James Earnshaw

Reading Football Club have released a statement 'condemning' the controversial decision to scrap FA Cup replays. The Royals have had some standout memories in replays, famously reaching the FA Cup semi-final in 2015 via a replay against Bradford City. In an attempt to combat fixture congestion in the Premier League, the FA took the controversial decision to scrap replays from round one onwards, despite top-flight teams not entering until round three.

Reading boss Ruben Selles has sat on the fence of the FA Cup replay debate which is currently raging throughout the world of football. Clubs and supporters are outraged as the FA have announced plans to scrap replays from round one onwards, a tradition of the prestigious competition which allows smaller clubs the opportunity to increase income and make memories against big clubs. The EFL have spoken out, along with it's clubs, as it is reported a decision was made without due consultation. Despite the polarising views, the Royals boss can see both arguments.

Reading captain Andy Yiadom is to miss the two remaining League One fixtures after suffering a knee injury. The 31-year-old has not featured since limping off against Bristol Rovers a fortnight ago, with Kelvin Abrefa earning his first league start on Saturday at Barnsley. The Royals travel to Burton Albion tomorrow for the final away fixture of the season before hosting Blackpool on the last day on April 27. "It is a very important procedure we need to do with him now," Selles told the media. "The sooner we do it, the better. He is not fully available to play football matches so that makes the decision easier. We now want to be sure that if he does the procedure now and starts his recovery now, he can start pre-season.

Staffordshire Police have commented on the reasons behind Burton Albion's decision to ban inflatables for Reading's traditional final away game on Saturday. For over 15 years, Royals supporters have celebrated, or even commiserated, the ending of a long campaign by throwing around blow-up items for their final away match of the season. Last year, over 1,000 supporters traipsed up to Huddersfield Town, despite already being relegated, with their inflatables in tow. 1,700 tickets were snapped up for the away end at the Pirelli Stadium as the Royals look to celebrate League One safety after a tumultuous season.

It’s fair to say that the appointment of Ruben Selles in July 2023 was met by Reading fans with the kind of antipathy usually reserved for the cheese course at the end of a big meal. Typical of the arse-about-face way of doing things under the current ownership, Selles was announced as Reading manager almost three weeks before he had actually secured a visa to work, having left Southampton with a record of two wins from seventeen games barely a month earlier. What Selles has achieved in this most stressful of public football dramas should be applauded. Nobody could lay Southampton’s demise at Selles’ door, nor indeed the problems that he walked into at Reading.  In many ways, managing Reading at this early stage of his career may be one of the most life-affirming things that ever happens to him.  

‘We are staying up’ cried the 800-strong away end at Oakwell on Saturday as news filtered through that due to results elsewhere, the Royals’ League One safety had been assured. However, for 29-year-old Simeon Pickup, there was a personal achievement to celebrate too as the entertaining 2-2 draw marked the fanatical fan’s 150th consecutive Reading match. Starting immediately after the Covid-19 break, in August 2021, Pickup has attended every league and cup match for the past three years. “It’s one of those where it wasn’t an ambition right from the start- I never sat there and said ‘I’m going to do 150 games’ but coming out of Covid where we missed loads of games, I just wanted to get to as many games as I could,” Pickup told the Reading Chronicle. “I did all of the games in the 2021/22 season and I thought that I wanted to do it again, so I went through 2022/23 without missing games.”

Reading supporters have shown unwavering backing of their side following relegation and off-field anxiety for the 2023/24 campaign, averaging over 1,200 per match. Back in the third tier after two decades in the top two divisions, the Royals have been battling relegation from August but have confirmed their survival with two matches to spare. Last year, the average away following dropped to under 900, the lowest in the Championship. Reading won just three away matches all season and none after the November break for the World Cup, a run which extended for over a calendar year into November 2023.

The Football Association and Premier League have made five big changes to the prestigious FA Cup coming into place from next season- including the scrapping of replays. The oldest cup competition in the world, the FA Cup still holds a special place in the hearts of football supporters despite it's wavering prestige among the elite. From next season, UEFA competitions are being expanded, and in order to reduce fixture congestion the decision has been made to reduce replays from the first round proper onwards, despite clubs in Europe not entering until the third round proper. This will prove controversial as replays can be big money spinners for lower league clubs, especially if they can hold one of the well-supported clubs to a draw and earn a rematch.

Reading fans were in the money on Friday after supporters spotted a Royal link at Aintree, with El Jefe winning at the world-famous horse racing festival. The highlight of the racing calendar, Aintree hosted the 2024 Grand National Festival. Won by I Am Maximus, the main event is included in a three-day festival in Liverpool. On the Friday evening, a horse named El Jefe was in the Alder Hey Handicap Hurdle.

Reading Women Under-21 have completed a domestic double following a 5-0 hammering of Northampton Town to lift the South Premier Women League title on Wednesday. Liam Thorne's side won 14 of 17 fixtures so far this season, losing 2-1 to Northampton in the reverse fixture. Needing to only avoid defeat at Brunting Road, the Young Royals outfit took the lead within three minutes from Natasha Rassmusen.