Cox leads City’s charge on the Royals

Exeter City head to the Select Car Leasing Stadium on Tuesday night looking to build on their battling draw against Northampton Town, with Sonny Cox ready to make an impact once again.

Cox, who marked his return from injury with a late equaliser on Saturday, is eager to help City push up the table as the season enters its final stretch.

"I'm back scoring a goal and doing what I love most," he said. "It's been a tough couple of months for me with injury and not being in the squad, so to come on and score was an amazing feeling. When I got the call that I was in the squad, I was delighted, and when I came on, all I was thinking was score.

"I feel that if we stick to our game plan and commit to everything we do, we can climb the table. It's going to be a tough game, but if we do things right, there's a great chance we can come away with the three points."

City will need that confidence against a Reading side in good form. Ruben Selles' men are ninth in the table, just a point off the top six, and come into the game fresh from a dramatic comeback win at Wigan.

Exeter, however, have already proven they can go toe-to-toe with strong opposition and will be looking to replicate their high-intensity performances from recent big games.

Manager Gary Caldwell wants to see his side take the attacking intent they showed against Nottingham Forest in the FA Cup into their league performances.

"We've got a quick turnaround, so we can learn those lessons fast and look forward to a big challenge at Reading," he said. "It was a good point in the end from a scrappy game on Saturday, but we've got a lot of matches like that coming up where teams are scrapping for points. The big thing I want to get over to the players is that we need to play with the confidence and personality that has won us big games this season.

"It's a tough game, but we will be fully prepared. Reading are a really dangerous and aggressive team, and we will need to give a big physical exertion. But we've had time to recover, and we will be ready."

City will wear their gold and black strip on the night, hoping to continue their strong recent performances against promotion-chasing sides.

For those unable to make the trip, the match is live on Sky Sports+ in the UK and on Grecian+ for overseas supporters. Kick-off is at 8pm.