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Ron Gourlay replaced Nigel Howe as Reading chief executive

Reading chief executive Ron Gourlay says the club must have a "clean slate" after only securing Championship safety on the final day of the season.

The Royals lost the play-off final on penalties in 2016-17 but only avoided relegation by three points this term.

Manager Jaap Stam left in March after a run of one win in 18 league games, with Paul Clement ensuring they stayed up.

"We've got to make sure we don't find ourselves in a similar situation again," Gourlay told BBC Berkshire.

"It's undoubtedly been a very difficult season for everybody at the football club but we've got to take responsibility for that, there's accountability."

Gourlay, former CEO at Chelsea and a senior director at Manchester United, joined Reading in July 2017.

Ex-Derby and Swansea boss Clement signed a three-year deal and says there is "work to be done" for his players even before they return for pre-season training.

On the 2017-18 campaign, Gourlay said: "We've got to park it, we've got to have a clean slate, and we've got to move forward.

"That's about everybody pulling together, learning from what we've learnt from last year, making sure we don't make the same mistakes again and pushing forward as a football club."