DESPITE establishing himself as a fans' favourite almost immediately into his Reading FC career, John Swift admitted his form fell apart towards the end of last season.

Swift's Royals career got off to a flyer when he got on the end of a neat set-piece routine on his debut against Preston North End to blast Reading to a 1-0 lead.

The 21-year-old went from strength to strength in the coming games and produced a series of dazzling displays in the heart of Jaap Stam's midfield.

An unfortunate injury picked up while on international duty stunted Swift's progress however, and the England Under 21 star admitted he struggled to regain momentum when he returned.

"I got off to a good start and I wanted to carry that on," revealed the former Chelsea starlet.

"I was doing really well up until I got my injury while I was playing for England.

"When I came back against Bristol City I tried to play the way I was before and that backfired.

"I wouldn't say I was playing well but I got on the scoresheet a lot in January but my performances weren't at a higher level as they had been.

"The second half of the season was a bit of a struggle for me.

"That happens sometimes, there was a lot of fatigue as well as it was my first full season in the Championship.

"Hopefully this season I can carrying on and put in some good performances."

Swift made 41 appearances under Stam last season, scoring nine goals.

He previously revealed he left Stamford Bridge in search for regular first-team football.

The midfield maestro was recently awarded a fresh five-year deal at Madejski Stadium, keeping him at the club until 2022.

When asked about his form in the latter stages of last season, boss Stam admitted Swift tends to put himself under lots of pressure.

But the Dutchman is thrilled to have the 22-year-old's long-term commitment.

"John puts himself under pressure sometimes,” declared Stam.

“He's the type of player that wants to make a difference and he has the quality to do that.

“It's a good thing from a player that he puts pressure on himself because he wants to do better.

“He wants to be important for the team and as a player you need to think like that to get to a certain level.”