Hob Nob Anyone? News and Views

Andy Rinomhota Returns

graham@royals.org (Graham Loader) — Thu, 13 Nov 2025 12:26:42 +0000

Andy Rinomhota has re-joined Reading until the end of the current season after leaving his previous club Cardiff City when his contract expired in the summer.

Rinomhota has only previously played Championship football - for Reading, Cardiff City and Rotherham United and drops down a division hoping to find some of his previous form at his first professional club. After making his breakthrough at Reading in the 2018/2019 season he went on to make 139 appearances, scoring four times, before a move to Cardiff in the summer of 2021. He was initially a regular for the the Bluebirds until struggling to secure a first team starting place the following season, which led to him going out to Rotherham United on loan from February 2024 until the end of the season where he played 16 times.

Having worked his way up through the youth teams at Reading before success for the first team he remains a well known and popular player who will be widely welcomed back. Rinomhota was voted Reading's player of the season in the 2018/2019 season and won the same award for Cardiff in the 2024/25 season before his contract was not renewed after the club were relegated to League One.

Savage Goal Gives Richardson First Win

graham@royals.org (Graham Loader) — Fri, 07 Nov 2025 17:18:02 +0000

A rare moment of quality from Charlie Savage after four minutes produced the goal which propelled the Royals from twentieth to twelfth place in the League, denying Stevenage the opportunity to take top spot. Reading, still smarting from their undignified exit from the FA Cup at the hands of non-league Carlisle, started brightly. Nobody was more relieved than new manager Leam Richardson who must have been wondering what he had taken on after seeing his new team crumble on Saturday surrendering a two-goal lead in stoppage time, before going out after conceding early in extra time. This was a very different performance and most notably in terms of energy and commitment against a physical and uncompromising Stevenage side. READ MORE...

MATCH REPORT: Reading 1 Stevenage 0

Kelly Joins Richardson After Cup Embarrassment

graham@royals.org (Graham Loader) — Mon, 03 Nov 2025 14:05:07 +0000
Reading have appointed Rob Kelly as assistant manager to join new first team manager Leam Richardson after Richardson replaced Noel Hunt last week. Kelly comes to Reading from League Two team Barrow where he was also first team assistant. He previously worked under Richardson at Wigan Athletic and Rotherham. The two had success at Wigan, winning promotion out of League One, but struggled at Rotherham before going different directions.

Richardson was sacked from Wigan in November 2022 and had to wait a year before his next position at Rotherham where he managed just two wins in 24 games. He was sacked from Rotherham in April 2024 and left with a points per match record of just 0.42. Richardson now returns to management a year and half later with a huge job to do at Reading. The Royals will be hoping the management team of Richardson and Kelly, along with experienced existing coaches, can replicate the success they previously had in League One with Wigan.

Richardson's first game in charge of his new side was an impressive capitulation at home against non-league side Carlisle United on Saturday as Reading went straight out for the FA Cup in the first round. Reading looked set for a rare win, in front of just 3929 spectators, until conceding twice in stoppage time, and Carlisle then went on to win in extra time after Regan Linney completed his hattrick. Richardson's nightmare start was made worse after picking up a booking well before Carlisle's late comeback.

Ehibhatiomhan Goal Earns Much Needed Win

graham@royals.org (Graham Loader) — Wed, 22 Oct 2025 13:00:30 +0000
A stooping header from Kelvin Ehibhatiomahan midway through the second half was sufficient to secure a well-deserved first win in five matches and lift the Royals into sixteenth place in the table. It was hardly a must win game, but after a series of three draws and a narrow away defeat to league leaders Cardiff at the weekend, fans were becoming restless at the prospect of another dominant performance without securing the much-needed points to lift their team out of the bottom three. The lively Lane provided the crucial assist whipping in an early pacy cross for Ehibhatiomhan re-direct his header past Fitzsimons. READ MORE...

MATCH REPORT: Reading 1 Northampton Town 0

Out Of Bottom Four With Home Win

graham@royals.org (Graham Loader) — Mon, 22 Sep 2025 09:29:23 +0000
Reading climbed out of the bottom four with a hard-earned and well-deserved second league victory of the season. The Royals took the lead against the run of play after twenty-one minutes against a well-drilled Orient side who passed the ball well and were hard to break down. Orient dominated possession from the start and it was a slick counterattack which enabled new signing Jack Marriot to notch his third goal in three starts in all competitions. Dorsett made ground on the left and slid an early ball to Savage, who turn found Marriot just outside the box. The in-from striker's first touch took him clear of his marker, and although it was not the cleanest of strikes it was placed perfectly inside the upright. It was goal demonstrating the qualities of an experienced striker. READ MORE...

