Reading FC striker Le Fondre vows to fill Long's boots
Anthony Smith • Published 2 Sep 2011 11:30
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ADAM Le Fondre believes he can follow a well-trodden path from Reading to the Premier League.
Royals captured the 24-year-old hotshot from Rotherham United for around £350,000 on a three-year deal last weekend.
Le Fondre, nicknamed Alfie because of his initials, has been in blistering form for the past two seasons after netting 54 goals in 101 appearances.
But, while rival clubs were haggling over his transfer fee, Reading swooped to snap up the Stockport-born goal machine.
Now Le Fondre hopes to copy the likes of ex-Royals strikers Kevin Doyle and Shane Long by forging a career in the top flight.
Speaking exclusively to the Chronicle, Le Fondre said: "Reading have a great record of developing players. When you look at past strikers like Kevin Doyle and Shane Long it makes you believe you can do the same.
"They were young when they joined but they did extremely well, that's what Reading seems to do.
"Kevin has done brilliantly in the Premier League, and so will Shane. But my aim is to get there with Reading too, that's why I came here.
"I know it won't be easy, it will be tough, but I can't wait for the challenge to start. I want to hit the ground running."
He added: "There were a couple of bids knocked back by Rotherham, but all along I kept my head down and kept working hard. In return, they have let me go for the right price and it's a brilliant move for me.
"The move went through fairly quickly. I didn't let the speculation bother me, it is scoring goals that got me this move.
"Reading is a great club to be joining and I really believe this move can be a big platform for me."
But there is a long way to go before Le Fondre can dream of fulfilling his Premier League ambitions.
His arrival on the weekend coincided with Reading's 1-0 defeat at Hull City, their fourth straight loss in all competitions.
It means Brian McDermott's men are languishing in 20th position after five Championship games, leaving them nine points behind leaders Brighton already.
But Le Fondre knows how quickly things can change, as Reading showed last season when they recovered from a sluggish start to reach a Wembley play-off final.
"With the squad Reading have here, there is no doubt they should be further up the table," argued Le Fondre. "They have had some bad luck in games like Hull at the weekend and it's only a matter of time before that turns around.
"There is plenty of time left to play catch up. You don't win promotion in the first month of the season and Reading have shown before how quickly you can climb up that table."
Former Stockport County trainee Le Fondre was attracting the attentions of top Championship clubs after two sensational seasons for the Millers.
He netted 24 goals in 49 games last season, including four in their 6-4 win against Cheltenham alone. The previous campaign, he plundered 30 goals in 52 appearances.
At 5ft 9ins tall, Le Fondre is more of a tricky, box player with a lethal finish than a powerful frontman in the mould of Long or Mathieu Manset.
His biggest challenge now is the step up two divisions from League Two to the Championship and forcing his way into the Reading side.
Despite the sale of Long, Royals boast a number of forwards in Manset, Noel Hunt, Simon Church and Hal Robson-Kanu.
"There are good strikers at Reading so I don't expect to play straight away. But if I keep working hard the manager might notice me. I am just going to get my head down, and try and show people what I can do.
"It's obviously a step up for me but I think I've done okay in training so far.
"I'm confident I can cope. I'll have to get used to the tempo and pace, but hopefully that won't be a problem.
"It's funny how quickly you settle in. The fact the move happened just before an international break probably works in my favour because it gives me time to sort things out.
"The club has been amazing and helped sort everything out for my family because I have a young daughter. Little things for that count for a lot."
This article appeared in Reading Chronicle 01 Sep 11
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