Reading Home - Preview and Predictions

After a week off for both the Reds and this weekends opponents, Reading, league action resumes at Oakwell. Conor's side look to continue their unbeaten start at home in all competitions as they welcome Noel Hunt's Royals, who are searching for their first away win in the league this season. The Reds are widely available at 4/5 to take all 3 points at home for the 3rd time already this season, with the Reading as 3/1 outsiders.


Last season was one of exceeding expectations for Reading; having been fancied for a season of struggle due to financial constraints and ownership issues. Initially Ruben Selles had stabilised the Royals, who were hit with transfer embargo's and points deductions in his first season, and had them in the play-off places before his departure to Hull City, with a young side, supplemented with loan players. Despite an inconsistent start under his replacement, Noel Hunt, Reading eventually went on a run of just 3 defeats in their final 19 league games (9 wins), though missed out on the play-offs courtesy in part, to a home defeat vs Barnsley on the final day of the season. However, Reading's biggest success of the season was finally being rid of Dai Yonnge. The Chinese business man took over the Royals shortly before their play-off final defeat to Huddersfield in 2017; his tenure at Reading was seen ultimately as a failure, as they incurred one points deduction after another (18 in total) due to financial mismanagement and regulation breaches. He was disqualified from running a football club by the EFL in March, and finally ousted from Reading in May, with the takeover by Rob Couhig (Formerly of Wycombe) announced the morning of the last meeting between the Reds and Royals. Despite the feel good factor which surrounded the 'Select Car Leasing Stadium' in May, the Royals have had a slow start to the season, sitting just above the relegation zone after 6 games. Though they are unbeaten in 3, and have followed up 2 spirited draws with Bolton and Wycome, with their first league win of the season over struggling Port Vale.


Reading are one of the sides we've largely struggled against at home in recent years. Our last home league victory over the Royals was in August 96, amidst that 5 game winning start to the season which ultimately saw us promoted to the Premier League; Darren Sheridan scored a screamer, and Andy Liddell netted twice to condemn 10 man Reading to a heavy defeat. A victory over the Royals in the Worthington Cup shortly after our relegation back to the first division (again, 3-0, Fjortoft x2 and a Barnard free kick), has been our final home victory over Reading, and it's been 12 winless meetings since 2008. Remarkably though, the last 6 have all ended in a score draw, with the first 4 of those being 1-1 and the last 2 being 2-2. In those last 2 games, 3 of Readings goals were scored by the now departed Sam Smith (when I say departed, I mean he's gone to Wrexham, he's not died). The Reds 4 goals in those games were scored by players still at the club (DKD, Earl, Phillips, Jalo). Now would be a great time to break this particular hoodoo.


Familiar faces. Andy Yiadom is in his 8th season with the Royals, having spent 2 seasons at Oakwell prior to making the switch to Berkshire. His involvement last season dwindled somewhat, whether that was through injury, I'm not sure, though he is currently injured and unlikely to face his former club at the weekend. In the same season that Andy Yiadom made his Reds debut, Tennai Watson first broke through at Reading. The full back made 11 appearances in all competitions in his breakthrough season, including a 4th Round EFL Cup game vs Arsenal at the Emirates. After his debut season though, and a series of loan spells, he had to wait 3 and a half years before making his final 2 appearances for the Royals in the 20/21 season, both against Luton oddly enough. As Watson left Reading, Caylan Vickers was making waves in the under 18s. Eventually breaking through in August 23, the Reds loanee went on to make 22 appearances for Reading, before a January deadline day move to Brighton.


There's been a significant turnover in players at Reading over the summer. Including loans going back, 16 players left the club, and 13 have come in. Tyler Bindon and Chem Campbell starred whilst on loan from Wolves and Forest respectively last season, and both now ply their trade elsewhere. Last seasons top scorer, Harvey Knibbs, has also departed; the playmaker had 18 goal contributions last season, which enabled him to step up a division with Charlton. A decisive n was clearly made towards the end of the window to focus on experienced players; since the season started, 32 year old defender, Derrick Williams, has joined the club from Atlanta United, as well as 31 year old attacker, Jack Marriott from Wrexham, and Matt Ritchie, now 35, comes with almost 200 Premier League games under his belt. This added experience late in the window is probably down to Reading being bottom of the table for big chances created so far this season (4 to our 16). Subsequently, Reading have a low XG (I can hear the eye rolls from here), indicated really by the types of goal they've scored so far this season; 3 of their 5 league goals have come from outside the box, and of the other 2, one appears to have been heavily deflected and the other was, what can only be described as, a long range header. Because of this, you'd have to pinpoint Lewis Wing as their danger man. Now 30 himself, Wing has a knack for scoring goals from distance, netting twice already this season to add to the 9 and 10 he got in his previous league 1 campaigns with Reading. He's become something of a league 1 stalwart, despite not making his professional debut until he was 23. New signing and alleged Reds target, Paudie O'connor was sidelined during pre-season, and is yet to make his competitive Royals debut. A poster on Reading's forum predicts the lineup to be, Joel Pereira in goal, an unchanged back 4 and midfield 3 of Ahmed RB, Burns and Williams CB, Jacob LB, Elliott, Wing and Savage across the midfield and a forward line of Lane, Marriott and Kyerewaa.


