Reading 1 Burnley 0: Beaten Burnley still offer manager Laws cause for optimism

The Royals, who knocked out Liverpool after a replay at Anfield in the previous round, booked their place in the fifth round following a goal from Gylfi Sigurdsson at the Madejski Stadium just three minutes from time.

Laws's side next face their former manager Owen Coyle at Bolton, and then host title chasers Chelsea.

"We defended a lot better as a team, and those are the building blocks which we have to keep going, to be more solid in our next game," said former Sheffield Wednesday manager Laws.

"We have got some positives to take with players coming back and that quality will help make us a better team.

"There is a lot of hard work ahead, but we knew that from the start.

"The one thing the players will do is to keep pushing on and (they) are determined to turn it around."

Laws added: "We have got a big week ahead of us, and I want to get a win under my belt as quickly as possible."

The Clarets' boss lamented his team's failure to make the most of their dominant spell midway through the second half at Reading.

"We desperately wanted to get through to the next round, and we did not play as well as we were capable of," said Laws, who was in charge for only his second game since being appointed as Coyle's successor.

"(Steve] Thompson up front had given it a go, even though he was sick during the night, then in the second half when we changed it with (Martin] Paterson we showed a bit more energy.

"We upped the tempo and looked much more dangerous.

"We had a good 20-minute spell in the second half and looked more like ourselves, passing it better. We created a few good chances, with some quality saves from their keeper which kept Reading in the game. We knew that if we did not take our chances, we were going to come under some pressure and the disappointing thing is that we were only three minutes from getting our first clean sheet in quite a while."

Brian McDermott believes the time has come for him to take charge of Reading on a permanent basis after adding another Barclays Premier League scalp to his short management CV.

Chairman John Madejski is set to return next week from a business trip to Tenerife, and will have been given plenty to think about as he looks for a successor to Brendan Rodgers, who was sacked in December after failing to rekindle the success enjoyed under Steve Coppell.

McDermott has been at the club for the best part of a decade, initially joining as chief scout before taking charge of the Under-19s and then the reserves.

"Sometimes in life you get an opportunity and at this moment, I feel it is my time," McDermott said. "The circumstances now are perfect for myself."

Reading: Federici, Griffin, Ingimarsson, Mills, Bertrand, McAnuff, Karacan, Gunnarsson (Kebe 75), Sigurdsson, Church (Long 64), Rasiak (Thorvaldsson 83). Unused substitutes: Hamer, Cisse, Pearce, Howard.

Burnley: Jensen, Mears, Edgar, Duff, McCann, Eagles, McDonald, Alexander, Gudjonsson (Blake 85), Elliott, Thompson (Paterson 46). Unused substitutes: Penny, Carlisle, Rodriguez, Easton, Guerrero. Booked: McCann, Eagles.

Referee: Andy D'Urso (Essex).