Match Report: Reading 2 Leyton Orient 1

Goal From Lane Earns First League Win

graham@royals.org (Graham Loader) — Sun, 31 Aug 2025 21:40:16 +0000
Paddy Lane swept home the only goal of a scrappy game to secure Reading's first league victory of the season against a Vale side also seeking their first win of the season. Lane had a steady game playing wide on the right, but mid-way through the second half produced a moment of true quality. Drifting inside, he found the top corner with his left foot from the edge of the box leaving Vale 'keeper Gauci rooted to the spot. It was a superb strike by the Royals new signing, which demonstrated he possesses a valuable asset, particularly for a wide player, the ability to strike the ball well with either foot.

The opening phase of the game was particularly scrappy, littered with misplaced passes by two sides still struggling to embrace the challenge of adjusting to an influx of new signings. Ahmed was getting forward to good effect. His persistence and direct running were causing the Vale defence problems. He delivered a couple of good crosses which might have produced an early goal. The first fizzed across the six-yard box eluding outstretched legs, and the second was wasted when O'Mahony tried to hit across the line of flight of the ball and missed the ball completely. A better option would have been, given the distance from goal and the pace of the cross, to attempt to deflect the ball past Gauci. Read More...
MATCH REPORT: Reading 1 Port Vale 0

Royals Through To League Cup Third Round

graham@royals.org (Graham Loader) — Wed, 27 Aug 2025 19:52:37 +0000
Reading eased their way into round three of the Carabao Cup with a solid performance against a determined Wimbledon side. A superb strike from Liam Fraser gave Reading the lead midway through the first half, but the lead only lasted minutes when slack defending following a corner allowed Beigel to head home unchallenged from close range at the far post. An even contest was settled when Reading scored the crucial second goal with a slick counter-attack twenty minutes from the end. Doyle turned sharply on the halfway line to lose his marker and made a typically penetrating run at the Dons defence before slipping a well-timed pass out wide to Garcia. Garcia drilled in a perfect ball across the box for second half substitute to calmly beat Wimbledon 'keeper McDonnell.
MATCH REPORT: Reading 2 AFC Wimbledon 1

Doyle In After Knibbs Departure

graham@royals.org (Graham Loader) — Tue, 05 Aug 2025 12:32:33 +0000
Reading have completed the loan signing of Kamari Doyle from Premier League Brighton and Hove Albion. The arrival of Doyle on a season long loan follows the departure of Harvey Knibbs last week.

Doyle is a 20 year old midfielder who comes to Reading looking for regular game time. He came through the youth set-up at Southampton and made his Premier League debut at the end of the 2022/2023 season, coming on as a late substitute in a 3-1 away defeat against his current club. After failing to make another league appearance he left for Brighton in January 2024 but failed to play for his parent club and instead has spent loan spells at Exeter City and Crawley. Last season he impressed at both clubs in League One. After being a regular for Exeter, and scoring 4 goals, he joined Crawley directly from Exeter when his loan expired and made a further 21 league appearances scoring seven times. Doyle looks a great prospect and comes at a time where Reading's squad was looking thin after recent departures and the opening 0-2 League defeat at Lincoln City on Saturday.

The news follows the disappointment of Harvey Knibb's departure to Charlton Athletic just as the new League season was set to kick-off. Knibb's was a huge player for Reading, always guaranteed in the starting eleven, and will certainly be missed. Knibbs moves up a division to further his career and clearly get a much improved contract above what the Royals could offer. Knibbs joined Reading in the summer of 2023 and went on to make 100 appearances in all competitions, including 85 league starts. Knibbs was both creator and scorer - finding the net 32 times.

Last week the Royals also confirmed the the signing of Paddy Lane, who made his debut off the bench on Saturday at Lincoln. Lane joins Reading on a three year contract to keep him at the club until the summer of 2028. The 24 year old wide player has previously played for Hyde, Farsley, Fleetwood and Portsmouth.

