James Earnshaw

Reading Football Club and its supporters have been represented in Parliament today as Sarah Turner, Chair of the Supporters Trust at Reading [STAR] was asked to give her verdict on the incoming Independent Regulator for football. Mrs Turner answered questions on the Football Governance Bill, which is pushing for independent regulation in the game. Since becoming chair of STAR, Sarah has been crucial in the current off-field battles with Dai Yongge. The legislation has already had first and second readings in the House of Commons, but Sarah was one of several figures called upon to give their input to politicians, including Reading East MP Matt Rodda and former Minister for Sport, Tracey Crouch.

Reading legend Ady Williams was among the 600+ strong crowd at Bottom Meadow, Sandhurst, to witness the Royals lift the Berks and Bucks Senior Cup. Noel Hunt's Under-21s beat Marlow 2-1, a repeat of the first-ever final in 1879, with goals from Jeremiah Okine-Peters and Adrian Akande. This is the second Senior Cup title since 2022, with Reading beating Ascot United 4-0 in Hunt's debut campaign in charge. Williams, a Bracknell native, rose through the youth ranks to make over 300 appearances for his boyhood team over two spells.

Reading Under-21s coach Noel Hunt was left 'delighted' with his sides 2-1 win over Marlow last night, lifting the Berks and Bucks Senior Cup for the second time in three years. Jeremiah Okine-Peters and Adrian Akande netted in a dominant first half, but the non-league outfit hit back early in the second half through Brandon Curtis and tested the Royals. Having said that, Michael Stickland hit the crossbar and Aaron Watkins was kept busy between the posts as Reading failed to put the Blues to bed.

Supporters Trust at Reading [STAR] have backed the club and three staff members following Football Association sanctions for breaching agent rules. Legendary figure Michael Gilkes has received a warning, as has long-time secretary Sue Hewett, for their involvement in breaching FA Rule E1.2. Meanwhile, the club has been fined £200,000 and former CEO Nigel Howe has ben fined and suspended from working in football for 12 months. This is all in relation to the agent of Michael Olise, who has also been suspended for a period, and an alleged illegal financial agreement.

Reading Under-21s started their crunch week with silverware, lifting the historic Berks and Bucks Senior Cup. In a rematch of the first-ever Senior Cup final way back in 1879, Noel Hunt's Royals enacted revenge on Marlow for last year's semi-final exit, beating Mark Bartley's side 2-1 at Bottom Meadow, Sandhurst. The young Royals dominated their non-league opponents in the first half, putting themselves in the driving seat at the break after goals from Jeremiah Okine-Peters and Adrian Akande.

January proved a monumental and unforgettable month for supporters of Reading Football Club, and unfortunately not all for the right reasons. It began as well as it possibly could have, with the Royals beating Exeter City 3-2 on New Year’s Day and leapfrogging the Grecians to move out of the relegation zone. Off the field, financial issues were stealing most of the headlines as respected coaches Eddie Niedzwiecki and Andrew Sparkes were made redundant in order to save costs. CEO Dayong Pang met with supporters and assured them that player sales would not be necessary to fund the club and that they were not expected to lose players before the window.

Reading nemesis Neil Warnock has come out of retirement, again, to take a role with National League side Torquay United. Warnock, 75, was a regular foe of the Royals for the past 20 years, a figure supporters loved to hate, a pantomime role the Yorkshireman thrived in. Losing to Reading more times in his career than any other team, the former Cardiff City and Sheffield United boss has earned eight promotions in his career which spans over 40 years.

Reading are looking to pick up their second Berks and Bucks Senior Cup under the management of Noel Hunt this evening, with Marlow standing in the Young Royals' way at the SB Stadium this evening (7.45pm kick-off). In Hunt's debut campaign in charge, Ascot United were eased aside 4-0 at Slough Town's Arbour Park, the first time the club had lifted the local honour since 1995. Some of that side have gone on to become first-team staples, some still playing elsewhere while some have dropped off the radar completely. Take a look below at where they are now, just two years on.

Three former Reading stars are in a position to grace the iconic Wembley Stadium turf this weekend as the League One and League Two play-offs come to a close. Rivals Oxford United are facing Bolton Wanderers on Saturday afternoon to earn the right to walk out in the Championship next season, while Crawley Town head to the national stadium for the first time ever to battle Crewe Alexandra for promotion into League One. All three former Reading players involved in the end-of-season play-offs have made it through to the final, with one having featured for the Royals under the famous arch seven years ago.

Reading have hit back at the Football Association in a scathing statement following news of the club being charged for breaching intermediary regulations.  The club have been hit with a £200,000 fine and former CEO Nigel Howe will be suspended from the game for 12 months, as well as receiving a £5,000 fine, for issues with Michael Olise's agent in 2019. Intermediary Glen Tweneboah denies all charges, however they were found proven and he has been fined £15,000 and suspended for six months from all football and football-related activity.