Cambridge United vs Reading: Match Preview

Can the Royals get 2025 underway in the perfect fashion on Wednesday afternoon?

Happy New Year Royals!

What a win! I am writing this part straight after the Mansfield Town game and what a match it was. Tyler Bindon came to the rescue again, at both ends of the pitch this time. Another goal conceded before half-time didn’t stop the Royals from securing all three points in the last tie of the year, making it 50 points at home in 2024, the best in League One.

Cambridge United haven’t had the best time so far this season, being in 22nd place in the league, only winning four times. Their most recent win came on December 7 against Shrewsbury Town, but their most recent game was a 2-0 loss to Leyton Orient. A very disappointing game led the Us to really wonder what else is going to happen this season.

In this preview I will remind you of the best events that have happened over 2024 - including on the pitch, off the pitch and a mini hall of fame for the year, as well as players who played for both and my predicted lineup.

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What? League One matchday 23

Season? 2024/25

Who? Cambridge United

Where? Abbey Stadium

When? Wednesday January 1

Time? 15:00

Opposition manager? Garry Monk

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The 2024 hall of fame

In this segment I will list a bunch of ups and downs that happened in 2024, including big wins, big losses, individual player contributions and some of the lowest points in the club’s history.

Let’s start positive. Reading started with a 3-2 victory over Exeter City, with Harvey Knibbs and Femi Azeez joining an own goal to see off the Grecians.

March 16 then took us to our home game against Cambridge United, when the Royals scored four goals from four different scorers to win 4-0. This match saw the best of Reading: we battered our opponents, gave them no opportunities to score and, fun fact, it produced our goal of the season - scored by Kelvin Ehibhatiomhan. He glided past two defenders and curled one into the bottom right corner past the ‘keeper from the edge of the box.

Two weeks later the Royals suffered one of their heaviest defeats of the season, conceding five to playoff contenders Bolton Wanderers in a match that ended 5-2. Goals from Lewis Wing and Paul Mukairu only came as a consolation in the end.

Moving onto this season, the Royals’ first glimmer of hope came in the opening game of the season when we drew 1-1 with a team that have broken the League One transfer record three times alone this season - one of them being four times higher than the next in Jay Stansfield arriving for £17 million. The fact that we held our own against that team was the first positive we needed to build on this season.

After another league win against Wigan Athletic, the Royals then faced Hollywood Wrexham for the first time since they were taken over by the famous actors. This game saw a bit of everything except a Reading goal. The Royals had many chances at goal but couldn’t find the end product that would have got them into the contest. However, conceding the third goal straight after half-time put the game out of reach.

September then saw a 2-0 win against Charlton Athletic, our first home loss of the season against Leyton Orient and then another 5-2 loss to Bolton. That result feels like it’s just inevitable at this point.

The next big match came away to Exeter City, when the Royals picked up their first away win of the season. A first-minute goal for Jayden Wareham and a first goal for Michael Craig were enough to see off the Grecians once again.

That takes us to a few weeks ago. Just before Wycombe Wanderers away, it was announced that Ruben Selles was joining Hull City with immediate effect. This was devastating as he had done so much for the Royals in his time at the club, sticking with us through everything that has gone on in the background - some months not getting paid, and overall it was a crappy time at the club.

The following match, at home to Blackpool, ended in a big 3-0 loss and it made matters even worse as it was the worst the Royals had played in a very long time, meaning the Noel Hunt era was off to a bad start.

The last game of the year saw us beat newly promoted Mansfield in a tight battle which I think proves to the haters that we do belong in a playoff fight. Hunt is the man for the job and, whether you think that or not, he is the one in the dugout and that isn’t something we can change.

We also have a new update on the takeover. Reading have released a statement and I will sum it up a little bit.

We are still in talks with a buyer, but are looking more towards keeping the club alive right now than looking for a complete buy in the immediate future. Due to confidentiality, the club are unable to tell us who is involved.

Positively, the delay in the takeover has been reduced due to the removal of the ‘stop notice’ placed against the Select Car Leasing Stadium. There is also a party taking legal action against Dai Yongge - who we separately know to be Rob Couhig - but that is all the club are going to say about that situation. They then go on to thank the staff, supporters, players and suppliers.

Though they’re small steps, these are steps forward, and talks continue to be had to help try and save the club.

My best moments of the year

Lewis Wing vs Crawley Town is my goal of the year. It just had to be, didn’t it? A thunder-strike from nearly 40 yards out, straight past the ‘keeper, who could do nothing but watch it go past him.

There wasn’t really much choice in my signing of the year, but for me Chem Campbell has been a game-changer.

I have raved about him constantly in my previous previews and I will continue to do so. We really missed Femi Azeez when he left and we were always going to struggle filling his boots, but Campbell has done that. His partnership with Harvey Knibbs has shone through in the past few months and he has shown that he really does love the club.

My game of the year is our 2-1 win against Peterborough United. For me this was the epitome of Reading Football Club. Despite getting our first away win of the season against Exeter a month beforehand, Reading went into this match as the underdogs due to our poor away form.

But there was just no chance that the Royals were going to let off the gas one bit. Two first-half goals from Knibbs gave enough of a cushion for the Royals to see out the game against a team that were in the playoffs last season. What an exciting time to be a Reading fan that was.

Now there is an obvious answer for my young player of the year: it is that man Tyler Bindon. The last game against Mansfield sums up his year for the Royals: keeping us in the game with a goal-line clearance to then scoring the winner with an overhead kick. The 19-year-old is having the time of his life at the moment and he can only improve further.

Unlike signing of the year, player of the year was a difficult choice, but I think one Royal does slightly edge out the rest. He has scored the most goals from outside the box in all divisions this season, has been our stand-in captain while Andy Yiadom has been injured, has a monster of a work-rate and would die for the team.

Congratulations to my player of the year... Lewis Wing!

Players who played for both

On loan from Reading, Alex McCarthy played once for Cambridge in 2008. This game was a 3-0 defeat to Kidderminster Harriers. He then went on to play 71 games for the Royals, having a save percentage of 71.7%.

Defender Michael Morrison played three seasons for Reading for a total of 117 games and became a stone wall at the back. He is currently in his fifth season at Cambridge, having played 167 games for them.

Harvey Knibbs is currently one of the first names on the team sheet for the Royals. He has played 70 matches for the club and I am hoping the Berkshire Beckham can carry on his incredible form towards the end of the season.

Before he signed from Cambridge, he played 139 matches for the Us.

Our top scorer this season Sam Smith has been at Reading for five seasons in total, due to him coming through the academy. When it didn’t work out the first time, Smith joined Cambridge and played 133 matches for the club.

He has so far played 84 times for the Royals and has been incredible since he came back.

My lineup

I think that, for the third game in a row, the team will stay the same. This means it will be as follows...

Joel Pereira in goal, with Michael Craig, Tyler Bindon, Amadou Mbengue and Abraham Kanu in defence. Lewis Wing, Charlie Savage and Harvey Knibbs go in midfield and then Sam Smith, Chem Campbell and Mamadi Camara line up in attack.

I think it’s really positive that we are able to finally have a lineup that suits the style of play our manager likes, and that he has the opportunity to gain some familiarity into the squad.

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Score prediction: 3-0 Royals

Good luck to the travelling Royals!

I hope you all had a great New Year’s!

Come on you Royals!