Reading Start Season With Defeat At Lincoln

graham@royals.org (Graham Loader) — Sat, 02 Aug 2025 17:00:00 +0000
Reading started the new 2025/2026 League One season with a disappointing 0-2 away defeat at Lincoln City:

Fan Opinion: Lincoln 2 Reading 0 - Read More

Mbengue And Wareham Leave After Turning Down Contracts

graham@royals.org (Graham Loader) — Thu, 03 Jul 2025 17:40:35 +0000
Two key first team players have turned down new contract offers to stay at Reading, presumably to accept better offers elsewhere. Both Mbengue amd Wareham's contracts have now expired leaving them free to join new clubs. Defender Amadou Mbengue, who had a superb season, will be joining Queens Park Rangers as his Reading contract expires. Mbengue joined Reading in September 2022 from Metz and went on to have a big impact in Berkshire, making over 100 first team appearances in all competitions and scoring 3 goals.

Jayden Wareham has left to join another League One club, signing a contract with Exeter City, in what feels like a sideways move at best. Wareham featured for Chelsea's development sides before moving to Reading after a loan spell at Leyton Orient. At only twenty two years old Wareham feels like a strong prospect for the future. After mostly featuring from the bench he began to make a real impact last season, scoring 7 goals across the season.

Reading are still clearly struggling to find funds to offer competitive contracts.

Pre-Season Fixtures Begin At Hungerford Town

graham@royals.org (Graham Loader) — Thu, 03 Jul 2025 17:29:21 +0000
Reading's pre-season fixtures kick off this Saturday 5 July as the Royals make the short trip down the A4 to play Hungerford Town at Bulpit Lane. Tickets are available on the day for 10 pounds for adults and 5 pounds for Under 16s. You can get two pounds off adult prices and a pound off children prices by buying in advance on-line. The Crusaders finished 7th in the Southern League Premier Division South last season and will be hoping for a big crowd to raise funds for their season ahead. The following Saturday Reading travel to Gillingham beofre two friendlies at Bearwood training ground behind closed doors against local rivals Swindon Town (15 July) and Oxford United (22 July).

Inbetween our two training ground friendlies Premier League Tottenham Hotspur will visit the Select Car Leasing stadium in an attractive pre-season friendly on Saturday 19 July with a 3pm kick-off. Spurs finished one place outside of the drop zone last season and will be hoping for an upbeat pre-season to kick-off a more successful season. Pre-season wraps up with the visit of Portsmouth on Saturday 26 July. Tickets for both the home games against Spurs and Pompey can now be purchased on-line. Reading's new season kicks off the follwing week as Reading make the journey to take on Lincoln City in League One.

New Season Fixture List In Full

graham@royals.org (Graham Loader) — Thu, 26 Jun 2025 19:02:10 +0000
Reading will kick off the new League One 2025/2026 season with a visit to Lincoln City on 2 August 2025. The Royals first home fixture is the following weekend when Huddersfield Town visit the Select Car Stadium. The new season fixtures, which were released today, see Reading have a long trip to Plymouth Argyle on Boxing Day, and a home game against Burton Albion on New Years Day. The season wraps up on 2 May 2026 when Blackpool are the visitors.

