Bristol Rovers vs Reading: Match Preview
Hopefully not for the last time this season, Reading are on the road...
In the penultimate game of the season, Reading travel to Bristol Rovers to try and take one step towards getting a playoff place. The Royals’ 5-1 win over Mansfield Town on Monday wasn’t enough for them to get back ahead of Leyton Orient as the O’s were able to come from behind to beat a very average Cambridge United side.
Bristol Rovers lost to Stevenage on the same day and haven’t looked like a great team all season, putting them in a relegation battle once again. They are currently in the highest relegation spot, tied on 43 points with Burton Albion, who have been in great form since January.
The Royals are looking to beat Bristol Rovers in order to put some pressure on Leyton Orient in a race that’s going to go down to the wire. Orient face Wycombe Wanderers in the other early kick-off on Saturday, so everything will be up for grabs at the same time.
In this preview I will analyse the Mansfield game, looking at what sparked such a heavy win for the Royals. I’ll also mention Reading’s away form and the improvements we’ve seen with Noel Hunt in charge, and give my predictions for the final away game of the season.
What? League One matchday 45
Season? 2024/ 25
Who? Bristol Rovers
Where? Memorial Stadium
When? Saturday April 26
Time? 12:30
Opposition manager? Inigo Calderon
The Mansfield win
In what felt like the most difficult 45 minutes of football, Reading were finally able to break the deadlock on a Mansfield side in the 35th minute with a well worked goal by Jayden Wareham.
His tenacity to make sure he starts every game is working for me and he really is the player we have been missing. Not only in this game did he score two goals, but his performance off the ball - moving into the channels and his great pressing - is what mostly won us the game.
Wareham never gave up, which I really like in a player. Even just before he was subbed off, he was running around and looked like he could have played another 90 minutes.
A bizarre own goal and Lewis Wing scoring an absolute screamer put the Royals three up in 57 minutes. Sadly, that’s where my clean-sheet bet came to a close and Keane Baccus got one back for Mansfield. A couple of missed tackles and one pass was all it took for Mansfield to be in behind our defence and they took their chance.
But it was 12 minutes later that star man Wareham was at it again, scoring his second of the match. Another Wing shot had hit the post, falling straight to Wareham’s feet, who couldn’t have tapped in an easier goal.
It was then time for the stat of the day. Reading were the only team in the top four leagues to have not had a substitute score a goal, but this all changed when Billy Bodin managed to get his first in a Reading shirt, off the bench in the 95th minute.
Not only was it the first substitute goal, but the Bodins also became the second father/son pairing in Reading history to have both scored a goal for the club. If you can find any more than two sets let me know as I’ve done my digging and can’t seem to find any more than that. It was a special moment for him and some very unselfish play from Harvey Knibbs, who could have easily got his 17th goal of the season instead of passing to Bodin.
Like I said on Twitter, if it hadn’t have been for a masterclass from Wareham, then my man of the match would have been Tivonge Rushesha. He didn’t give the Mansfield left-back a sniff on the ball, stopping and creating multiple attacks, and in my opinion had his best ever-game in a Reading shirt.
A match like that is what fans needed to lift spirits higher, given the new deadline of May 5 for everything to be sorted on the takeover front. Twitter is looking positive and so am I!
Away form
It was well known going into this season that the Royals had finished so low last season because of how bad they were away from home.
Although six wins, eight draws and eight losses is very average, it’s a massive improvement from last season. Points at Huddersfield Town and Birmingham City, as well as wins at Mansfield and Wigan Athletic, have allowed Reading to fight for a playoff place this season.
This has drastically improved since Hunt has taken the wheel.
Although he got off to a rocky start with a 2-0 loss at Lincoln City and being knocked out of the Vertu Cup by Walsall, since then it’s been a pretty good time. Reading went 11 games unbeaten from February to April, picking up some key points. Hunt has tactically kept it very similar to Ruben Selles and that has worked. This group of players listen to him, press more often and seem to be a lot happier.
Our home form has stayed similar to last year, having won 14, drawn four and lost four, which puts us fifth in the league on home form alone.
Scoring 35 at the SCL and only conceding 17 is a big achievement, as it seemed like under Selles the team couldn’t help but leak a goal or two a game. Away from home there have been 29 goals scored and 36 conceded, so very average, with the home team coming out on top slightly more often.
My predictions
For both of these last two games Reading will need to field their strongest team. This means Joel Pereira will be in goal.
In the defence, Rushesha, Tyler Bindon, Amadou Mbengue and Andre Garcia all performed well in the previous game and I suspect they will play in this one too.
The midfield, like the defence, will be the same as usual. Wing, Charlie Savage and Knibbs will all need to be on form to face a battling Rovers side.
The attack I think will also stay the same - Chem Campbell, Wareham and Kelvin Ehibhatiomhan - with the latter two both getting goal contributions in Monday’s game.
Score prediction: 3-0 Royals!
This will be a tough game as they always are against teams scrapping for relegation.
Support the team and arrive safely!
Come on you Royals!