JOHN Swift has spoken of the 'horrible' ending to the Championship season with Reading FC as he shifts his focus onto England Under 21 duty.

Swift admits he is still hurting from the bitter defeat to Huddersfield Town on penalties at Wembley last week.

But the classy midfielder insists the painful experience has only made him more determined to go one better next season and clinch automatic promotion with Jaap Stam's team.

Speaking exclusively to the Reading Chronicle, he said: “It’s horrible to get that far then lose on penalties.

“There was nothing between us and Huddersfield. We had chances, they had chances, but both defences came out on top.

“We went 3-1 up when Ali Al-Habsi saved one of theirs to put a bit more pressure on Huddersfield, but anything can happen when it goes to penalties.

“Everyone dug in so hard to get as far as we did so credit to the whole team. But again, losing on penalties is one of the toughest things in football.”

Swift made 42 appearances for the Royals last season, scoring nine goals, following his free-transfer from Chelsea.

He scored the winner against Preston on his debut on the opening day of the campaign and quickly became a key player under Stam.

But despite falling just short of the two automatic promotion places occupied by Newcastle and Brighton, Reading’s season ended at Wembley when they were beaten 4-3 on penalties by the Terriers after two hours of goalless action.

Reading Chronicle:

John Swift is part of the England Under 21 squad taking part in the European Championships in Poland. Picture: AP Photo/Claude Paris.

And Swift admitted the tension on the day may have got to both Reading and Huddersfield after neither team could score during 120 minutes of open play.

“We were both waiting for that one big chance to score, but neither team wanted to concede a goal and end up having to break the other one down,” suggested Swift.

“I think one goal would have won the game. Maybe it was nerves but it was a hard game to play in with a horrible ending.”

However, the midfield schemer insists the Royals will be aiming even higher next time, saying: “At the start of the season people were saying we were going down.

“The club had brought in so many new players and a new manager that it was hard to predict what would happen.

“We came so far in the end and now it’s another season in the Championship. Hopefully we can skip the play-offs next season.

“Nobody wants to go through that again. There is such a big build up to the play-offs and they are huge games to play in, so finishing in the top two would be a massive achievement.

“It’s going to be another tough season ahead. We’ll have a break and relax and get our heads together so we do even better next time.”

Meanwhile, Swift has been rewarded for his stellar debut campaign in Berkshire by earning himself a ticket to Poland with the England Under 21 squad this month.

The Young Lions will travel to eastern Europe for the European Championship tournament, which kicks off on June 16 when England face Sweden.

Aidy Boothroyd’s squad also face Slovakia on June 19 and hosts Poland three days later, and the U21 boss said: “We’ve got players with big game experience now, lads who have played in cup finals, play-off finals, big games and a couple of senior internationals.

“Like with any international team, bringing them all together and getting them all to work as a single unit is always the challenging part.”