Ruben Selles ‘Impressed’ By Reading’s Young Players In West Ham Win

The Royals saw off West Ham’s under-21 side 3-1 at the SCL on Tuesday night.

The Royals picked up a brilliant 3-1 victory against West Ham United under-21s in the Bristol Street Motors Trophy last night at the SCL.

The goals came from Jayden Wareham, Kelvin Abrefa and Tyler Sackey to secure a good win in the group stage of the cup.

Here is what manager Ruben Selles had to say, he spoke to the official club website.

Selles on the performance

“I think overall, we played a good game. The boys put in a solid performance, we controlled the match in the way we want to, and it was great to see them competing at the level they did.”

Selles on academy players

“Games like this are important for some of the players’ development, and it’s always more challenging to play in front of your fans, as it adds an extra incentive to impress.

“Making the step from academy football to the first team is a big transition, and in these games, we rely on our more experienced players. I think we got the balance right yesterday.

“It is also the structure here at the club that supports the development of our players, and recruitment in the early stages has been fantastic. It is the identity we want to create at the club.

“The way we want to play is very characteristic, helping players understand the expectations we have of them, and providing a clear visual example of how they will develop and learn to play. This philosophy is adopted throughout our pathway, ensuring that the gap between academy and first-team football is not that significant.

“But finally, we can be impressed with much of what we saw last night, and we must keep working hard to improve our entire squad.”

Selles on working together

“We saw a team trying to work together, with a couple of players out of position, but still giving 100% for the team. That’s what helped us in the second half of last season – developing our own players, expanding the squad with plenty of enthusiasm, dedication and, most of all, talent – all learning the know-how of the game and helping us succeed.

“Playing players out of position is never done randomly. We have to manage a lot of different situations, balance the players, and of course, in this competition, there are selection rules that we must abide by.

“Having players who can play in two different positions helps us. Wingers who can also play as fullbacks can bring something unique to the role, and often, it can bring out the best in a player, even if they don’t naturally think they can perform in that role.”

Selles on Wrexham trip

“It was also important to maintain the positive energy and momentum in the team, as we have another big game coming up this weekend at Wrexham.

“When making those squad rotations, everything is planned with the upcoming fixtures in mind. We will then assess the team over Thursday and Friday to create a lineup that will make us effective.

“We know it will be a very intense game. They’ve started the season in a similar way to us. We know their threats, and they will demand a lot from us defensively, so we’re really looking forward to it. These are the types of challenges we want to test ourselves against, to see exactly where we stand.”