Reading have been relegated to League One after Huddersfield beat Sheffield United to secure their Championship survival. This result meant that the Royals needed the promoted Blades to win in order to take their hopes of staying up to the final day – when they face Huddersfield. Managerless Reading are now four points from safety with one game remaining, marking their first season in the third tier of English football for 21 years.
Reading’s tumble down the table is a crushing blow for a team that had enjoyed a brief stint at the top of the Championship after winning four of their opening six games. They were 10th at the turn of the year – level on points with then sixth-placed Middlesbrough – but a series of injuries, coupled with a transfer embargo, meant they could not strengthen in January. The club failed to pick up a league victory between the end of December and mid-February and are currently on a 12-game winless run. To add to their poor form, Reading were docked six points by the EFL for breaching the terms of a profit and sustainability plan to manage their spending.
Former manager Paul Ince had successfully guided them to Championship safety last season, but two games and two defeats later the club sacked him, with five matches remaining. They have drawn three of their past four fixtures under interim boss Noel Hunt, but it was not enough to keep them in the Championship for another season. Listen to BBC Radio Berkshire’s Reading FC podcast here.