DATE OPPOSITION COMPETITION H/A

Sat 2 Aug 2025 Lincoln City League One A

Sat 9 Aug 2025 Huddersfield Town League One H

Tue 12 Aug 2025 Portsmouth League One A

Sat 16 Aug 2025 AFC Wimbledon League One H

Tue 19 Aug 2025 Bolton Wanderers League One A

Sat 23 Aug 2025 Wycombe Wanderers League One A

Sat 30 Aug 2025 Port Vale League One H

Sat 6 Sep 2025 Northampton Town League One H

Sat 13 Sep 2025 Barnsley League One A

Sat 20 Sep 2025 Leyton Orient League One H

Sat 27 Sep 2025 Stockport County League One A

Sat 4 Oct 2025 Mansfield Town League One H

Sat 11 Oct 2025 Exeter City League One A

Sat 18 Oct 2025 Cardiff City League One A

Sat 25 Oct 2025 Doncaster Rovers League One H

Sat 8 Nov 2025 Stevenage League One H

Sat 15 Nov 2025 Wigan Athletic League One A

Sat 22 Nov 2025 Rotherham United League One H

Sat 29 Nov 2025 Blackpool League One A

Tue 9 Dec 2025 Peterborough United League One H

Sat 13 Dec 2025 Bradford City League One A

Sat 20 Dec 2025 Luton Town League One H

Fri 26 Dec 2025 Plymouth Argyle League One A

Mon 29 Dec 2025 Peterborough United League One A

Thu 1 Jan 2026 Burton Albion League One H

Sun 4 Jan 2026 Stockport County League One H

Sat 10 Jan 2026 Mansfield Town League One A

Sat 17 Jan 2026 Leyton Orient League One A

Sat 24 Jan 2026 Barnsley League One H

Tue 27 Jan 2026 Exeter City League One H

Sat 31 Jan 2026 Northampton Town League One A

Sat 7 Feb 2026 AFC Wimbledon League One A

Sat 14 Feb 2026 Wycombe Wanderers League One H

Tue 17 Feb 2026 Bolton Wanderers League One H

Sat 21 Feb 2026 Port Vale League One A

Sat 28 Feb 2026 Bradford City League One H

Sat 7 Mar 2026 Luton Town League One A

Sat 14 Mar 2026 Plymouth Argyle League One H

Tue 17 Mar 2026 Burton Albion League One A

Sat 21 Mar 2026 Stevenage League One A

Sat 28 Mar 2026 Wigan Athletic League One H

Fri 3 Apr 2026 Huddersfield Town League One A

Mon 6 Apr 2026 Lincoln City League One H

Sat 11 Apr 2026 Doncaster Rovers League One A

Sat 18 Apr 2026 Cardiff City League One H

Sat 25 Apr 2026 Rotherham United League One A

Sat 2 May 2026 Blackpool League One H

DATE	OPPOSITION	COMPETITION	H/A
Sat 2 Aug 2025	Lincoln City	League One	A
Sat 9 Aug 2025	Huddersfield Town	League One	H
Tue 12 Aug 2025	Portsmouth	League One	A
Sat 16 Aug 2025	AFC Wimbledon	League One	H
Tue 19 Aug 2025	Bolton Wanderers	League One	A
Sat 23 Aug 2025	Wycombe Wanderers	League One	A
Sat 30 Aug 2025	Port Vale	League One	H
Sat 6 Sep 2025	Northampton Town	League One	H
Sat 13 Sep 2025	Barnsley	League One	A
Sat 20 Sep 2025	Leyton Orient	League One	H
Sat 27 Sep 2025	Stockport County	League One	A
Sat 4 Oct 2025	Mansfield Town	League One	H
Sat 11 Oct 2025	Exeter City	League One	A
Sat 18 Oct 2025	Cardiff City	League One	A
Sat 25 Oct 2025	Doncaster Rovers	League One	H
Sat 8 Nov 2025	Stevenage	League One	H
Sat 15 Nov 2025	Wigan Athletic	League One	A
Sat 22 Nov 2025	Rotherham United	League One	H
Sat 29 Nov 2025	Blackpool	League One	A
Tue 9 Dec 2025	Peterborough United	League One	H
Sat 13 Dec 2025	Bradford City	League One	A
Sat 20 Dec 2025	Luton Town	League One	H
Fri 26 Dec 2025	Plymouth Argyle	League One	A
Mon 29 Dec 2025	Peterborough United	League One	A
Thu 1 Jan 2026	Burton Albion	League One	H
Sun 4 Jan 2026	Stockport County	League One	H
Sat 10 Jan 2026	Mansfield Town	League One	A
Sat 17 Jan 2026	Leyton Orient	League One	A
Sat 24 Jan 2026	Barnsley	League One	H
Tue 27 Jan 2026	Exeter City	League One	H
Sat 31 Jan 2026	Northampton Town	League One	A
Sat 7 Feb 2026	AFC Wimbledon	League One	A
Sat 14 Feb 2026	Wycombe Wanderers	League One	H
Tue 17 Feb 2026	Bolton Wanderers	League One	H
Sat 21 Feb 2026	Port Vale	League One	A
Sat 28 Feb 2026	Bradford City	League One	H
Sat 7 Mar 2026	Luton Town	League One	A
Sat 14 Mar 2026	Plymouth Argyle	League One	H
Tue 17 Mar 2026	Burton Albion	League One	A
Sat 21 Mar 2026	Stevenage	League One	A
Sat 28 Mar 2026	Wigan Athletic	League One	H
Fri 3 Apr 2026	Huddersfield Town	League One	A
Mon 6 Apr 2026	Lincoln City	League One	H
Sat 11 Apr 2026	Doncaster Rovers	League One	A
Sat 18 Apr 2026	Cardiff City	League One	H
Sat 25 Apr 2026	Rotherham United	League One	A
Sat 2 May 2026	Blackpool	League One	H