The 150th anniversary season was not the fun-filled rollercoaster we were all hoping for but that does not mean it was without its moments.
Join us for the next 10 days as we reccount the season, month-by-month, in which the supporters have endured enough ups and downs to last a lifetime.
September
After a much-needed break from league action, Reading returned to Championship football a fortnight after a chastening 4-0 defeat to Huddersfield Town with a thrilling draw against Mark Warburton’s Queens Park Rangers. The R’s came into the game on stunning form and sat comfortably in the play-off positions. With their sell-out crowd in buoyant mood, despite the denial of a ‘Beam Back’ option after their they ran out of tickets, it took just 11 minutes for Dominic Ball to put the visitors in the lead. Veljko Paunovic’s side did not roll over though and 20 minutes later were level when John Swift tapped past Seny Dieng inside the six-yard box after bringing down a long pass on his chest.
READ MORE: Reading FC Review of the Season: August 2021
Midway through the second half Swift notched his second from the edge of the box before completing his hattrick with less than 15 minutes remaining- putting the Royals into a commanding lead. Disappointingly it was not to last as substitute Andre Gray pulled one back almost instantly and Stefan Johansen equalised in the second minute of stoppage time to snatch a draw from the jaws of victory.
That disappointment was not to last long though as the side won their next three matches, their longest winning streak of the season, against Peterborough United, Fulham and Middlesbrough. A comfortable 3-1 win over the Posh, courtesy of Swift and a stunning Tom Dele-Bashiru brace, got the ball rolling just three days after the QPR draw but the real headline was the trip to Craven Cottage.
A sold-out contingent of Royals made the short trip to West London to face the Cottagers who sat sweetly in the automatic promotion places. The hosts huffed and puffed, nearly blowing the door off of its hinges, but two majestic finishes from Ovie Ejaria and a string of fine saves from Academy graduate Luke Southwood in net gave Paunovic’s side their first win on their travels of the season and back-to-back wins for the first time since March 2021.
Just when fans thought it could not get much better, they backed it up with yet another victory against the Teessiders on the following Saturday lunchtime. Picked for Sky Sports coverage, Neil Warnock’s Smoggies were languishing below their Berkshire counterparts and proved why. A game devoid of much quality, an Alen Halilovic miskick managed to roll over Joe Lumley’s line for what was the only goal of the game.
Unfortunately, that was to be the last win of September as the month ended with a whimper. Another club in financial problems, Derby County’s season has been one of glorious failure as the side were deducted a whopping 21 points for entering administration and breaking Profit and Sustainability regulations but managed to haul themselves ever so close to overturning the massive margin.
Their 1-0 win over the Royals on an early autumn evening at Pride Park saw them return to positive figures for the first time in the season and left Reading in a very respectable 11th place entering the five matches in October.
Join us tomorrow for October
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