Despite Conor warning us that deadline day would be a busy one, it passed, at least from the outside looking in, without any major drama. No more players left the club, including any of the 4 main saleable asset, and just one player came in, centre half Jake Rooney. I'm yet to see Conor's pre-match press conference to determine whether any injuries have been picked up since the victory over Huddersfield, however Kelechi Nwakali's profile being updated on the website is quite curious. A midfield quartet of Russell, Yoganathan, Bland and Kelly have been on international duty, playing in countries as far apart as Bermuda and Georgia; it could be that Conor doesn't feel one or more of them will be up for the weekend (Russell in particular has done a fair bit of travelling), and so, Nwakali might come back in out of the cold (2+2 and all that). Assuming everyone is fit, it's hard to envisage many changes to the side who reasonably comfortably dispatched of Huddersfield. Rooney being a right footer might give him the nod ahead of Shepherd, though I'd personally opt for a settled back 4 which does seem to be improving game on game. Cooper in goal, Watson RB, Shepherd and Earl at CB, Ogbeta LB, Bland DM, Connell CM, Phillips floating, with Vickers, DKD and McGoldrick across the front.


Relatively inexperienced referee, Elliot Bell, takes charge of his 3rd Barnsley game this Saturday, and 3rd at Oakwell. He officiated our EFL Trophy defeat to Doncaster last October, and our 4-1 victory over Bolton in April; that game passed without much controversy from memory, though all 3 yellow cards were for Reds players. In contrast, this is also his 3rd Reading appointment, and all 3 have been on the road. He officiated their penalty defeat to Walsall in the EFL trophy last December, and their 2-0 defeat at Leyton Orient in League One in January. In the game vs Walsall, he sent off both Ashqar Ahmed and David Button for the Royals. He has refereed 8 games so far this season, including an England u20's fixture, issuing 29 yellows, 1 red and 0 penalties.


I think the international break probably came at a bad time for us. We had just lost at Wimbledon a fortnight before, but I think the momentum gained from the Huddersfield win, might have been stunted slightly by the enforced stop in play. Then again, it would have been a bad time to face our bogey side, Stevenage, given their start to the campaign. Though it could be argued that it's a good time to face Reading. Their flurry of experienced new signings might not be up to full speed, and they've had a disappointing start to say the least. Our record isn't the best at home to Reading, though after 6 straight defeats, followed 6 straight draws, so dare I say that Saturday will be the start of a new cycle? I do fancy us for the points in this one. This just feels like one of those games where, given early season form, we have the edge in most areas of the pitch. Davis Keillor-Dunn has continued his goalscoring form from last season, and he's 5/2 to score in a Barnsley victory. I'm predicting 2-0 to the Reds, and a continuation of our good early form, particularly at home.


You Reds!

 

Thanks @Archey brilliant preview as always.

 

2-1 Reds, 0-1 down at HT
DKD 1-1 and going bold with a Jack Shepherd 87th minute winner from a corner.

 

can't see beyond a 3-0

DKD 18'
Phillps 39'
Vickers 74'

12,237

Weather: Meh

Lotto: 3, 11, 13, 22, 26, 34 BB 7

 

Colliers Biscuit men none

 

1-1

 

1-0 Russel with a late winner
COYR

 

You forgot about inside leg measurement

 

7th draw in a row against these at home. Probably 1-1.

 

I’m fancying a 2-1 to us having come from behind. Phillips and Russell off the bench to score

 

Reds to win 3-1, goals from McGoldrick, DKD and Phillips.

 

Rational head says 3-0 Reds. In reality we always struggle against them at home, so I'm going for 1-1.

 

2 nil barnsley.

 

1-0 will do me

 

5 - 0, an 11,500 crowd