Reading's Brian McDermott says he feels 'blessed' after sealing promotion

On a night of fevered promotion celebrations Reading's manager, Brian McDermott, had the air of a man at the eye of the storm after his team's narrowly fought 1-0 victory over Nottingham Forest sealed automatic promotion to the Premier League. True to his own pensive nature, even in the midst of triumph McDermott took the moment to dwell on defeat in the play-off final by Swansea City last year.

"Of course this is my best moment in football," he said. "My worst was on that pitch at Wembley on 30 May last year. I didn't see any good coming out of that; it was a bad moment. The dedication and hard work of my staff to get here has really been something. We're in the Premier League now. We've been promoted and I can celebrate for the next two months."

Asked if he'd seen the banner outside proclaiming him "The Messiah" McDermott quipped: "More like the life of Brian. I hope there's some late-night pubs open in Reading tonight. It's really strange sat where I'm sat – it feels like someone else to be honest. I've been carried along by my players and staff this season. We've had some difficult times. We had to sell some of our best players over the summer. But I'm happy. We've done a good job this year. The fans are going to have a good summer and that's what it's all about. I had a miserable summer last year."

If there is a likeably downbeat side to Reading's astute, quietly spoken manager, it is perhaps born of his own late start in the dug-out just two years ago after the best part of a decade on the coaching staff at Reading. "I'm 51 so I'm in a hurry. But I'm happy. As manager that's a promotion under your belt. A lot of managers don't have one of those. So I'm blessed." There was indeed something divine about Reading's recent surge, a run that brought 46 points out of the past 51, and which McDermott attributes to his own refusal to look beyond the next game. "A lot of people said we were up after the [weekend] Southampton game but I said: 'Nottingham Forest, that's a tough game.' That's how I am."

Steve Cotterill, whose Forest team have now confirmed that they will stay in the division, was understandably muted after playing the part of enthusiastic wallflower at a second successive promotion party: last season his Portsmouth team lost to Norwich to seal Premier League football for Paul Lambert's men.

"Big congratulations to Brian and the boys," Cotterill said. "You don't get out of this division unless you deserve it. I remember speaking to him the day after the play-off final last season. I'd seen him walking around the Wembley seats looking quite sad and I felt for him so I rang him the next day to tell him what a good manager I think he is. They've got some good players here, the right sort of players. Good luck to them."

（一个慢牛）