READING FC boss Jaap Stam bemoaned a lack of composure after watching his side collapse to a 3-2 defeat at the hands of relegation-threatened Nottingham Forest on Saturday.

The Royals squandered their opportunity to mathematically seal a spot in the Championship play-offs following goals from Britt Assombalonga and Mustapha Carayol.

A late fight-back from Yann Kermorgant, who bagged his fifteenth and sixteenth goals of the season, nearly sparked a sensational turnaround.

But despite Reading's probes they could not quite find a third goal to take a point back to Berkshire and Dutchman Stam fumed at his players' confidence on the ball.

Normally we have the composure to keep possession, to wait and to pass the ball," bemoaned Stam.

"The choices we made against Forest weren't good enough, the diagonal passes were too quick and the long balls towards the strikers were played too soon.

"In previous games we kept our cool right up to the last second and we kept creating opportunities but we didn't do that against Forest.

"We weren't good enough on the day."

Reading went into the game knowing three points would have guaranteed them a spot in this season's play-off finals in May.

However, having slipped to a defeat, the Royals still need a single point to cement their spot in the top-six.

"It's all in our own hands," asserted Stam.

"It would have been nice to get the three points on Saturday so it's over with. It would have been good to get it over with as soon as possible.

"But we still need to fight for that one point because Wigan won't make things easy, they need the points as well."

Reading can still finish in third or fourth position, meaning should they make the play-offs the second-leg of the semi-final will be played at Madejski Stadium.

But Stam insisted finishing in the top-six is the Royals' only aim.

"I'm not thinking about ending up in third or fourth because we're not there yet," Stam told BBC Radio Berkshire.

"We need to be happy if we end up in the top six because that is our aim."