Reading captain Jobi McAnuff has insisted that his side are still capable of beating the odds and securing another season in the Premier League.

The Royals are bottom of the table after slipping to a 4-1 defeat at Arsenal in their first game under the guidance of new manager Nigel Adkins.

Despite being seven points from safety, McAnuff thinks that there is enough spirit and quality in the Reading camp to pull off a late escape from the bottom three.

He told Sky Sports News: "We have got games there that we think we winnable between now and the end of the season and we have got to move on as quickly as possible from this and make sure we are right come Saturday.

"It changes from year to year, but historically there's obviously a [points] mark teams need to get to. We know we're going to need a good few wins between now and the end of the season to reach that target. We have got to start getting that first win on the board as quickly as possible.

"We feel we've got the games to do it, we've still got some teams in and around us and it's important not to get too down. We will make sure we learn from this defeat and move forward. We have got to really focus on ourselves, we have got a new manager now and everyone is working together to try and stay up. We have been through some rough times before and we have achieved a lot as a group of players and from our point of view that spirit will keep us moving forward."

Reading face a crucial clash with Adkins's former side Southampton at the Madejski Stadium in their next match.