Reading lose Spence to Hungerford Town
James Walker-Roberts • Published 1 Dec 2011 14:31
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READING Town's preparations for their third round FA Vase clash with Cowes Sports this Saturday (3pm ko) have been dealt a blow with news that leading scorer Ray Spence is leaving to join Hungerford Town.
Spence has been a mercurial figure for Reading this season, leading the way in attack with his pace and trickery but also seeing red on more than one occasion.
Reflecting on Spence's decision to leave Scours Lane, Reading manager Mark Bartley said that it is a bittersweet moment.
"Ray is a good friend of mine so I'm pleased for him, but of course it is also disappointing to lose a player of his quality as well," he told the Chronicle.
"I'm never going to deny one of my players the chance to play at a higher level and prove themselves further. It's sad to see him go but it means that we must also be doing a good job as they have seen how well Ray has been playing."
Hungerford will hope that the arrival of Spence will re-ignite their promotion push in Southern Division One South & West, which has taken a turn for the worse after with four successive losses.
Town, on the other hand, are focused on the FA Vase this weekend, a competition that Bartley regards as the most important for his side.
"It's my first season in charge and this is the most high profile competition for me because we have a realistic chance of winning it," he commented.
"Obviously there's the FA Cup but we're never going to win that so this is the best competition we are in."
Reading's opponents, Cowes Sports, are based in the Isle of Wight and play in Wessex League Division One, which is a step below the Hellenic Premier.
Bartley has not been across to watch them but has spoken to managers in their division and is confident his side can get the job done on Saturday.
"They know how to set themselves up and will make it a tough match but I think that we have a good chance to progress," he said.
"I've spoken to a few managers to get an insight into how they play and it should be a decent match."
Town will hope to welcome back Michael Bartley for the encounter, with the striker missing the goalless draw against Cheltenham Saracens at the week due to illness.
Reading dominated possession in the league encounter at Scours Lane but were unable to find the net and saw their efforts hampered when Jamie Piercy was shown a second yellow card in the 76th minute.
Despite the draw, Bartley said he was satisfied with the performance: "They came for a point and got it but I was pleased with the way we battled and kept going.
"Even though we couldn't find that extra bit in the final third to unlock them I was happy with a draw."
Town are in action again on Tuesday evening when they travel to Cirencester Town Dev in the second round of the Hellenic Supplementary Challenge Cup (7.45pm ko).
This article appeared in Reading Chronicle 01 Dec 11
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