The Royals host League One football for the final time in 2025, with Luton the visitors.
From Premier League to League One in three years, Reading’s opponents Luton Town are looking to improve their form and get back to how they were when they were very few games off surviving in the top flight.
It hasn’t been a great start for either side involved in today’s game, with the Royals sitting 18th. And although Luton are seventh, they’re three points off the playoffs and have played more games than any other team so far, which is below standard considering they are recently relegated. Compared to Cardiff City who gave a very good game to the world champions on Tuesday night, Luton aren’t doing too well.
Reading are also falling off recently. After five unbeaten, the Royals are now winless in their last two and look like they are resorting to old ways with long-ball play, like it was under Noel Hunt. It is not a good look for a club struggling to score goals to then play long-ball, boring football – which we’ve seen over the past few years doesn’t work.
The club are in dire need for Jack Marriott to come back and save the team as we need an out-and-out striker. For the mean time it should be Sean Patton that plays there, but I will talk more on that later.
The head-to-head between the two clubs is in Reading’s favour, with the Royals taking 26 wins, 11 draws and 24 losses. The last meeting was a 1-1 draw with Andy Carroll scoring the opener and then getting red-carded four minutes later, before Carlton Morris equalised in the 80th minute.
In this preview I will mention the one thing I seem to mention every year in that we have a striker problem. I will also discuss players who have played for both and give my predictions.
What? League One matchday 20
Season? 2025/26
Who? Luton Town
Where? Select Car Leasing Stadium
When? Thursday December 18
Time? 20:00
Opposition manager? Jack Wilshere
Striker problem
As I have said in many previews, Kelvin Ehibhatiomhan is not good enough up front. As a winger he is very good, but he is not a striker. Patton, Mark O’Mahony and Marriott are our only strikers at the club right now and none of them are being used enough. Marriott is still returning from injury and Patton hasn’t had many minutes in League One due to him being very new to everything in English football.
Patton has been performing very well in the under-21s and, like we did with Jayden Wareham, I think it’s time we give him some minutes. Whether it’s off the bench or as a starter, the team needs a proper striker.
Until Marriott is fully back from injury we need a solution. We don’t have someone like Harvey Knibbs anymore who is able to play as a second striker, and we are lacking goals massively because of it.
A solution to this would be to play a striker-less formation and have the wingers cut inside a lot more. Rather than putting crosses into places where there is nobody, we would play more passing football, try to work around players and use the space left by the defenders.
Daniel Kyerewaa is key to this as he is rapid and can draw defenders out to create the space for players like Kamari Doyle and Charlie Savage to run into.
Players who have played for both
Here are four of the many players to have appeared for Reading and Luton:
Tom Ince played 54 games for Reading, scoring 11 and getting six assists. He was overlooked at Reading due to his dad being the manager at the time but he was a very good servant.
He played seven games for Luton, managing neither a goal nor an assist in 2020.
Defender Tom Holmes played 133 games for the Royals, scoring one goal and getting two assists. One of those goals was an amazing overhead kick as well. It was a great finish.
For Luton he played 22 games, scoring one and assisting one.
Gabriel Osho played 10 games for the Royals. In this time he managed one assist from defence.
In the four years he was at Luton, he played 85 games, scoring five goals and getting one assist.
Last but not least, Jack Stacey only played six times for the Royals, managing neither a goal or an assist.
He played 95 games for the Hatters. He scored five goals and got 14 assists.
My predictions
Joel Pereira will be in goal.
The defence will be Kelvin Abrefa, Paudie O’Connor, Derrick Williams and Jeriel Dorsett.
The midfield will contain Liam Fraser, Charlie Savage and Kamari Doyle. Lewis Wing needs a rest.
The attack will be Kyerewaa, Ehibhatiomhan and Randell Williams.
Score prediction: 2-1 Royals
Good luck to those going to the game.
Come on you Royals!
Category: General Sports
