Ex-Blackpool boss Paul ince wins his first game in charge at Reading ahead of his return to Bloomfield Road

The 54-year-old oversaw a 2-1 victory for the Royals at home to Birmingham City at the Madejski Stadium last night.

It was Ince’s first game in the hot seat since taking interim charge after former boss Veljko Paunovic was surprisingly sacked barely an hour after Saturday’s 3-2 win against Preston North End.

Next up for Ince on Saturday is a return to Bloomfield Road, where he experienced an all too brief spell in charge of the Seasiders.

The former England and Liverpool midfielder left Blackpool in January 2014 after less than a year in charge, becoming the club's fourth-shortest-serving manager.

Under his management, Blackpool won 12 out of 42 games and, at the time of his sacking, the club had won just two points from their last 12 games.

Prior to his move to Reading, it was the 54-year-old's last role in management.

Ince, whose son Tom is part of the Reading squad, was satisfied with the start he made on Tuesday night - but added a note of caution for the weeks and months ahead.

“To come here and win at home in front of the Reading fans, it’s a great feeling,” Ince told Reading’s official website.

“At times we played well, at times we looked nervous and that’s understandable when you’re fighting to stay in this league. At times we rode our luck.

“But we looked comfortable at 2-0. It looked like game, set and match. We make a mistake and all of a sudden you can sense the tension and apprehension in the crowd.

“But they dug in and worked so hard. The desire, the fight they showed to hold on to the three points.

“The Championship is tough, it’s demanding. It’s a bruising, bruising league. We can’t do a lot with them in training because they’ve got cuts and bruises, but that’s what it takes to stay in this league.

“We go to Blackpool now and we’ve got to be confident because it’s two wins on the bounce, but we can’t be complacent because there’s a long way to go.”

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