READING FC has sacked Paul Ince as manager with the club facing the threat of relegation from the Championship.
The Royals are in 22nd position and a point away from safety having not won in their last eight league matches.
Under 21s manager Noel Hunt will take charge of the team until the end of the season.
After losing to a 92nd minute goal away at Preston, Reading remain in the bottom three with five matches left to play.
Reading’s dismal away form, compounded with a six point deduction from the EFL, has seen them dragged into the relegation scrap in recent weeks.
After relegation rivals Huddersfield Town picked up another point to continue their surge to safety under survival expert Neil Warnock and Gareth Ainsworth’s QPR side came behind from 2-0 down to take a point at West Brom, the Reading board opted to pull the trigger on Ince.
Ince joined Reading in February 2022, taking over from Veljko Paunovic on an interim basis witht the club five points above the drop zone at the time.
Having also been docked six points in that campaign, Ince helped to guide Reading to Championship safety with some memorable results.
A superb away win at Sheffield United, which saw Tom McIntyre score a stoppage time winner was followed up with an incredible 4-4 spectacle at home to Swansea City. The Royals clawed themselves back from 4-1 down to salvage a point courtesy of another late McIntyre goal.
Ince was then appointed as full-time manager by the club in May 2022.
Reading made a flying start to the current campaign which saw them competing at the top end of the table.
However, with no away wins since November and a run of 19 games without a clean sheet, the club has decided to part ways to try and find an upturn in results with time running out to secure their status in the Championship for another year.
