thought he was about to save it."

Murty has had a torrid time with injuries, but was delighted to get a full game under his belt. "Personally it felt like what it was - my first competitive game in months. I felt a bit short physically and mentally - I've got the worst cramp ever.

"I was pleased to get 90 minutes but disappointed with the way it went because the lads put a lot of effort in.

"I thought Cardiff showed us a lot of respect with the team they put out. We went about our business well on the day and created chances.

"For me, getting 90 was a positive. I also though Alex Pearce did very, very well and Bikey came back in too. I also thought Marek Matejovsky was the best player on the pitch.

"Unfortunately we're out of the cup now, but I'm not sure we deserved to be."