A SEASON which started so promisingly for new-look Reading City appears to have hit a real wobble.

Joint-manager Andy Findlay quit last week for “football and personal” reasons and on Saturday the Hellenic League Premier Division high-fliers were surprisingly knocked out of the Bluefin Sports Challenge Cup by Division One East side Wokingham & Emmbrook, losing 1-0 at Larges Lane as Ellis Day scored the only goal of the game.

And City’s weekend got even worse when leading scorer Mitchell Parker revealed in a tweet he was leaving the club.

Rob Creech, the other joint manager, has been considering his future, but could well be asked to stay.

Findlay said he was disappointed to have left, but revealed “I had no option on a football or personal front at this time.”

He is still mourning the passing of his father, Malcolm.

Previously at Bracknell Town, Findlay and Creech joined the Scours Lane club in the summer aiming to make them a ‘non-league club that everybody in Reading could be proud of’ with chairman Martin Law and secretary Chris Gallimore being joined by local businessman Nigel Grant to look after the off-field activities.

In addition to a new brand name, the club formerly known as Highmoor Ibis made a lot of improvements and the future was looking bright for them. But something has obviously gone awry in the last couple of weeks.

When managers and players head for the exit door at any club, financial reasons are frequently the cause, although this has yet to be confirmed by the Scours Lane club.

But eyebrows were raised early last week when manager Ben Sadler and coach Paul Braithwaite both resigned from Wantage Town despite the club having won seven and drawn one of their nine Hellenic League games, while also getting through three rounds of the FA Cup.

Although Sadler told the Premier Division club he wanted to spend more time with his young family, the pair were immediately linked to Reading City despite Findlay and Creech still being in charge.

While there appears to be uncertainty over what is going on at Scours Lane, one thing looks certain and that is Martin Law will continue to keep control of the club.

But he will have been disappointed to see City knocked out of the FA Cup and FA Vase – two competitions which offers financial rewards – the Berks & Bucks Senior Cup and now the Hellenic League Cup.

They remain in the league’s Floodlit Cup, having beaten Virginia Water 5-1 last week with Parker scoring twice in the second half.

The striker should not have any problem in finding a new club, having already been linked to Marlow and Ascot United.

City will be looking to put a difficult week behind them when they host 11th-placed Windsor this Saturday.

Commenting after the shock defeat by Wokingham, Creech said it was “disappointing to lose, especially when your keeper has been a spectator for most of the game, but we didn’t show enough quality in the final third.”

RYAN Alexander came off the bench to snatch a late winner for Woodley United as they progressed in the Perpetua Press Floodlit Cup with a 2-1 success at Thatcham Town Development.

Pablo Fernandez had given the Kestrels an 11th-minute lead after Chace Jewell had had his shot parried, but Thatcham hit back and equalised via a Will Frank penalty with little more than 10 minutes remaining.

However, it was Alexander who had the final say, collecting a ball from Leon Mannion just three minutes after entering play to fire home and send United through.

Woodley had previously exited the Bluefin Sports Challenge Cup when they went down 4-1 at Clanfield 85 on Saturday.

A Callum Miller treble and a goal from Jordan Thomas did the damage for the home side, with Sam Guze’s 88th-minute strike nothing more than a consolation for the Kestrels.

Woodley United return to Division One East action with a trip to Chalvey Sports on Saturday (3pm), and then host AFC Aldermaston in the Subsidiary Cup on Monday night (7.45pm).

AFC Aldermaston continued their fine form with a 2-0 success at Fairford Town in the Bluefin Sports Challenge Cup on Saturday, albeit despite having two players sent off.

Zach Tull and Jamie Connor both received their marching orders for second bookable offences, but goals from Alex Badshah and Phil John sent the Atom Men through.

AFC Aldermaston visit Holyport in Division One East this coming Saturday (3pm).