Reading 2-4 Barnsley: Battle Lost, War Won

Reading’s season fell to a bitter end at home to Barnsley, but brighter days lie on the horizon.

The FOMO I’ve had for the last week in the run-up to this game has been almost tangible.

For context, I’m travelling a bit of the world and are currently in Bali with my better half. I know I’ve probably found the one as she’s been completely fine with me harping on about what I’d do to be in RG2 instead right now. Well, that’s what she’s told me anyway.

That pang of jealousy and want increased tenfold when that news dropped this morning, and another couple of percentage points when I first saw the packed-out SCL on my laptop screen. Alas, enough about me. Today was all about our football club.

As incredible and ridiculous as it would’ve been if it had come to fruition, and despite how much we craved it and these players deserved it, our playoff hunt has always been a side plot in the ongoing drama series that was Reading Football Club this season.

That is by no means to take away from how big of an achievement it is to even be in with a shout of nicking a playoff spot on the final day. It is genuinely beyond words and, although you could say I’m a bit biased, I think it’s the best achievement from any team across any league in the country. Given what these staff and players have had thrown at them, for them to keep coming out and performing week after week is simply staggering.

However, the main story has of course been Dai Yongge’s tenure, and making sure it’s ended as quickly as possible. I can’t sit here and say anything new about what we’ve endured over the last God knows how long. And quite frankly, I don’t want to give it a go. Our former owner deserves no more air time or wasted breath from us.

Ultimately, most importantly, thankfully: it is over. We won. We can finally go back to being normal football fans again. Supporters who don’t fear that their club won’t exist, and who don’t genuinely wonder how many times they'll be able to watch their team again. That’s where we’ve been, and no set of football fans should ever be in that place.

That has to be, and I’m sure will be, the overriding feeling among the fans as we reflect on this season.

It is hard of course to brush off the disappointment of missing out on the playoffs - of which there absolutely is a substantial amount - particularly in the way it transpired. Today had all the ingredients for a truly monumental day - takeover announced, packed out SCL, playoffs secured. But it wasn’t to be.

As someone whose only chance of seeing Reading again this season was a playoff game, I must admit typing that out does sting quite a bit.

But in a season when so often we’ve tried not to let matters off the pitch negatively impact what’s happened on it, today it needs to be the other way round. Although I very much doubt you all need reminding of that.

For full transparency I started writing this when we went 2-0 down, so hearing Tim Dellor and Brian McDermott (king) describe the remaining Barnsley goals as they go in has made it the aftertaste slightly sourer than it needed to be, but I’m sure more than a few of you will go and get yourselves a fresh pint at the Purple Turtle to wash that away.

This team has taken us on a hell of a ride this season. Lewis Wing playing every minute of every game, Harvey Knibbs popping up time and time again, Savage using the SCL pitch as his marathon route, Rolls-Royce Tyler Bindon (we’ll miss you kiddo), El Gato doing El Gato things, Ruben Selles lighting the torch and Noel Hunt picking it up and carrying it valiantly - I could go on, and on, and on.

And the one constant among everything? Us. The fans. We were there when the club was riding its biggest wave, and you best believe now that we’ve been there when it’s navigating the seabed of it’s rockiest lows. And we’ll continue to be there now, because so will our team. Where Reading FC goes, we follow very shortly after.

Today hurts, but there are brighter days ahead now - and for a long time we didn’t think that would that be case.

As my other half has just rightly and beautifully pointed out to me after saying I’m pretty gutted I won’t be able to go back to the SCL until next season, at least I know that’s something I definitely get to do now.

Up. The. Ding.