Can Reading FC's Squad Really Get Promoted?
Reading FC's starting XI looks good, but surely the bench is just as important? It's all good in generating excitement ahead of our league opener with Luton Town. I'm sure we'll all agree: the closer Saturday gets, that special buzz will start to creep in. But if like me you've read what others have written on TTE this summer, you'll have noticed an air of caution - even frustration - and, I'm afraid, I'm the same.
Sim's nearly eaten my sandwiches with his pre-season preview, but likewise he's touched on the same issue. The fanbase is broadly united as to Reading's strongest line-up, which is roughly… Pereira; Godwin-Malife, O'Connor, Ward, Roberts; Wing, Rinomhata; Lisbie, Stokes, Kyerewaa; Marriott
So, what's the issue then? Well, it's concerning that there's hardly debate on personnel, due to the lack of them. It's almost as if the club has overlooked probably the most important part of the squad: the bench. So much for preparation then?
Last summer's takeover hold-ups aside, one of Reading's biggest issues across 2025/26 was our inability to bring anyone off the bench who could change games. Lincoln City and Cardiff City won promotion doing just that as we saw firsthand. It's all about options in football these days.
Already, we know the line-up listed above won't appear at the Select Car Leasing Stadium next Saturday. Jeriel Dorsett will likely cover at left-back. Newbie Jacob Brown already needs wrapping in cottonwool given recent injuries to Marriott and Sean Patton; the latter really needed this summer to look a viable option too.
Therefore, at the time of writing, the strongest bench Leam Richardson can field looks like: Stevens, Ahmed, Fraser, Savage, Williams, Lane and Marriott. That's one right-back, no centre-back, an injury-prone striker and, beyond them, I don't think another player at the club has prolonged experience of League One!
How has this been allowed to happen again?
Yes, 'Marriott joined us late last summer,' I hear it! What about the five games we didn't win before he joined? Where would they have put us if we'd won them? You see it now, right?
New season, new start and all that; I'm going to refrain from criticising specific players. But the main cast of last season's leaky defence are still here. As I said, I won't be critical, but at least we had Finley Burns and Derrick Williams offering competition!
To be fair, another issue we had was 'square pegs in round holes', or players covering unnatural positions. People then being repositioned late into a match also didn't help, again due to personnel shortages.
If you're suitably prepared and stick to a plan, you can expect success. But if you start chopping and changing everyone's roles when they're also fatigued, you'll likely see mistakes, and we saw too much of that. It's as if the conclusions from last season's post mortem have been thrown straight in the bin when it comes to Reading's defence.
Hopefully this season our backline cover themselves in glory. But what about them having any cover at all? That would be nice.
Trying to stay positive, central midfield is pretty much bang on. The ability to rotate Charlie Savage and Lewis Wing could be the difference between promotion and obscurity. If both maintain their fitness from last season, we've a chance.
Fitness brings me on to the next point: the current league standing (final 2025 table -- new season not yet under way) is 12th in League One, 63 pts, 16W-15D-15L from 46 games, recent form LDLLL. With 64 goals scored and 60 conceded (+4 goal difference), Reading FC is 40 points behind leaders Lincoln. The last result was Reading 0-1 Blackpool (2026-05-02), and recent form (last 5) is 0W-2D-3L (LLDDL, most recent first); lost the last 2. The next fixture is vs Oxford United (away, 2026-09-08).
With these challenges in mind, can Reading FC's squad really get promoted?
