Resurgent Reading target Villa scalp in FA Cup

Reading are the only non-Premier League club remaining in the FA Cup

By Sam Sheringham

For the first time in a long time, the feel-good factor is back at Reading football club.

The trauma of relegation, the heart-breaking departure of manager Steve Coppell, the 10-month run without a home league win, the false dawn under Brendan Rodgers and the plunge into the lower reaches of the Championship had transformed the atmosphere at the Madejski Stadium into something more akin to state funerals.

But then something totally unexpected happened.

Reading went to Anfield in the third round of the FA Cup in January and pulled off a dramatic extra-time victory to knock out Liverpool.

Suddenly people at the club started to believe again and, far from proving an unwelcome distraction to more pressing issues in the league, Reading's Cup run has sparked a remarkable turnaround in their Championship fortunes.

Brian has restored a lot of faith in us. We've gone back to basics really and it seems to have worked Simon Church

Five wins in six games under new boss Brian McDermott have seen the Royals storm out of the bottom three.

And a rampant 5-0 demolition of Sheffield Wednesday last weekend has players and fans going into Sunday's meeting with Aston Villa in the FA Cup quarter-final - the club's first for 83 years - truly bubbling over with positivity.

"The Liverpool result really kick-started our season," Reading striker Simon Church told BBC Sport.

"We have started to build a lot of confidence for ourselves. We are putting in a lot of good performances and scoring a lot of goals."

Church has been at the heart of a resurgence which has resulted in Reading rising from 23rd place to 18th since 26 January.

The Wales striker has established himself as the leader of the Royals attack - his sumptuous 20-yard strike against Wednesday indicative of a player brimming with self-belief.

But the 21-year-old, who has 10 goals for club and country this season, is keen to deflect attention away from himself and on to his less-heralded manager.

Brian McDermott was previously chief scout at Reading

McDermott, the club's former chief scout, replaced Rodgers in December and, after a difficult start, has masterminded the turnaround in the club's fortunes. Former Watford boss Rodgers had been appointed to replace Coppell in the summer but lasted only six months, winning six of his 23 games in charge.

"With Brendan I think we were going for a new style of football with more passing," says Church. "We were playing good football but just weren't getting results.

"Brian has restored a lot of faith in us. We've gone back to basics really and it seems to have worked. Brian is going out to win games and that's what we needed I think and we are starting to learn how to do that now.

"Whatever it takes to win, whether it's a scrappy 1-0 or all out attack, he kind of looks at the team we are playing and does what it takes to win. The team have grown in confidence with the results and we keep on going."

The club, who have never appeared in a major cup final and only once reached the semis, entertain Premier League high-flyers Villa on Sunday buoyed by an unbeaten run of eight matches at home.

It's all a far cry from the dark days of last year when Reading failed to win a single league match at the Madejski between 27 January and 21 November.

606: DEBATE Simon Church has really showed what he's made since McDermott has come in and I hope he just get's better and better this season PasionateRoyal

"It was not a happy place to watch football," recalls Jon Keen, vice-chair of Reading Supporters Trust. "It was no fun to be a Reading supporter at home and that obviously got to the players and sapped all their confidence.

"For many people the fact that you had bought your season ticket and didn't want to waste the money was the only thing that made you turn up week after week."

The dismal sequence included a 2-0 defeat by Burnley in the play-off semi-final which ensured Reading would not be going back to the Premier League and prompted the departure of Coppell and several leading players such as Kevin Doyle, Stephen Hunt and Andre Bikey.

The clearout has given opportunities to young players like Shane Long, who headed the winner at Anfield, and Church, who has had to bide his time after loan spells at Leyton Orient, Wycombe, Yeovil and Crewe.

"To some people going out on loan might seem like being pushed away, but for me it was a chance to go out and get first-team experience," says Church.

"At the time I had players like Doyle and (Dave) Kitson ahead of me so I knew it would be some time before I got my chance, but luckily this season I've had a chance and managed to take it."

Church's form has drawn admiring glances from Liverpool, with Wales assistant manager Roy Evans reportedly likening him to a young Ian Rush and urging Reds boss Rafael Benitez to sign him.

Church has won six Wales caps and been compared to Ian Rush

But Church, who has been at Reading since switching from his local side Wycombe as a 14-year-old, wants to continue learning his trade at the Berkshire club for the time being and is fully focused on Sunday's showdown at the Madejski - the biggest game of his fledgling career.

"It's flattering and it's nice to have a lot of interest but you can't really look too much into it," says Church, who will come face to face with his Wales team-mate James Collins on Sunday.

"I'm happy with Reading and I think at the moment I need that extra season in the Championship just to gain more experience.

"I want to get to the highest level possible. But at the moment I'm just concentrating on things at Reading and trying to get us into the semi-final."

Church's words will be music to the ears of Reading fans, who having finally awoken from their nightmare of 2009, are daring to dream again.

"Everyone is buzzing," says Keen. "The atmosphere will be superb on Sunday - it's the only topic of conversation in town."