READING FC’s relegation from the Championship to the third tier has been confirmed after Huddersfield Town secured safety against Sheffield United.
The result means that the Royals will drop down to the English third tier for the first time since 2001/02.
Reading were due for a potential relegation winner takes all showdown at Huddersfield on the final day, but Neil Warnock’s side ensured that they maintained their Championship status with a 1-0 win against the Blades.
Reading made a flying start to the campaign under Paul Ince and were even top of the league for a very brief period in October.
However, things quickly turned sour as the team’s miserable away form continued to plague them throughout the season.
Reading have won just three away games all year which means they have the worst record in the division on the road.
Despite having a decent home record for large parts of the season, Reading have now gone on a run of 12 games without a win in the league which has coincided with a six point deduction from the EFL for a second consecutive campaign.
Therefore, Reading were dragged into the relegation scrap along with QPR, Rotherham, Huddersfield, Blackpool and Wigan.
With the team in need of a boost, the club opted to make a change with five games to go and parted ways with manager Paul Ince.
Noel Hunt was selected to make the step up from managing the under 21s team to take charge of the first-team on an interim basis.
Hunt’s tenure started with Reading taking an impressive point against league champions Burnley.
The Royals then hosted third placed Luton Town and had led the game through Andy Carroll before he was sent off for handling the ball into the net in search of finding a second.
Reading held on to claim a point, but a defeat to Coventry and then a draw at home to Wigan then left their fate in the hands of other sides.
Despite Blackpool and Wigan facing the drop, Gareth Ainsworth’s QPR team found a miraculous upturn in form, which saw them beat Burnley and Stoke City away to confirm safety.
Rotherham then defeated play-off chasing Middlesbrough to book their place in next season’s Championship before Warnock’s team sealed Reading’s relegation on Thursday night.
