Amid all the hubbub of seeing Femi Azeez remain with Reading following the announcement of the club’s released and retained list, four contracted players will quickly fall by the wayside as Ruben Selles looks to mould a team for his second season in charge at the SCL Stadium.
Oxford United and Bolton Wanderers are to do battle at Wembley Stadium on Saturday, May 18 for the right to play Championship football next season. Ian Evatt's Trotters finished third in the normal season and beat Barnsley 5-4 on aggregate to book their place in the showpiece occasion at the national stadium next weekend. They will do battle with Reading's local rivals, Oxford United, under the arch after the U's' 2-1 aggregate victory over Peterborough United. Darren Ferguson's Posh have now lost in the play-off semi-final in successive seasons, having thrown away a four-goal lead last season to Sheffield Wednesday at the same stage.
The English Football League have confirmed that fixture release day for 2024/25 is on Wednesday, June 26. Always a key date in the calendar for supporters, it marks the beginning of the new campaign as hope and expectation builds for a promotion push in the forthcoming season. From the opening day to the final day, with Boxing Day and Easter weekend chucked in for good measure, supporters can finally start to plan for their new nine-month journey around the country following their club.
Rotherham United have released 11 players following their relegation from the Championship- including former Reading pair Tyler Blackett and Sean Morrison. The Millers were relegated with a whimper, picking up just 27 points and ending the campaign 24 points adrift of safety. With two matches to go, former Millers favourite Steve Evans ditched League One Stevenage in order to assess the squad before confirming his released and retained list. Just 12 players have been kept on for League One next season, with Blackett and Morrison among 11 released.
Reading defender Matt Carson has thanked everyone at the club for 'helping me as a player and a person.' 21-year-old Carson signed a short-term deal in 2023 following a short trial period and has been a regular for Noel Hunt's Under-21s side. At the start of the 2023/24 campaign, the full-back made 17 first-team appearances under Ruben Selles as the left-back role continued to cause concern in League One. Best-known for his crossing ability, the youngster has five assists to his name from full-back, including two for the first-team.
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.
