Exeter City manager Gary Caldwell believed his side 'deserved something' from last night's 2-1 win for Reading.

The Grecians, riding high in the play-offs, were thoroughly second-best in the first half as the Royals raced into a two-goal lead courtesy of strikes from Jayden Wareham and Michael Craig.

However, roles were reversed in the second period as the hosts dominated proceedings and eventually halved the deficit through Ilmari Niskanen.

The Devon outfit hit the post and saw chances blazed over the crossbar as Reading clung on to record a first away win of the season in what many would describe as a 'game of two halves.'

Speaking to the club media after the match, Caldwell admitted his side were not at the races in the first half but felt they warranted some reward for their improved efforts after the break.

"For weeks now we’ve kind of been getting away with things. The start of our game was nowhere near good enough," the former Wigan Athletic and Celtic defender said. "We were sloppy in possession and getting caught on the ball. We knew Reading are an excellent pressing team- they did exactly what we worked on all week, and we weren’t ready for that, and we gifted them two goals.

"The second goal is a little bit of luck, but we have been carrying that in recent games so that levels out over the course of the season in my opinion.

"In the second half, the team were outstanding and probably as good as we’ve played all season. We were aggressive, on the front foot and passing through them, at times, with ease. We created chance after chance after chance but couldn’t get the second goal. We hit the post, the ball was bouncing around the box, and I thought we deserved something from the game with that second-half performance.

"That’s football- we have to learn from the first half and continue the second half."

Reading host inconsistent Bristol Rovers on Saturday in the latest of a hectic League One schedule.