Emi Martinez has spoken about his Reading debut against Bolton on Tuesday and admitted he’s relishing the chance to play in front of the home fans this weekend.

Martinez didn’t have to wait long for his first start after his loan move, debuting against Bolton in midweek. He made a number of good saves, but he’ll be a little disappointed to have given away a goal right at the end, preventing Reading from getting the three points. In his defence, there wasn’t anything he could do about the late equaliser.

“I thought we played really well in Bolton,” the goalkeeper said. “We played well and out from the back and defended well. Hopefully now though we can get the three points at home.

“I felt really comfortable. The manager wants us to play out and I’m comfortable doing that; it’s what I’ve done at Arsenal for many years.

“They were pressing us high, and we were getting out of it. We did well. We can do better. We need to play together a bit more and concentrate in the final stages of the game, or kill it off before that.”

Martinez then admitted he’s relishing the chance to make his home debut against Aston Villa on Saturday afternoon.

“I am looking forward to playing in front of our home fans. In this league, it makes a massive difference when you play at your own stadium,” he continued. “Aston Villa have a good team. But we have a good team as well, and we’re at home.

“The fans are really important – they need to understand that we’re pushing really hard. We will play from the back whether we’re winning or losing, and everyone needs to support the manager’s ideas.”

Hopefully, Martinez will remain in the side for the rest of the season, as that’s the only way he’s really going to have a chance to come back to Arsenal and compete for a starting spot. With Petr Cech retiring, the goalkeeper won’t get a better chance to be one of The Gunners’ two regular shot-stoppers in the squad, particularly as he’s now 26.

Good luck to Emi with his game on Saturday, and for the next few months in the Championship!