After a 10-day international break, with many of those sleepless according to interim manager Paul Ince and assistant Alex Rae, the big day arrived when almost 1500 Royals travelled up to South Yorkshire for the crunch clash with relegation rivals Barnsley to mark the beginning of a crucial six game month of April.
A 1-0 win over Blackburn Rovers on the other side of the break had strengthened the gap between the sides to five points, although it was slightly misleading as the Tykes had a game in hand over Reading. It was simple, a win for the visitors would all but mathematically be enough to ensure survival in the Championship, while any form of result for the hosts would keep them in the fight.
It could not have started much worse for Reading, with Carlton Morris firing across Orjan Nyland to give the hosts a lead inside the opening five minutes, the only positive being it could have been a lot worse. Morris continued to be a thorn in the side of Ince and his men, with a second chance to extend the lead not long after. A poor half came to an end with the solitary goal difference and the travelling supporters made their feelings known as the players trudged down the tunnel adjacent to the away stand. The team that came out for the second period could not be more opposite if it tried, with strength and purpose behind every attack.
They knocked on the door throughout the second half, going close to levelling through Michael Morrison from a corner, but eventually the equaliser came with 10 minutes remaining as Josh Laurent slammed a shot into the back of the net from close range after smart link-up play between John Swift and Morrison. The 1500 behind the goal were in ecstasy with bodies everywhere and a lone flare making it’s way onto the pitch, via the back of the club photographer. A much-needed point did little to confirm anything in regards of relegation, but it kept the gap between the two at five points and ticked another match off as Reading continued their slow slog toward safety.
If the draw at Oakwell was significant, the win over Stoke City just three days later was monumental. Without a home win over the Potters in 15 years, the odds were far from in favour of the hosts on a muggy evening in Berkshire. If there were nerves in the home camp it was not showing as the ever-dangerous Morrison tapped home from a corner to put Ince’s side in the lead within 15 minutes.
Despite dominating the proceedings in the opening period, Romaine Sawyers’ long-range strike evaded Nyland on the stroke of half time to put the teams level at the break. Normally that would knock the stuffing out of a team near the bottom of the table, Reading bounced back in the second and a Taylor Harwood-Bellis own goal saw the club regain the lead- although Royals marksman Lucas Joao originally claimed the clinching moment. With the minutes ticking by, most of the 9,000 in attendance owed Stoke striker Jacob Brown a drink after the match after the tricky forward was found unmarked in the box, only to fire a shot over the bar and seal a vital victory in RG2, extending their lead over Barnsley and Derby County to eight and nine points respectively.
Never content to do it the easy way, a disappointing 1-2 defeat to Cardiff City ended the run at four matches unbeaten. Taking an early lead through Joao, the hosts were a cut above their Welsh opponents in the early exchanges but second half goals from Alfie Doughty and Wil Vaulks turned the game on its head to mathematically confirm the Bluebirds’ Championship safety and pile the pressure back on to Reading. The one saving grace was that Barnsley’s 4-1 defeat at Millwall ensured the gap remained a healthy eight points going into the always-crucial Easter weekend double-header.
When you look back over the course of a season, there are always pivotal moments where everything slots into place. For the challenging 2021/22 campaign, supporters will forever cherish the Good Friday trip to Sheffield and the Easter Monday visit of Swansea City. With the Blades in the top six and gunning for the play-offs, Reading weren’t given a chance of extending their gap to the bottom three. Well, Ince and his team didn’t read the script. A confident start at Bramall Lane saw Joao give the visitors a deserved lead going into half time as he stroked a strike past Wes Foderingham in the Sheffield United net. Despite pushing hard, the Royals were holding their own- that was until the 90th minute when Iliman Ndiaye forced an effort home to break Reading hearts. Or so we thought. Just moments later a ball was played down the other end of the pitch and boyhood fan Tom McIntyre turned agony to ecstasy in a matter of mere minutes to steal all three points from the Steel City.
As if that wasn’t crazy enough, the match three days later is already a game of Royals folklore as the side fought back from 4-1 down to snatch a 4-4 draw with Russell Martin’s Swans- that man McIntyre doing the business in stoppage time yet again.
Ultimately despite the Easter heroics the lead to the bottom three was cut from eight to seven, but with just three matches remaining the end was in sight.
A win on Humberside was all that was required from Reading to confirm their status with games remaining- and in the end they didn’t even need that!Going down 3-0 to Hull City, survival was secured as Peterborough United lost to Nottingham Forest to render Reading uncatchable. Although disappointing to not do the job in a more resounding fashion, the unbridled joy on the faces of the supporters who had travelled to the MKM Stadium was there for all to see after Championship status was with Reading for another season, a somewhat difficult image to conjure up months before.
The month was rounded off with another nondescript clash with West Brom, again a 1-0 defeat for Reading after Karlan Grant fired home the winner with 12 minutes to go but very little focus was left for the 2021/22 season. With just the trip to Luton Town to contend with on the final day, attention had already turned to the summer rebuild and the season ahead.
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