JAAP Stam believes the improvement of his players over the season has been key to Reading FC success.

Stam admits he was unsure about the strength of the squad he inherited when he replaced Brian McDermott as manager last June.

But in the short space of a pre-season campaign and a summer transfer window he overhauled the team by signing 11 new players and releasing 12 others, many of whom had been brought in on loan.

Stam also introduced a new way of playing and, although it took a while for his players to adapt to a possession-based approach, it soon began to pay off as Royals climbed the table and finished third behind Brighton and Newcastle United.

Few expected Reading would do so well after such a major rebuilding job for Stam to undertake in his first season in management.

Lowly finishes of 17th and 19th in the Championship the previous two seasons under McDermott and Steve Clarke had also seen expectations fall.

However, Stam silenced his critics and Reading are now one win away from returning to the Premier League if they can beat Huddersfield Town in the Championship play-off final at Wembley next Monday (3pm ko).

And the 44-year-old Dutchman says the personal development of players such as Liam Moore, John Swift and Liam Kelly was instrumental during the campaign.

"I have said many, many times that it would have been a great achievement to be in the top 10 in the Championship this season,” explained Stam.

“Before I came I looked at the clubs we would be up against in the Championship and where Reading had finished the previous two seasons.

“I didn't know too much about the players here at Reading either, but they made a lot of progress individually over the season, they really did.

“Even players like Yann Kermorgant, who is 35 and has a lot of experience, have improved this year in my opinion and that is all down to hard work and developing as a team.

"We improved over the season so then you get the feeling that 'okay, we might end up higher than tenth.'”

Bracknell News:

Liam Kelly has become a first-team regular under Jaap Stam.

Reading sealed their place at Wembley by defeating Fulham 2-1 over two legs of the semi-final.

Stam's men drew 1-1 at Craven Cottage in the first leg that many expected them to lose heavily.

And they followed that with a 1-0 victory in the home leg at Madejski Stadium last week when Kermorgant's second-half penalty proved to be the difference.

But Stam says his players will continue working hard during the 13-day gap between the semi finals and final.

"They had a couple of days off now but we don't want to give them too many because you don't want to get into the holiday vibe,” he explained.

"We need to stick to it and keep on working. We've a bit more time to analyse the opposition to see what we'll do."

Reading skipper Paul McShane will miss the final through suspension, while Jordan Obita faces a late fitness test after twisting his ankle in the victory at Craven Cottage.