Reading manager Mark Bowen has said his side's defeat to Sheffield United on Tuesday night was "galling", as the Royals went down 2-1 after extra time in the FA Cup fifth round at the Madejski Stadium.

Bowen named an unchanged lineup from Saturday's 2-0 win over Barnsley, and the strength of the team saw Reading compete well against their Premier League opponents throughout the course of the game.

George Puscas' penalty just before the break cancelled out David McGoldrick's opener for the Blades shortly after kick-off, as the teams went into half-time all square at 1-1.

The second half proved to be a tight affair, and the two sides could not be separated after ninety minutes.

Despite taking Sheffield United all the way, Billy Sharp struck at the end of the first period of extra time to break Reading hearts, as their FA Cup journey ended for another year.

Speaking after the final whistle, Bowen said the result was hard to take for his side, considering how the game panned out.

"It’s difficult to finish the game with nothing to show for all that effort. That’s really galling," the Reading boss told the club's official website.

"I wanted our fans to go away tonight with a smile on their face because we had won the game and we were in a quarter-final. They may not have a smile on their face, because we were beaten. But I hope that they can go away feeling pride in their team."

Can you score 13/13 on this Reading quiz?

He added that the confidence was there amongst the team to get the job done in extra time, but they fell just short.

"I thought we looked like we might win it in extra-time or at least take the tie to penalties, but football has a habit of coming back and kicking you in the backside if you get too far ahead of yourself. And that's what it did tonight," Bowen said.

The Royals are back in Championship action this weekend as they take on an in-form Birmingham City side at St. Andrew's.

The Verdict

Bowen is rightly devastated at the result, as his players gave everything and put in a good performance, but in the end it was not enough.

Considering Sheffield United's current position in the Premier League, Reading should take heart from their showing last night and look to emulate it in their remaining ten league games as they look to a respectable finish.

The only worry now is that Bowen's players have just four days to recover and prepare for the Birmingham clash this Saturday.