CONGRATULATIONS to Reading on their return to the Premier League.

Brian McDermott, their somewhat low-profile manager, has done a great job in piloting the club back to the top flight.

And it’s to the credit of backer John Madejski that he stuck with the Royals after they dropped out of the Prem back in 2008.

It would have been easy for him to accept Championship consolidation.

But he has worked hard to keep Reading in the upper reaches of the table.

Promoting McDermott from reserve manager to succeed Brendan Rodgers after he joined Swansea was a big call, because he was under pressure to go for a big name.

But the decision has proved to be a masterstroke.

Madejski, who established Reading in the stadium which bears his name, has also brought in a wealthy new owner in Russian businessman Anton Zingarevich.

That should mean McDermott has some serious money to splash in the transfer market as he attempts to make Reading a competitive force.

I’m sure he already has targets in mind, and it will be very interesting to see which players arrive in Berkshire before next season begins.

It all seems a far cry from the days when Reading were based at Elm Park, a pretty basic ground I played at during my first spell at Town.

The game that sticks out in my mind was back in 1995-96, our first season back in the Championship under Brian Horton after Neil Warnock took us to promotion via the play-offs.

We played in the all-yellow Panasonic change kit and I scored our goal in a 3-1 defeat, but it’s the debut performance of Lee Makel (right) that I remember best.

Brian had brought him in from Blackburn, and while he hadn’t played that many games for Rovers, his class was clear.

He really pulled the strings for us, and I always thought he was underrated.

Lee later went on to play up in Scotland, for Hearts, Livingston and Dunfermline amongst others, and in Sweden, where he went into coaching.

These days he is back in Scotland as assistant manager of Cowdenbeath.

IT’S been an amazing few days for Chelsea – and Roberto Di Matteo in particular.

Having turned things around in the wake of Andres Villas-Boas’ short and troubled reign and already guided the Blues to the FA Cup final, Di Matteo is on the cusp of a greater achievement still.

And taking Chelsea to the Champions League final would surely make it impossible, even in the sometimes strange world of Stamford Bridge, not to give him the manager’s job on a permanent basis.

Tomorrow’s return clash in Barcelona is going to be intriguing, and it would be great to see Chelsea do it.

They have certainly given themselves a fighting chance with a home performance full of character, discipline and hard work.

Sure, there were areas in which Chelsea could be criticised – not least Didier Drogba’s gamesmanship.

But the man who scored their precious goal also led the line tremendously, and there were top-notch displays from other members of the old guard whom AVB tried to sideline.

John Terry, a man I’ve tipped as a future Chelsea manager somewhere down the line, was immense in the heart of defence while Frank Lampard’s passing was immaculate.

They’ll all have to be on top of their game if Chelsea are to survive in the Nou Camp, and the Londoners might well need that little bit of luck to tame Messi, Fabregas, Ramires and the rest once again.

But don’t bet against it!