Reading fall agonisingly short of Europe and boss Coppell spills the beans

The Reading boss had dismissed the UEFA Cup as an unwanted distraction, but after seeing his side come from behind three times only to miss out on Europe by one point, he admitted they were desperate for a top-seven finish all along.

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"You have to realise the public face of me about Europe perhaps wasn't what was going on behind closed doors," said Coppell. "It was the best way of deflecting it. Rather than say we were desperate to play in Europe, to say it wasn't the Holy Grail.

"But if we'd done it I wouldn't be here now, I'd have my lips around a bottle of something."

After a remarkable first season in the Premiership, Coppell knows that doing it all over again next term would only have been harder with the added burden of midweek trips abroad.

"We have to realise we are little Reading and next year we will be one the smallest clubs — if not the smallest — in the Premiership,' he added. "We're the tiddlers and we have to punch above our weight."

Reading's refusal to try for Europe via the InterToto Cup was one of the reasons Blackburn will be able to go that route after they finished 10th. And while Coppell dismissed the feeder competition — "we don't enter bike races," he said drily — Rovers boss Mark Hughes was happy to be heading through the back door.

"It's only two competitive games and I'd rather have that than two friendlies where you go through the motions,' said Hughes. "It might actually help us in the Premiership."

A collision involving Reading goalkeeper Marcus Hahnemann provided the first twist yesterday. The big American came out to meet Morten Gamst Pedersen's cross from the left in the 21st minute, but suffered three broken fingers when he crashed into Shabani Nonda. Reading were furious that referee Alan Wiley allowed play to continue as the ball ran loose for Benni McCarthy to tap in.

Reading replied in the 36th minute when Stephen Warnock headed Kevin Doyle's effort off the line only to see Seol Ki-Hyeon equalise from the resulting corner.

Blackburn were back in front 11 minutes after the interval when Warnock burst into the area and squared the ball for Pedersen, who somehow hit the post from just a few yards out and was relieved to see David Bentley tap in the rebound.

Doyle was then given too much time and space to head Reading level again from a Ulises de La Cruz cross, but Blackburn restored their lead in the 67th minute.

Substitute Matt Derbyshire headed emphatically past Hahnemann's replacement Adam Federici from Brett Emerton's cross, just seconds after replacing Nonda.

Still Reading would not lie down and they equalised for the third time with 13 minutes left when substitute Leory Lita earned a free kick on the edge of the area.

Lita's initial effort came back off the wall for Bryn Gunnarsson to rifle a 20-yard effort through the crowded box and past Brad Friedel.