Duberry ready for battle with Bikey

3rd December 2008

Defender Michael Duberry has warned team-mate Andre Bikey he faces a fight to win back his place in Reading's starting line-up.

Duberry replaced the suspended Bikey in the 3-1 win over Coventry on Monday with an assured display despite conceding the free-kick that led to the Sky Blues' opener.

The former Chelsea defender, who has missed a large part of the season with a calf injury, is now hoping to nail down a place in Steve Coppell`s side as the busy winter period in the Championship approaches.

Duberry told the Reading Evening Post: "It has been a long time coming. I've been waiting patiently and the chance came, so hopefully I've done enough for the gaffer to think I deserve a place on Saturday at Barnsley.

"If the team had been losing and conceding a load of goals I would have been the first to be really frustrated, but Bikey and Ivar were keeping clean sheets and defending well, so I didn't have a reason to go knocking on the manager's door.

"I think the players in the first team know that if they don't perform they will be replaced and the people behind them will take their opportunity."