Reading manager makes comparison to Luton Town on back-three debate

The club have been in an injury-crisis for what feels like forever, particularly at the back.

Long term absentees include Liam Moore and Scott Dann, with Sam Hutchinson, Naby Sarr and now Andy Yiadom ruled out.

This leaves Tom McIntyre and Tom Holmes, two Academy graduates who have been regulars for two seasons, and teenagers as centre-back options.

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With Ince favouring a three, or sometimes five, at the back system- this leaves the club short and has coincided with a drop off in form.

Taking a two goal lead in South Wales, Russell Martin's outfit came back to win and leapfrog the Royals in the Championship table.

Speaking to the media after the defeat at the Swansea.com Stadium, Ince linked his squad to other sides who favour three centre-backs, most notably Nathan Jones' Hatters.

"You forget Tom McIntyre and Tom Holmes are 21/22, young kids, and I’m asking them to play week in and week out," he started. "Andy Yiadom is a right-back playing right-sided centre half. You tell me any team that has got that in their back three if they play a back three. They haven’t. Luton have Sonny Bradley and Tom Lockyer; Danny Potts plays there year after year.

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"We’ve got young kids and a right-back playing right centre-half. To keep demanding from them every week, especially three games every week, it’s tough. The Championship is a brutal league and to ask them to keep going to the well, they will try it, but you get tired. When you get tired, you make mistakes and get punished. This is where we are as a club at this moment."

The Bedfordshire outfit returned to the second tier in 2018 after dropping into the non-league pyramid.

A club on the up, they were beaten play-off semi-finalists last season and are in the top six again this season.

Reading travel to Kenilworth Road to face the 1988 League Cup winners on Tuesday, November 1.