The Royals picked up a point against automatic-promotion-chasing Bradford City in a 1-1 draw at the SCL Stadium on Saturday. The visitors took an early lead through Jake Beesley before Udoka Godwin-Malife equalised for Reading in the second half to ensure the points were shared. Here is what Royals boss Leam Richardson had to say […]

Ultimately, we’ll take a point against the high-flying chickens, but it could and maybe should have been more. However, there are still some very familiar flaws in our game. We did well to contain Bradford City, barring the opening stanza when everyone defensively was sound asleep and Jake Beesley capped off a fine move with […]

Joel Pereira: 6 Couldn’t do anything for the first goal and I honestly don’t recall him having to do anything in the rest of the half. Made a couple of saves in the second, the highlight of which was in the 73rd minute when he protected his near post with his legs. Generally not called […]

Having watched Reading in this league for over three seasons now, I regularly bemoan the lack of quality on display from teams across the division (and I absolutely include ourselves in that). However, my overriding thought after this afternoon is that Bradford City are a serious outfit at this level. And, I think if the […]

Form Bradford City finished fourth in the league last season, securing a place in the playoffs, however they lost to Bolton Wanderers in the semi-finals after two 0-1 losses. Last season marked their first year back in the third tier after spending six seasons in League Two, following their relegation in 2019, when they finished bottom […]

It was an annoying game on Saturday with the Royals losing out to a last-minute goal from Wycombe Wanderers’ new signing, Danny Ings. Jayden Wareham scored against us again and, despite Paudie O’Connor and Jacob Brown getting goals, the game finished in a draw. If you look stats-wise, it probably deserved to be a draw, […]

It’s time for our second player of the month award of the season, covering Reading’s six games across all competitions in September. The Royals had five League One matches (three wins, one draw, one loss) as well as being beaten 2-1 in the League Cup by Brentford. And it was, overall, a good month performance-wise. […]

Reading draw away with Wycombe Wanderers, having to share the points with those Swan-loving boys. Was it a good point on the road or two points dropped? Ben and Ross argue that it really depends on your expectations for the season. Plus, a bumper mailbag sees listeners ask the boys about Reading’s shape when defending […]

Reading Women were held to a 1-1 draw by local rivals Oxford City on Sunday, with both sides finding the net in a busy three-minute spell before half-time at the SCL Stadium. In what was a robust encounter, the Royals went ahead just six minutes before the break when midfield dynamo Ellie Szekeres struck for […]

The more things change, the more things stay the same. Another beyond frustrating result at Wycombe Wanderers. It was the same last year when Matty Jacob fell asleep at the back post and it was the same this season when Benn Ward lost his man and it was, as they say in places, “Desmond”. We had […]

The Royals picked up a point on the road, but it could have been all three, following a 2-2 draw against Wycombe Wanderers at Adams Park on Saturday. Paudie O’Connor gave Reading the lead early in the second half before Jayden Wareham levelled for the hosts. Jacob Brown restored the Royals’ advantage with 10 minutes […]

So then, Reading are still waiting for their first three points on the road this season. A 2-2 draw in which we went ahead twice (through Paudie O’Connor and Jacob Brown) and were pegged back twice (through perhaps the most predictable pair of opposition scorers possible in former Royal Jayden Wareham and debutant Danny Ings) […]

Joel Pereira: 6 Nothing to do in the first half. I suspect he just enjoyed the sun. Much busier in the second half. Pereira did well to come well out of his area to anticipate a long ball forward not going out of play and clear the danger in the 64th minute and also saved […]

Form Wycombe Wanderers finished 11th in League One last season, one place ahead of Reading, with both sides ending the season on 63 points. This season marks the Chairboy’s sixth straight term in the third tier, having been relegated from the Championship in 2021, after finishing 22nd. They have had a disappointing start to the current […]

Even the international break can’t stop the Royals from playing. An away trip to Wycombe Wanderers brings back a familiar face to watch in Jayden Wareham, who Reading are keen to show they have replaced, despite him playing well last season and in this one so far. Reading have already beaten Wycombe this season, on […]

After attending over a thousand games and writing many thousands of words about the football club, I reckon I had a pretty good handle on what happens in and around our club on a daily basis. I thought the modern-day footballer had a relatively easy life. They get paid handsomely for turning up for training, […]

Reading take down Notts County in their first meeting for over 20 years (though still in the same stadium). Ben and Ross discuss the victory, and the signs that pointed toward it during a positive performance in the midweek loss to Premier League Brentford. Plus, in an email-heavy mailbag, the boys discuss the highs and […]

