Rodgers applauds Reading promotion

Swansea manager Brendan Rodgers has praised former club Reading for sealing a return to the Barclays Premier League.

The Royals will start next season in English football's top flight, having been relegated in 2008. Rodgers presided over Swansea's victory against Reading in last season's play-off final, which subjected the Berkshire side to another season in the npower Championship. But Rodgers, a former Royals manager himself, was delighted to see them seal promotion with a 15th win in 17 games on Tuesday night - a 1-0 home victory over Nottingham Forest. He said on Thursday: "I can only imagine what it must have been like losing a game of that magnitude (the play-off final). They must have had an empty feeling and we've seen other clubs slide away after a result like that. "But not Reading. They grew again and deserve a huge amount of credit. They are a wonderful club and it's good to see them back in the Premier League."