James Earnshaw

With Reading supporters showing their unhappiness against owner Dai Yongge from day one with the sit-in following defeat to Peterborough United on the first day of the season, unrest rumbled through the entire autumn as bills and wages continued to be paid late. The Royals started their month with a 1-0 defeat at Cambridge United, broadcast live around the world on Sky Sports. Following news that more points were being deducted for late wages and HMRC payments, the following home match against Bolton Wanderers marked the first day in which the supporters took to interrupting matches to get their point across.

After a tumultuous summer in which at one stage it looked difficult to see the Royals fielding a team, and after a less than stellar pre-season campaign which saw defeats in every friendly, Reading got their third tier campaign off to a difficult start against losing play-off semi-finalists Peterborough United. More than holding their own against a team fancied to do well- eventually finishing in the top six- a looping header from Ephron Mason-Clark was all that separated the sides, leaving the home supporters walking out of the SCL Stadium in relatively high spirits. The dawn of a new season also marked the first real supporter protests of the season, with a few hundred supporters opting to show their disdain for owner Dai Yongge with a sit-in. As became a common theme for the season, the first sign of potential came in the first round of the Carabao Cup.

Six former Reading stars are retying their laces this weekend to appear in a charity match at the home of Queen's Park Rangers. BEDER FC v Rest of the World XI is taking place at Loftus Road from 6pm on Saturday, May 11 to raise money for QPR in the Community Trust, Mental Health World Cup and Beder. Former R’s favourites Danny Shittu, Nedum Onuoha and Hogan Ephraim will be joined by six former Royals players at the event:

On this day 21 years ago, Reading saw their hopes of securing back-to-back promotions take an ultimately insurmountable hit at Molineux as Wolverhampton Wanderers edged ahead in the First Division play-off semi-final. Alan Pardew had masterminded the Royals’ return to the second tier with a long-awaited promotion from the Second Division with the famous draw at Brentford. Reading made the step up like a duck takes to water, overcoming mixed form early in the campaign to finish fourth with 79 points. Just two years on from play-off final heartbreak in Cardiff against Walsall, it was Dave Jones’ Wolverhampton Wanderers standing in the way of a return down the M4- with Reading three games from the Premiership for the first time.

Stevenage have confirmed that former Rotherham United forward Alex Revell will replace Steve Evans as permanent boss for next season. The 40-year-old was an EFL journeyman forward in the 2000s and 2010s, playing most notably for the Millers as his stunning goal at Wembley Stadium earned a return to Championship football. Retiring with the Boro in 2020, the Cambridgeshire native made his first foray into management with club in from 2020 until 2021, taking charge of 77 matches and winning just 20. However, he returned to the Lamex Stadium in 2022 to work with the Academy before being moved up to the first-team fold under former Rotherham boss Evans.

Amid all the hubbub of seeing Femi Azeez remain with Reading following the announcement of the club’s released and retained list, four contracted players will quickly fall by the wayside as Ruben Selles looks to mould a team for his second season in charge at the SCL Stadium.

Berks and Bucks FA have confirmed ticket details for Reading's Senior Cup final against Marlow next week. Noel Hunt's Under-21s outfit knocked out Burnham and Flackwell Heath on route to their second final in three years, losing to Marlow in the semi-final last season. A repeat of the first-ever final in 1879, Marlow knocked out MK Dons Under-21s in their last four clash.

Oxford United and Bolton Wanderers are to do battle at Wembley Stadium on Saturday, May 18 for the right to play Championship football next season. Ian Evatt's Trotters finished third in the normal season and beat Barnsley 5-4 on aggregate to book their place in the showpiece occasion at the national stadium next weekend. They will do battle with Reading's local rivals, Oxford United, under the arch after the U's' 2-1 aggregate victory over Peterborough United. Darren Ferguson's Posh have now lost in the play-off semi-final in successive seasons, having thrown away a four-goal lead last season to Sheffield Wednesday at the same stage.

The English Football League have confirmed that fixture release day for 2024/25 is on Wednesday, June 26. Always a key date in the calendar for supporters, it marks the beginning of the new campaign as hope and expectation builds for a promotion push in the forthcoming season. From the opening day to the final day, with Boxing Day and Easter weekend chucked in for good measure, supporters can finally start to plan for their new nine-month journey around the country following their club.