Johnny Ertl insists he will not rest on his laurels after finally getting a run of matches in the Crystal Palace first team.

The Austrian struggled for games in his first season last year but has now started the last seven Eagles matches alongside Shaun Derry as a holding midfielder.

Manager Neil Warnock recently said he was fast becoming the first name on the team sheet but Ertl is eager to keep improving.

"It is a great boost for a player when the manager says something like that but I do not want to rest," he said.

"I want to keep on going that's my main focus, to get as many games under my belt as possible.

"I just waited for my chance for come and knew it was up to me if I could take that chance when it came.

"I was really confident it would come but in life sometimes you have to be patient because when you are doing an honest job and working hard you will get a chance."

The 27-year-old admits Saturday's defeat at home to Doncaster was hard to stomach but is confident he and the rest of the players can bounce back against Reading tonight.

"We would have had some expectation before the Doncaster game," he said.

"We had performed so well in the last couple of matches and got home wins against Middlesbrough and Watford and because all the away games are pretty tough in this league you need to win the home games.

"What a pity we lost at home game because in the Championship the home games are the most important.

"We are focussed on the game against Reading tonight though because we want to respond as we had a big chance for a win on Saturday.

"There are lots of games coming up so we are really focussed on them and we still have the chance to get into the play-offs."