The away end at Craven Cottage rose to their feet on Saturday afternoon to applaud the Ovie Ejaria show.
After a difficult start to the season due to issues with injuries and coronavirus, Ejaria provided a reminder of the immense quality he possesses with two superb goals to defeat Fulham.
The first was a brilliant curled finish into the far corner from just inside the box and the second was an insane bit of skill as he brought the ball down and span the defender in one swift move, before calmly finishing past the goalkeeper.
It was Ejaria’s moment in the spotlight on Saturday, but he is far from the lone superhero in Reading’s squad.
John Swift was not the star of the show against Fulham, but everything Reading did still went through him.
I don’t think anyone would argue with the claim that he has been the best player in the Championship so far this season with seven goals and four assists to his name.
Then there’s midfielder turned rookie centre-back Josh Laurent, who seems capable of fulfilling any role asked of him in a Reading shirt, going about his job with such professionalism and ease. Again, he is one of the best in his position in the Championship.
Despite the transfer restrictions imposed upon the club by the EFL, Reading also did a pretty decent job of adding quality in the summer.
Loanee Tom Dele-Bashiru is a product of Manchester City’s academy, is highly-rated by Watford and has brought a touch of class to Reading’s midfield. He links up play brilliantly and his two goals against Peterborough last week were very well taken.
Likewise, Alen Halilovic – formerly of Barcelona and AC Milan – has displayed plenty of promise in his first few appearances.
The Croatian is a spark of energy, loves to drive forward directly with pace, and supplied a clever assist for Ejaria’s second goal against Fulham.
Then there’s Danny Drinkwater. The midfielder’s career has taken a nose dive in recent years, but ultimately he is still a player who won the Premier League and was capped by England five years ago. If he is willing to give everything to this loan spell, then it could work out very well for Reading.
What does this all serve to prove? Essentially, I’m making the point that there is a tremendous amount of individual quality in Reading’s squad.
There are very few other teams in the Championship that can boast such talent within their ranks. I haven’t even mentioned Lucas Joao and Yakou Meite yet, who will boost the Royals’ attacking arsenal even further when they return from injury in the new year.
It makes news of a possible points deduction slightly less unsettling.
It is obviously a big blow and probably puts to bed any chance of a promotion push this season, but Reading certainly have enough quality in their side to ensure that relegation doesn’t become a worry.
By Olly Allen
