A 2-0 loss in the Carabao Cup to Championship Wrexham, in which we played very well in the first half but faltered away in the second, isn’t the end of the world in isolation. I mean, it’s not the end of the world even
in our current context, but it does make it that little bit more jarring.
An opening 45 minutes when we looked sharp, hungry and composed was followed by a second half in which we were anything but. There are positives to take from the performance, but I appreciate that’s easier said than done right now.
Here’s how the Loyal Royals reacted to the game…
A bright first half, but a faltering second
The first half wasn’t all-out domination, but we played with a purpose and authority that has been lacking all season. Passes were being punched through the lines, we were working some nice openings and we looked reasonably comfy defensively.
However, in the second half that all went to pot. Wrexham weren’t as bad as they were in the first half, we seemed to be a little bit surprised by that, and as soon as the hosts went 1-0 up there was only going to be one result.
It was another frustrating one for the fans to take…
Noel Hunt
It’s been said before but Noel needs results and performances now. One out of the two isn’t really going to cut it, unless we somehow go on a 10-game winning streak playing turgid football.
Unfortunately for Hunt there is a not-insignificant proportion of the fanbase who need to see a lot more than they did on Tuesday night to be won over…
Some positive performances
Among all of the above, there were some positive individual performances that the fans thought to be noteworthy.
The midfield three were impressive in the first half, particularly Kamari Doyle, and Matty Jacob filled in admirably in an unfamiliar position of centre-back. Whether either of Ben Elliott or Doyle get minutes in the league on Saturday though remains to be seen…
Conclusion
It’s very, very hard to have your glass half full as a Reading fan at the moment, but if you’re more inclined to be an optimist than pessimist, there are positives to be had from Tuesday’s loss.
It seems that’s the way Hunt has taken it, which you would expect him to, but one decent 45 minutes is nowhere near enough to win over the majority of the fanbase. Much, much more needs to be done.
Arguably one of the tougher games of the season awaits with a trip up to Stockport County on Saturday, with every game seeming to be a do or die for Hunt right now – at least among the fanbase.
