Mantell scored twice in the 3-1 victory over Surbiton

Reading defender Richard Mantell says qualifying for Europe goes some way to making up for a frustrating season.

Reading beat Surbiton 3-1 to finish third in the Premier League and ensure European qualification.

Mantell told BBC Berkshire: "It's been frustrating to not have won the Cup or the Premier League this season.

"But it's been an important milestone to qualify for Europe again to maintain our momentum as one of the top clubs in the country."

Great Britain and England international Mantell believes European qualification is vital in improving individual player's performances.

"The top international players are playing in the European Hockey League for their clubs," he added. "So it's great for us to have an opportunity to compete against them.

"We can get really familiar to playing against those top players so when we play them in the European Nations Cup and the Olympics, we know what we need to do in order to compete against them."

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