Chris Hughton admitted Albion were below their best at Reading – and was happy enough with a draw.

The Seagulls led 2-1 early in the second period but were pegged back by a strike from their former defender Paul McShane.

Albion boss Hughton said: "We're pleased with the draw. We weren't at our best.

“We managed to get 2-1 up early in the second half. Probably on the balance of play we didn't deserve it.

“But we've got players in the team that can get goals. We needed to hold onto the lead a lot longer and we come away with a performance that wasn't one of our better ones but we still haven't lost.”

The Argus:

Albion were disjointed in the first half but were gifted parity by Joey Van Den Berg’s own goal.

Anthony Knockaert then fired the visitors ahead.

Hughton said: “I thought we were a little bit flatter on the back of a really good performance midweek. Sometimes it's difficult to reach those levels again.

“Having taken the lead we are disappointed with the way we conceded but I can't be too disappointed with the result.”