McDermott: Royals can bounce back

McDermott is still looking for his first win in the Royals hotseat and oversaw a desolate display at Home Park, brightened only by Gylfi Sigurdsson's sixth goal of the season. Reds boss Rafael Benitez has promised to field a strong side at the Madejski Stadium, but McDermott is concentrating more on his own players rather than worry too much about the Anfield giants. He told the club's website: "We had a meeting after Monday's game and we know it can't happen again, it mustn't happen again, and that's the key. "Now we're going into a cup match against one of the biggest sides in the world and I think it's good for us. "It's a massive opportunity for our guys, on TV, to go out and do their stuff. A lot of it is to do with restoring our pride after what happened against Plymouth. "I think it's really important for our supporters that we're seen to do that. It's going to be a full house, there's great expectation and I can't wait for Saturday." The Royals will look back fondly on the last meeting between the sides in Berkshire. The hosts ran out 3-1 victors in the Premier League in December 2007 thanks to goals from Stephen Hunt, Kevin Doyle and James Harper, with Steven Gerrard on target for the Reds. McDermott admits, however, that he has some demons to banish against the Merseysiders from his playing days. "I dug out a tape from 25 years ago when I missed an open goal in front of the Kop, that's always been on my mind!" he joked. "It was a long time ago but hopefully that'll be put to bed if we go out and get something against Liverpool. "I think our fans have been terrific in what has been a tough 2009 and now we really need them. It's a tough time for us but we're going to pull through." Reading v Liverpool. Click here to bet.