Reading FC complete Bristol City comeback: Where are they now?

Lucas Joao and ‘Morrodona’ netted in a 2-0 win over the Robins in February 2021, however the match was behind closed doors due to the Covid-19 pandemic and the football season in general failed to capture the hearts and imagination of supporters.

Sat in the play-offs under Veljko Paunovic, the club were also challenging for promotion when they hopped down the M4 in January 2017.

Jaap Stam’s side fell two behind to future England star Tammy Abraham, but a late Liam Kelly strike and a Yann Kermorgant brace turned the game on it’s head in the final 20 minutes.

Eventually reaching Wembley, while the 2020/21 campaign ended miserably and outside the top six, the Bank Holiday trip to Bristol is fondly remembered as one of the top away days of recent years.

But, where are they now?

Ali Al-Habsi- Retired

A regular to English football with Wigan Athletic and Bolton Wanderers before his 2015 move to Berkshire, it took the Oman legend some time to settle but he soon became of the club’s best goalkeepers of modern times.

Playing almost 100 times across a two-year spell, the keeper was Player of the Season in his only two campaigns.

Moving on after play-off defeat, he continued playing for Al-Hilal and West Brom until retirement in August 2020.

Chris Gunter- AFC Wimbledon

A long-serving member of the squad, the former Wales international spent eight years in Berkshire and played over 300 times from 2012 until 2020.

Vice-captain for a long proportion of his Royals time, the 33-year-old dropped down the EFL since his release and has enjoyed spells with Charlton Athletic and is now with the Dons.

Recently retiring from international duty, he twins his playing role with Johnnie Jackson’s Wombles with a place in Rob Page’s Wales coaching set-up.

Paul McShane- Manchester United Under-21s coach

Club captain during the 2016/17 season, the former Republic of Ireland international was a mainstay for three of his four seasons.

Falling out of favour in 2018/19, he dropped to join Rochdale upon release before returning to the club that gave him his start, Manchester United.

Originally joining to help the Under-21s on the pitch, he retired in 2022 and is now a full-time coach with the Red Devils.

Liam Moore- Reading

A stand-out in his first season with the club, the Leicester City youngster remains at the club having made over 250 appearances.

However, it has been a bumpy ride- with the 30-year-old stripped of the club captaincy last season and spending the last 12 months out injured.

Making a return to the pitch this month, he lasted 15 minutes in the 1-1 draw with Hull City before being withdrawn and set to miss the remainder of the season.

With his contract up in the summer, it looks very likely that the defender has played his last match for the Royals.

Tyler Blackett- Rotherham United

A Manchester United academy graduate, the defender was a favourite of former boss Stam- regularly playing at centre-back or full-back.

Arguably playing his best football for the club in the final season of his time in Berkshire, he joined Nottingham Forest in 2020 but only stayed for a season.

After a short-lived reunion with Stam at Cincinnati in the MLS, he joined Championship rivals Rotherham United last month to try and keep the Millers in the division.

Joey van den Berg- Retired

A cult-favourite in Berkshire, the tough-tackling Dutchman was a walking yellow card.

Playing over 60 times for the club during a difficult time, both on and off the pitch, van den Berg moved back to the Netherlands in 2018.

Injury issues hampered his NEC return, eventually retiring in 2020.

Danny Williams- Retired

A big-money signing upon relegation from the Premier League in 2013, USA international Williams was a true fan favourite in his four-year stint with the club.

Making almost 200 appearances, 2016/17 was by far his most influential in a Royals shirt.

Upsetting a few supporters when he joined play-off opponents Huddersfield Town immediately after the Wembley heartache, he is a player supporters truly miss for his combative nature and box-to-box running ability.

Enduring a tough time at the John Smiths Stadium, he spent a season in Cyprus before retiring to focus on his fashion label.

Garath McCleary- Wycombe Wanderers

‘GMac’ and Gunter ruled the right-hand side of Reading for almost a decade, continuing their close bond from a shared spell at Nottingham Forest before their arrivals in 2012.

Unplayable on his day, the Jamaica international had fallen out of favour by the time of his 2020 exit.

Joining the Chairboys in 2020, Gareth Ainsworth rejuvenated McCleary’s career and the 35-year-old has looked one of the most dangerous players in the third tier in recent seasons.

Still going strong after more than 600 professional appearances, last season was the most productive in front of goal in his career.

John Swift- West Brom

Only a youngster signed from Chelsea in 2016/17, Reading fans witnessed him blossom into one of the most feared midfielders in the second tier by the time his exit came around in 2022.

Now 27, the former England youth star turned from boy to man in his 202 appearances for the Royals- carrying the team on numerous occasions.

11 goals and 13 assists prompted the Baggies to snatch the out-of-contract star over the summer, where he has continued to prove his worth at the Hawthorns.

Roy Beerens- Retired

Another of Stam’s Dutch imports, 2016/17 was a good debut campaign from the former Netherlands international.

Seven goals was his best return in an individual campaign for almost a decade, however he fell out of favour in 2017/18 and departed at the end of the season with a total of 63 club appearances.

Returning to his homeland in 2018, the 35-year-old announced his retirement in 2020.

Yann Kermorgant- Retired

2016/17 was the best season of the Frenchman’s career, firing home an incredible 18 goals at the age of 36 to get the Royals into the play-offs.

Two goals in the final six minutes sealed the remarkable comeback at Ashton Gate- the last win in Bristol with supporters present.

Never a prolific scorer in almost a decade in English football, he scored five in the 18 months either side of this particular season- departing in 2019 with almost 100 appearances to his name and a fanbase deeply grateful for what the former Charlton Athletic and Bournemouth forward contributed.

Now 41, he retired in 2020.