Reading FC blog run by fans, for fans.
A great win at the weekend and a hat-trick for Jack Marriott have Reading three points off the playoffs in seventh place. A late playoff charge is on. A win midweek would keep us in seventh but only on goal difference behind Huddersfield Town, who we play in April, and could beat if we are […]
It’s largely been the case this season that our performances as a team have been rather unconvincing yet we’ve still managed to pick up important results through – mostly – impressive individual showings. The Valentine’s Day win over Wycombe Wanderers epitomised that. Wycombe were very good – the stats show they dominated the game – […]
The Royals picked up a big three points against local rivals Wycombe Wanderers in an exciting – and slightly stressful – 3-2 victory at the SCL Stadium on Saturday. Reading took the lead early in the first half through Jack Marriott and then absorbed a lot of Wycombe pressure. Marriott made it two just before […]
They say a week is a long time in politics, but in football it can feel like an eternity. Seven days ago we were picking apart a meek 3-2 loss away at AFC Wimbledon, undone by a hat‑trick from former Oxford United man Marcus Browne. Fast‑forward 168 hours, with another victory on the road at […]
Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day? Well, best not as it’s actually a nippy day in mid-February, but still, I love you Jack Marriott. Valentine’s Day is when we celebrate the ones we hold in our hearts, and Marriott is most certainly our special someone. Time and time again he steps up (it’s […]
Joel Pereira: 7 On a busy afternoon, Pereira made some strong saves in both halves to keep Reading in the game. I wouldn’t fault him for either of the goals conceded – one from very close range and another blasted past him through sheer power – with the defence at fault. His distribution again wasn’t […]
Form Wycombe Wanderers finished fifth in League One last season, eight points off the automatic places but securing a place in the playoffs. They failed to make it to the playoff final, losing to eventual winners Charlton Athletic over two legs, where one goal in the second leg was enough to settle the two ties. This […]
The Royals are once again on their winning ways after a good away victory against Wigan Athletic. Weirdly, it has been Paudie O’Connor and Jeriel Dorsett among the goals in the last two matches, which isn’t a problem, but there’s a slight worry about where our strikers are. Wycombe Wanderers also won their last game, […]
On November 25, 2023, Reading headed into an away game against Wycombe Wanderers in an objectively dire state – both on and off the field. We had not won an away game in 378 days, we’d won seldom more at home, and things off the pitch were the worst they had ever been. Even by […]
The Royals continue the never-ending away trip with stops at AFC Wimbledon and Wigan Athletic, bringing a win and a loss (not respectively). Ben and Ross debate the team changes made after the loss in Southwest London, and there’s discussion of the performances of Paudie O’Connor, Benn Ward and Joel Pereira. The mailbag brings questions […]
The Royals picked up a fantastic 2-1 away victory against Wigan Athletic to move us up to six points off the playoffs. Goals through Jeriel Dorsett and a late Paudie O’Connor winner secured the three points. With a big game against Wycombe Wanderers at the weekend, it moves us ever closer to the playoffs. Royals […]
Joel Pereira: 5 Could have attacked the cross into the box more aggressively for Taylor’s goal, but was completely stranded by his defence once he had made the decision not to do so. Got down bravely to clean up a potential one-on-one with the goalscorer in second-half stoppage time. Overall a pretty quiet performance for […]
We’ve been around the block a fair few times by now. We all knew that visiting a team who were hit for six last time out and have just sacked their manager – combined with our current run of form – was the perfect recipe for a home win. So, while our performance was again […]
Form Wigan Athletic finished 15th in League One last season, 10 points clear of the relegation places. This season marks their third straight year in the third tier, having been relegated from the Championship in 2023, after finishing 22nd in the league. The Latics are currently fighting at the wrong end of the table, sitting in the […]
I seem to be starting a preview like this a few too many times this season, but a loss at the weekend has put the Royals in another difficult stage of not being able to win multiple games in a row. The last time we did so was the start of January against both Burton […]
Reading Women eased through to the semi-finals of the League Cup with a 5-1 victory over Larkspur Rovers Ladies at the Brunel University Sports Park on Sunday. A goal from midfielder Emmi Tong put the Royals ahead at the break. The visitors then put in a ruthless second-half display with goals from Ava Broke-Smith, Sarah […]
It all seems a bit ‘meh’ at the moment. I argued after the 2-2 draw against Exeter City that there is a bigger, perhaps more positive, picture than the last few results and performances had suggested. However, even I left the unique AFC Wimbledon home ground feeling pretty flat, detached and apathetic, which wasn’t helped […]
The Royals suffered a defeat on the road with a 3-2 loss to AFC Wimbledon on Saturday. The home side took the lead in the first half through Marcus Browne, but Jack Marriott scored just before half-time to equalise. Browne put the Dons ahead again just after half-time but the Royals came back through Jeriel […]
Mathematically speaking, it’s far too early to definitively say whether Reading’s season is now actually over. On today’s evidence though, it may as well be. The first half? Poor, but I’ve seen worse. The second? An error-strewn, aimless mess – defensively and offensively; individually, collectively and tactically. And the overriding feeling I get from today’s match […]
Joel Pereira: 4 I feel he could have done more to keep the cross out for 1-0, although he wasn’t helped by the space left by his defence in front of him. Made an absolute howler for the Dons’ second though, somehow dropping the ball without being under much pressure. His distribution could have been […]
Form AFC Wimbledon secured promotion back to the third tier last season, winning the League Two playoffs. They finished fifth in the league and went on to beat Walsall, who finished fourth, in the final, after a first-half goal from Myles Hippolyte. Promotion ended their three-year spell in League Two, having been relegated to the fourth […]
After a comfortable 2-0 win against the Cobblers, the Royals face AFC Wimbledon for the third time this season. A win and a loss means the Royals are wanting to get the better of a Dons side they hadn’t played since 2018, before this season. Wimbledon won their mid-week game 1-0 against Port Vale, with […]
Reading’s January 2026 was one of those months that can be reasonably interpreted a number of ways. While results were on paper very good (three wins, two draws and a loss), performances were mixed, while a couple of particularly frustrating home draws gave rise to the feeling that this month should have gone even better. […]
Spoiler alert: I’m more than a little bit miffed about this transfer. If you don’t want to read a grumpy old man being grumpy about the clouds in the sky then the TL;DR of this is: Andre Garcia has a high ceiling and was never going to stay forever, but we should have done more […]
We did it, everyone! We made it through January! Now we are into the shortest month of the year and hopefully, for the love of Jimmy Kebe, we’ll start to get some of the bright orange thing in the sky to return to us occasionally after that. However, before we can look forward, we must […]