Yesterday, crisis-hit Reading lost 3-2 to Shrewsbury, snatching defeat from the mouths of victory.
The outcome keeps the Royals firmly at the bottom of the division, ten points outside of safety and without a road victory in the league for the past twelve months. Even worse, they appeared to be on track to pass Cheltenham at the bottom of the table, leading Salop 2-1 into injury time.
Before the half-hour mark, goals from Sam Smith and Dom Ballard gave them the lead. Reading, though, were set to win their first away game since November 12th of last year, even though Tom Bayliss pulled one back. That time, they won thanks to a late own goal, and two late goals stole it from them in Shropshire
Chey Dunkley leveled two minutes into stoppage time before Jason Sraha grabbed the win for Matt Taylor’s side with 96 minutes on the clock. It was heartbreak for the traveling Royals fans, who already seemed resigned to a spell in the fourth tier next season, their first since 1983/84.
The result left a lot of fans angry, but veteran midfielder Sam Hutchinson admitted post-game that he felt exactly the same. The former Sheffield Wednesday man was partly at fault for the leveller, and rather than try to gloss over the troubles at the club, he confessed he was incredibly upset.
“I am angry,” he told BBC Radio Berkshire after the game. “We don’t go out there to lose. There is stuff going on at the club that not everyone is privy to and that everyone doesn’t see on a daily basis.
“Everyone is trying, and we are going against the tide; that is life. When you come out here and everyone wants to slate you, it is difficult to take.”
The Royals have just three away days to try to shake off the unwanted honor of going a full calendar year without an away win in the league, with Wycombe, Lincoln, and Peterborough all difficult trips. Their final game of 2023, away at Cheltenham, may be a good chance to break the run, but it also looks very likely to be a League Two fixture in 2024.
Hutchinson admitted that not just the team but the entire club is not good enough at the moment.
“We can make excuses all we want; we’re not good enough as a team or a club. Anger comes from everyone. You’re angry, I’m angry, and fans are angry.
“You can apologize until you’re blue on the face and can go in the changing room and speak rubbish, but it doesn’t help.”
The Royals have had more success on the road in the cup; they beat Exeter City 9-0 in the EFL Trophy and put four past Championship side Millwall in the EFL Cup. However, those were on-off results that simply masked the ongoing issues faced by the players and supporters.
Writer’s Opinion
It’s reasonable to say that Reading is in disarray, and remarks like these don’t make matters better. Despite his experience, Hutchinson’s remarks simply highlight the club’s pervasive issues. The Royals’ supporters anticipate playing in League Two the next season, and there’s no proof that they have what it takes to avoid disaster.
Unfortunately, everything on the field has been overshadowed by the ownership issues, and there doesn’t seem to be much hope. The fans bear the brunt of the suffering, especially when they learn that players are upset and that the team—rather, the entire club—is underperforming.
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