James Earnshaw

Reading legend Kevin Bremner returned to the club on the final day of the season to sign a photo for super-fan Sue Symes. Scottish striker Bremner was a key part of the 1985/86 Third Division team who won their first 13 league matches and won Player of the Season in 1986/87. Popular for his work rate and knack for scoring important goals, he is still fondly remembered for his spell almost 40 years on. Sue, a supporter for over four decades, reached out to the Reading Chronicle ahead of the final match of the season against Blackpool and told her incredible story.

Former Reading favourite Liam Kelly scored the first goal of the evening for new club Crawley Town in a 3-0 first-leg victory last night. 28-year-old Kelly spent 15 years on the books as a Royal, leaving for Feyenoord in 2019 with 94 first-team appearances to his name. He came off the bench and scored a penalty in Reading's unsuccessful Championship play-off final in 2017. Failing to nail down a regular place with the Dutch giants, the midfielder has since enjoyed spells with Oxford United and Rochdale before moving to the Broadfields Stadium in June.

Reading will host Nottingham Forest on Saturday in the quarter-final of the PL2 play-offs. Noel Hunt's Under-21s finished sixth upon their return to the top table of youth football, already securing a place in European competition for next season. Adrian Akande's brace was enough for the Royals to get past Middlesbrough on Saturday 2-0 in the round of 16. More than 800 supporters were in attendance last weekend, and the club are looking to beat that this coming Saturday for the 2pm kick-off.

Reading Under-21 head coach Noel Hunt labelled goal scorer Adrian Akande 'the strongest kid in the world.' The 20-year-old forward has previously spent time at Swansea City and West Ham before linking up with the Royals in 2022. A regular for the youth sides over the last two seasons, the Nigeria Under-17s international has five goals and seven assists, including a crucial brace against Middlesbrough on Saturday to see the Royals into the quarter-final of the PL2 play-offs.

Reading have confirmed their released and retained list, with four first-teamers let go and six kept on. The Royals, still in exclusive negotiations over a possible takeover, are still awaiting to work on future signings and pre-season plans. However, plans have now been confirmed for those out of contract, with deals offered and players let go. Femi Azeez; Michael Craig; Jeriel Dorsett; Kelvin Ehibatiomhan; Joel Pereira and Jayden Wareham have all had new deals triggered which will keep them in Berkshire for next season.

Reading raised nearly £7,000 by auctioning off their brand-new home shirts online. The club launched next season's home shirt on the final day of last season, walking out in the strip to the surprise of the near-19,000 in attendance. Beating Blackpool 3-2 at the SCL Stadium, the shirts were signed and put up for auction, with supporters able to bid and buy a piece of history with new replica kits not on sale until later in the month. With the money raised staying within the club, in total £6,917 was banked through the auction.

Reading boss Ruben Selles has labelled those targeting promotion to the Championship next season as 'unrealistic' due to remaining uncertainty around the club's ownership. Off-field calamity has hung over the club for the last 18 months, with the EFL and tax authorities hitting the club with sanctions for late payments. Despite points deductions, transfer embargoes and winding-up petitions, the Royals maintained their League One status with time to spare, finishing 17th. There are hopes that these issues could be resolved, with the club currently in exclusive negotiations with an unnamed buyer until mid-May. However, Selles is refusing to nail down any ambitions until plans can be made for the future.

Former Reading star Liam Rosenior has been sacked as manager of Hull City less than a week after narrowly missing out on the play-offs. Rosenior made 69 appearances for the Royals between 2007 and 2010 before enjoying Premier League success with Hull and Brighton. Making his name in coaching with Derby County, the Tigers appointed their former captain in November 2022.

Reading's former record transfer, Sone Aluko, has announced his retirement from professional football. The 35-year-old goes out at the top having helped Ipswich Town return to the Premier League after a 22-year absence. A former Nigeria international, the winger featured for the likes of Rangers, Hull City and Fulham before moving to Berkshire in 2017 for a reported club-record fee of over £7m. Failing to impress, the forward scored just six goals in 102 appearances and was sent out on loan to Dai Yongge's Chinese club Beijing Rehne for a spell in 2019.

Reading first-team stars Femi Azeez, Michael Craig and Tom Holmes were in attendance for Saturday's 2-0 win over Middlesbrough in the PL2 play-offs. Adrian Akande's brace in the second half was enough to earn victory in the round of 16 for Noel Hunt's Under-21s, setting up a quarter-final with Nottingham Forest in the coming week. Over 800 Royals supporters were in attendance at the SCL Stadium, alongside a group of first-team staff to back the youngsters.