Recently we ran our third approval rating on Reading’s current owners – predominantly Rob Couhig, but also Todd Trosclair and Rick Catania – and the results look good from their point of view. After kicking off with 3.46/5 in September 2025 and then pushing up to 3.63 last May, you’ve now given them a score […]

Reading Women made it two wins from two matches at the SCL Stadium this season with a 4-1 victory over Beaconsfield Town in the second round qualifying of the FA Cup on Sunday. First-half goals from Sophie Bishop and Alice Curr, as well as a brace for Tia Johnson, were enough to secure a place […]

After a loss away at Cambridge United last time out in the league, and a valiant but ultimately not good enough effort against Premier League Brentford in the cup, a win was much needed going into Saturday’s game against Notts County. It’s an odd, yet very nice, feeling going into games confident we’re going to […]

The Royals returned to winning ways with a 2-0 victory over Notts County at the SCL Stadium on Saturday. A Jack Marriott brace secured all three points on a great afternoon for Reading, with the result moving Leam Richardson’s side up to eighth in the table, just outside the play-off places with a game in […]

Reading had a fine performance against Premier League opposition and lost, but played less than their best and saw off Notts County comfortably. That’s the way it goes sometimes, but in truth, we’d rather win in the league – where our bread and butter is – than a cup competition where we would come unstuck […]

We’re not really used to ‘routine wins’ in these parts, are we? In recent years, Reading have generally needed either to play particularly well for a victory or to get lucky, so today’s game – a run-of-the-mill one by comparison – feels somewhat unfamiliar, but certainly not in a bad way. Reading may not have […]

Joel Pereira: 6 Had next to nothing to do in the first half. Did take a nasty fall to create an actual genuine goalkeeper injury timeout. With Reading taking the lead early in the second period, Notts County had to come out of their half more. Pereira still didn’t see many shots though, mostly sucking […]

Form Notts County secured promotion back to League One last season via the playoffs, after finishing fifth in the league. They beat Chesterfield in the semi-finals before securing an emphatic 3-0 win against Salford City in the final. Promotion ended their 11-year exile from the third tier, during which they spent four years in non-league. […]

That was the best loss I think we’ve taken in a very long time. To put up a genuine fight, with the referee having a poor performance – disallowing two goals that should have stood – Reading should be proud of themselves. The Paudie O’Connor overhead kick was a weird one to disallow. The defender […]

The Royals bowed out of the Carabao Cup following a 2-1 defeat against Premier League Brentford on Tuesday night. In an entertaining contest, Reading can count themselves unfortunate not to have taken more from the game. The visitors made a quick start, taking the lead inside three minutes through Callum Wilson. Paudie O’Connor thought he […]

Joel Pereira: 8 He’s come in for a bit of stick for an uninspiring start to the season, but this showed he’s still got it. Multiple sharp reaction saves as he was peppered a bit throughout, although one could argue that the two goals could have been prevented. Ashqar Ahmed: 6 Looks great when he builds […]

It says something about how underwhelming our cup draws tend to be that tonight was the first time we’d hosted a Premier League side since Sheffield United’s visit to the-then Mad Stad in March 2020. And, although it wasn’t one of the quote unquote big hitters rolling into town, it’s still a nice change from […]

Form Brentford are now an established Premier League side, having played in the top flight since 2022 after winning the Championship playoffs. They finished last season in ninth place in the league, on the same number of points as Brighton & Hove Albion in eighth, missing out on European football on goal difference. The Bees […]

Reading take the lead on the road at Cambridge United but can’t hold on, leading to quite the debate between your usual podcast hosts Ben and Ross. Do performances matter at this stage of the season, and what was there to enjoy on Saturday? Plus, Ross talks to Peter Matthews about the return of the […]

After a disappointing loss to Cambridge United, the Royals now play Premier League opposition in the cup. The game against Cambridge was one we should actually lift ourselves up on. The Royals played well and should have put away way more chances than they did and, in my opinion, got less than they deserved from […]

Reading Women made an emphatic return to the Select Car Leasing Stadium on Sunday, and in some style, with a statement 7-2 victory against inaugural tier five visitors Fleet Town. In a case of clearly not reading the script, the visitors surprised the 500+ crowd by taking the lead in the Royals’ new backyard. Just […]

