View From The Dolan: The Next Generation

Ben’s take on a heartbreaking late 4-3 defeat to Sunderland in the Premier League 2 playoff semi-finals.

The run that these youth players have been on is, quite frankly, incredible. To get to the semi-finals of the Premier League 2 playoffs - considering the resources of the teams they’ve been up against - is a testament to the job that Noel Hunt and his team have done, not to mention the honest talent and maturity these players have consistently shown.

7pm on a Monday was a perfect time to go to a football match and in truth I was desperate to get back to the Whitley Bowl, given that I’d missed the previous two games. The weather was warm, the evening growing older and, as I jumped into my Spanish-made vehicle, I wondered when the last time I watched a Reading in a semi-final was.

I’d read earlier on in the day that there were road works on the A33 so chose the M4 route, meaning I arrived awkwardly early to RG2. A pit stop in Costa made sense - just a small cappuccino given the time of the day and another very, very short drive up the hill towards the stadium saw me enter the stadium complex at around 6.30pm.

The car park was carnage. I mean literal carnage. Yes, I know it was all free, but giving people free rein to park literally anywhere (within the allotted car parks) without car park attendants is tantamount to inciting motor-based riots. To my knowledge, nothing got out of hand out there, but there were plenty of confused looks behind the windscreens of cars. Luckily for me, I’m an expert parker and I was able to find an exclusive space right outside the mega shop.

Incidentally, the place was teeming with hungry shoppers eager to grab the new shirt. I’ll wait for the other two kits before I make any sort of financial commitment to club-endorsed fabric, but I don’t mind the home kit at all.

Inside the seated bowl, humans were filling seats nicely. A smattering of Mackems were sporadically placed between blue-and-white-clad lunatics and it made for a somewhat odd atmosphere. Having free seats, both financially and locationally, always proves exciting, especially in the Lower West where punters tend to be genuine experts in the “you’re in my seat” methods. Of course, no one had any legal rights to any of the seats as none had been bought with the king’s ransom, so the conversations that ensued were mildly amusing to say the least.

Listen, I said I’d give a report in this column, but whatever I say won’t give the boys justice. Yes, we lost. Were Sunderland the better team? Tricky to say. Defensively, we weren’t as composed or comfortable as previous times I’d seen us this season. But the resilience and determination were encouraging.

There are some talented lads in the team and I think (I hope) that they continue to improve with us here in Berkshire and not elsewhere. It would be unfair of me to pick out any one individual because they all played their parts - not just in this game but across the season and, as a fan, I’m proud of them. They are likeable, hard-working and genuinely very promising players.

As the game wore on, you could tell we were tiring. Having Sunderland score not once but twice very late on to ultimately nick the game seemed a harsh way for the team to lose, but they went out fighting and never gave in. Credit to the visitors: they were patient and weathered the storm to reach the final.

Having over 2,000 in the ground will also stand them in good stead and, as I made my way out into the darkness of the evening, I felt optimistic. Gutted for them, but also glad of the opportunity to support them in the biggest game of their careers so far.

Let’s hope that, as a fanbase, we get more opportunities to see the players develop live at the Stade de SCL and that they continue to show the passion and commitment they’ve demonstrated over the past season. Onwards and upwards.

Until next time.