EFL experts George Elek and Ali Maxwell have lauded Reading boss Ruben Selles as 'mightily impressive' following their impressive post-Christmas form.

Hosts of the award-winning Not the Top 20 podcast and regular pundits on Sky Sports' coverage of the Football League, there are very few out there with their knowledge and expertise of EFL football.

The Royals bounced back from a latest points deduction last week by beating Carlisle United 3-1 on Saturday, moving back up to 16th in League One heading into the final 10 matches.

Only five teams have been in better form than Selles' side since November and have had eight points deducted so far this season for off-field ownership issues.

"They’re just a really good team," said Oxford United fan Elek. "They’re a good League One side who are solid and have got enough firepower in their side, as seen by the two goalscorers they recruited from Cambridge in the summer. Unless they have more deductions, they have absolutely nothing to worry about. They can probably look at the deductions as to why they’re not a possible play-off challenger because they are very effective.

"Ruben Selles deserves so much credit. Because pre-season the expectation was maybe that Reading would be a challenger, for those who weren’t aware of what was going on at the club, it means that he is probably seen as not doing a good job. Under the circumstances, off-the-pitch with the deductions, financial uncertainty, and fan protests at the ownership, for him to have done the job he has and built this team is mightily impressive."

Reading can move further away from relegation danger with a win over near-neighbours Wycombe Wanderers on Saturday.