By Simeon Pickup –
ON SUNDAY, Reading face the lofty task of coming away from second-placed Cardiff City with an unlikely point that would likely secure their place in the Championship.
Neil Warnock’s side, one point ahead of Fulham, have been ruthless in their collection of points this season, and have the riches of the Premier League within their grasp. The Royals are all that stand between them and the right to rub shoulders with England’s footballing elite.
PODCAST: Tom and Olly preview the trip to South Wales
Gatecrashing the Bluebirds’ promotion party is quite the tall order, especially given the embarrassment that was Saturday’s thrashing at home to Ipswich Town.
A mostly even game for 70 minutes quickly became a rout in the latter stages, with Reading putting on an atrocious defensive display in front of their own fans. What should have been the closing act in second tier survival turned out as one of the darkest days in Madejski Stadium history.
However, we can’t afford to dwell on that match for too long – the final day’s stakes are too high to ignore. Paul Clement has the unenviable challenge of turning a humiliated team into a unit that can pull off one of the more unlikely upsets in the club’s recent history.
To do that, changes are a must. The formerly suspended Leandro Bacuna will add energy and physicality (which he showed too much of in earning his red card at Fulham) to the midfield, and overlooked squad players should be given the chance to impress in the first team.
Andy Rinomhota and Pelle Clement, who have both struggled to get off the bench in recent weeks, will make able replacements for the out of form John Swift and Sone Aluko.
Additionally, Dave Edwards’ experience will be needed, and the former Wolves man should now have learned the lessons of his poor form after a few weeks on the sidelines.
Injuries and poor recruitment in the last two windows prevent Clement (Paul, that is) from making too many changes, but those alterations could give this side the boost it needs.
Simeon’s Reading team for Sunday (4-3-3): Mannone; Ilori, Elphick, Moore, Gunter; Edwards, Bacuna, Rinomhota; Clement, Bodvarsson, Barrow.
Simeon can be found on Twitter @BucksRoyal and his website’s account is @TheTilehurstEnd.
Head over to wokingham.today to hear the latest episode of The Tilehurst End Podcast Extra with The Wokingham Paper’s Tom Crocker and Simeon’s colleague Olly Allen, discussing all things Royals.
