September was a somewhat underwhelming month for Reading. In six games across all competitions, the Royals won just twice, also picking up a draw and three defeats – or, alternatively, breaking down as one league win, one cup win, one league draw, one league defeat and two cup losses.
And on the face of it, performances weren’t great. The average from our player ratings for September comes out at 5.61/10, lower than the 5.85 recorded in August. While a particularly low-rated display at Swindon Town
(5.33, the worst average of the season) dragged the monthly score down a bit, excluding that game would still have only left September at 5.7.
The long and the short of it: there was no noticeable uplift in overall performances from August to September. If you only include league games, performances rose from 5.72 in August to… 5.79 in September.
Putting together a shortlist for September’s player of the month award was a little tricky. There’s one very obvious winner but otherwise not a particularly strong field, although a couple of others have come out of the last few weeks with some credit.
The following three players will be looking to follow in the footsteps of Derrick Williams, who took August’s award. He subsequently got injured and missed the last three games, so hopefully his successor will have better luck!
Kamari Doyle
Average rating: 6.20 / Man of the match awards: 1st (Swindon Town A), 2nd (Wrexham A), 3rd (Stockport County A)
The Brighton & Hove Albion loanee came on well in September, looking an increasingly important player for Reading, and seeming at home in the newly established 10 role in the Royals’ 4-2-3-1. He was a bright spark in two otherwise disappointing cup defeats and came close to scoring in the latter, rattling the woodwork against Wrexham. He also added a crucial assist when coming off the bench against Leyton Orient, setting up Liam Fraser for the winner.
Jack Marriott
Average rating: 6.50 / Man of the match awards: 2nd (Swindon Town A), 2nd (Barnsley A), 2nd (Leyton Orient A), 1st (Stockport County A)
Yeah let’s be honest, Marriott is definitely going to win this month’s award. Following a debut for Reading off the bench in August, he started four games in September and scored each time: equalisers against Swindon, Barnsley and Stockport County, as well as the opener at home to Orient. There was a nice mix of goals in there: poacher’s finishes, a long-range lob and a clever snap-shot from the edge of the box.
And his all-round performances have been good too. Marriott’s added quality and presence to Reading’s front line, really helping out as an outlet.
Matt Ritchie
Average rating: 6.67 / Man of the match awards: 1st (Leyton Orient H)
This is perhaps a bit of a left-field inclusion given Ritchie didn’t start a game in September, but he was a standout in his three substitute appearances. His SCL debut (against Orient) went a long way in helping Reading secure the points, and he had a similarly positive impact at Stockport in setting up Marriott for the equaliser. If Reading can get regular game time out of him this season, he’ll prove to be one hell of a player.
Vote
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