A new era started for the Royals this weekend with Leam Richardson taking to the dugout for the first time. Non-league Carlisle United were the visitors in the first round of the FA Cup.
It started well for the Royals with Lewis Wing putting us ahead in the first half before Mark O’Mahony doubled our lead in the second. It looked as though we were sailing through, but Carlisle scored two in stoppage time to take the fixture into extra-time. Regan Linney then completed his hat-trick to send them through to the second round
of the FA Cup.
A disappointing afternoon for the Royals and for new manager Leam Richardson. Here is what he had to say, he spoke to the official club website.
Richardson on the defeat
“Firstly, congratulations to Carlisle for progressing through. My initial feeling is that it is what we expected and why I am here.
“We saw two versions of the team today. In the first half, collectively there was some very good actions. The result is not what we wanted and we had a crazy 10 minutes within that. The second half was very disjointed and individual. There is a reason for that and there are some positives to take forward.
“To repeat, the club has been through transition and is still in transition. There have been so many challenges over the past few years and there are challenges to come. There are lads playing together for the first time with no centre halves to pick from.
“There are a million and one excuses but I’m not for that, I’m one to stand up and be counted, to work hard and improve every single day. That starts straight away.
“You learn very quickly. People will revert to type; it’s my job to look at each and every department and make it better.
“We are making subs for fitness levels in November, which is not correct. There are some really strong performances without being collective as a team in there. People need help within that on the pitch. We need people to return to fitness and stay fit if we want to progress and move forward.”
Richardson on looking ahead
“I got asked on Sunday if I want to take on the challenge. Would it stop me after a couple of days? You get judged after many weeks and many months at the end of your tenure.
“There are no surprises at the moment, even today. It is probably what I thought, which is good because nobody likes surprises. We will move on with the positive steps as quickly as we can.”
