A late penalty from Adam le Fondre saw the newly promoted side clinch a 1-1 draw at the Madejski Stadium following Michael Kightly's opener.

Kightly had given the visitors a 34th-minute lead after Federici spilled his tame effort into his own net.

Dermott backed Federici, who played a key role in helping Reading get promoted, to bounce back from the blunder.

"We all make errors. I make errors most days. He's a great character, he works really, really hard each and every day," McDermott said.

"He's a top professional and he's saved us many, many times, and he will do in the future.

"He was upset but that's part of life. You have to overcome your disappointments quickly and he'll do that."

McDermott says it was vital his team managed to snatch a point against Stoke.

With trips to Chelsea and Sunderland to follow in the next week, McDermott was delighted to get on the board in their first game of the campaign.

"It's a strange thing to say but, psychologically, it's important that we got that result today," he said.

"We know we can compete. We've done that today - there's no doubt about that. So it's important to get a result and we have got a result today."

The decision to award Reading the late penalty did not sit well with Stoke City manager Tony Pulis.

Referee Kevin Friend had allowed play to continue after Dean Whitehead's rash tackle, but opted to award the spot-kick having ruled there was no advantage for the hosts.

"I'll speak to (referees' chief) Mike Riley on Monday and find out how long they're going to give," Pulis said.

"They either play on or they call it back. It gives the advantage to the attacking team, so it's a good rule.

"It's just being consistent. Where does it start? Where does it end?"