The Royals suffered their second defeat of the season with a 2-1 loss against Cambridge United at the Abbey Stadium on Saturday. Reading took the lead in the first half through Jack Marriott, but the hosts responded after the break with Liam Bennett levelling the score, before Kelland Watts struck shortly afterwards to put Cambridge […]

I’m glad that I write my column in the wee hours of Sunday morning as, after the away defeat to the previously promoted Cambridge United, I was pretty much fuming. And I’m sure that’s how Leam Richardson must have felt too after seeing his team chuck away three points so easily. The soft underbelly that […]

Joel Pereira: 5 Started the second half with a good sign of communication with Paudie O’Connor, coming far out of his goal to scoop the ball up. Caught out by the extreme loop of the first goal, having stepped out of his goal to find the cross but thinking better of it. Made a really […]

Reading came into the game today looking to build upon three straight competitive wins – the first time we have done that since the 2024/25 season. The last of those came in a 3-1 win way from home to Cambridge United in January 2025 – if ever there were an omen that we could make […]

Cambridge United secured promotion back to the third tier last season, taking the last automatic promotion place in League Two after finishing third, one point ahead of Salford City. Promotion ensured they bounced straight back after their relegation in the 2024/25, when they finished 23rd in League One. The Us have had a strong start to […]

The Royals are thriving at the moment, playing some good football. Winning 3-1 against a tough Blackpool side was a statement, showing Reading can and will be up there this season. Jack Marriott is on form too, with as Kyreece Lisbie and George Earthy also playing very well, and they are looking like a proper […]

The summer window is closed and the current owners have now been in post for almost 500 days (it’s more like 484 at time of writing, but close enough), so we thought it’d be a good time for another approval rating on how they’re doing. This is the third time we’ve asked you to grade […]

Reading run riot, recording eight goals in two games at the Mad Stad, and leading to Ross needing to take a break to process everything. Luckily erstwhile TTE editor Sim steps in to the void. A lively mailbag sees everybody asking: can Reading keep up this form? Plus, a preview of the upcoming games against […]

Reading Women’s opening match of the 2026/27 campaign didn’t go to plan, having suffered a heavy 7-3 defeat away to Farnham Town on Sunday. As understatements go, yes, it’s a big one, I know. Goals from Farnham Town’s new-look strike force sealed an emphatic victory for the home side, with the experienced Ashlee Hincks notching […]

On May 3 this year, we ended our season in one of the most depressing ways imaginable – losing at home in the torrential rain, with zero shots on target – against Blackpool. Fast-forward just a few months and, against the same opposition, we were able to celebrate a brilliant, thorough, entertaining win. It wasn’t […]

The Royals picked up another fantastic three points with a 3-1 victory over Blackpool at the SCL Stadium on Saturday afternoon. Birthday boy George Earthy gave Reading the lead in the first half, before Kyreece Lisbie doubled our advantage early in the second. Blackpool made it a nervy final 10 minutes when Leighton Clarkson pulled […]

Two games. Two wins. Almost two clean sheets. Almost perfect. I joked on social media after the game that now I had to write about something positive, following what seemed like endless months of wondering when – and if – this team could ever turn a corner. I maintain that the club has had to […]

It’s always tricky knowing for sure at this early stage of the season how good a side really is. Was that big win a sign of things to come? Or was the previous blip more our true level? And today’s question was whether Reading could convincingly build on Wednesday’s 5-0 thrashing of Mansfield Town at […]

Joel Pereira: 6 Routine save from a Bloxham shot on the right (Reading’s left) in the 64th minute. Unable to do anything about the Blackpool goal in the 80th minute. Didn’t really have much to do this game (reference the notes above), which is a massive positive for us, despite conceding for the first time […]

Form Blackpool finished 13th in League One last season – one place and three points behind Reading. This season marks their fourth straight campaign in the third tier, having been relegated from the Championship alongside the Royals in 2023, after both sides finished on 44 points. The Tangerines have had a strong start to the season, […]

What a win for the Royals in midweek, once again putting five past Mansfield Town in a game I actually thought we didn’t perform great in. There were a few stand-out performances. I thought Paddy Lane was good, George Earthy was good, and before being taken off, Andy Rinomhota was my man of the match. […]

There are victories, and then there are statements. On a night when Reading desperately needed a spark to ignite their season, they delivered a performance that reminded us of the quality we have running through this side. The only disappointment was the number of supporters inside the Select Car Leasing Stadium to witness it. Mansfield […]