Matt Mills was delighted with the backing he received at Middlesbrough on Saturday, having helped the Royals earn a 1-1 draw at the Riverside.
Mills was applauded before, during and after the game, and went out of his way to throw his shirt into the crowd at full time, hurdling an advertising hoarding and climbing a flight of stairs to throw his jersey to our fans in the upper tier.
He also ended the game wearing the captain's armband, Ivar Ingimarsson having gone off injured very late on.
He said, "From when I stepped off the bus I had nerves about what the reaction would be and I'd just like to say a massive thanks all for the support, and also people who sent letters in. What happened was through passion at the time, that's how I play.
"It's a long way for supporters to come up here and get behind the team. They got behind me personally as well and I really appreciate that. They were 100% behind us and very receptive to me. I've had great relations with the fans and want it to continue."
Matt was very pleased to help the team secure a point, saying, "I thought the boys showed great character to come back from a goal down, this is not an easy place to come and Middlesbrough only came down from the Premier League a few months ago.
"They scored just after half time but I thought it was the only time we really looked like conceding. It was a good delivery and a decent header but we still had time to get back in it. Our frontmen are on fire at the moment and we still felt we could get a goal."
The team are in very good defensive form at the moment, and Chris Killen's header was only the goal we have conceded in our last three games. Matt said, "When Brian took over the first thing he looked at was keeping clean sheets and playing from your team shape. It makes a big difference to the team when you feel you won't concede and it gives our strikers confidence to do what they do best.
"As a defender you pride yourself in consistency in your work. In front of us Tabby, Brian Howard, Brynjar and Jem have all kept the midfield sold and the manager has really enforced that the two centre halves and central defenders need to hold their shape and be consistent. Once you've got that then the likes of Jimmy, Jobi and Shane and all of our forwards can do their stuff."
Finally, Matt was keen to pay homage to new boss Brian McDermott for helping get his career back on track. "I can't emphasise enough how massive Brian has been for me and my career.
"He believes in me and I believe in him, it's great to have that relationship. I'm fully prepared to do my best for him and he's made the whole squad the best of friends which is a nice situation to be in."
A full video interview with Matt is online now on Reading FC Player, including footage of his reception as he arrived at the ground. We also have an interview with Brian McDermott and video highlights from the Riverside - sign up for a 14-day free trial today!
