Five Things From Reading’s Sweet Win Over Cambridge United

An utterly upbeat Five Things as Bobbins has a 4-0 win to delve into.

Sweeter

It’s been a bit of a week at Reading FC, to put it mildly. After the refereeing disaster-class at Derby County, then the debacle involving the sale of Bearwood, then the rumours and speculation surrounding the proposed takeover... now this rather delicious 4-0 romp in front of the biggest crowd of the season at the SCL.

We don’t ever seem to do things by halves, do we? The lows and highs are what make football the best sport on Earth; it’s why we support our club through absolutely everything it has to offer. We don’t particularly enjoy the lows - no fan should have to tolerate what we’ve had to endure - but when a performance and result coincides with the set of emotions that we have all felt this week, it makes it all the sweeter.

What makes this squad special is that they can still deliver a performance that belies everything that the sh*tshow behind the scenes should diminish. But they keep on defying the odds, keep on making us proud, keep on performing despite an owner that wishes to destroy every aspect they’ve worked so hard to achieve.

Wand

This applies to none more than our captain, Lewis Wing. What a performance! Hands down one of the best this season by any player and quite possibly cements his status for player of the season. He simply was a joy to watch. His command of the game was just superb.

He had to have the ball, craved it at every opportunity. Everything we did well came from his quarterback-like position and via his wand of a right foot. It helped by having Charlie Savage and Harvey Knibbs doing a lot of running for him, too.

At times, our midfield was the best it’s been all season where the movement of all three bamboozled Cambridge United. Often Savage would rotate with Wing. When one went forward, one retreated; it made things really hard for the opposition to pin them down.

Savage will go under the radar, but he had a fine game also that was full of energy and intelligence. That, coupled with our full-backs playing quite high, caused all sorts of problems with Ben Elliott drifting in the from the left and created problems as a result.

But in Wing we have an absolute gem that can do it all. While his command of the ball is superb, he doesn’t just let Savage and the defenders do the dirty work, he gets stuck in just as much. At the moment he’s seeing the ball like a beachball; there’s barely a bad touch in sight.

Not only that but he took his goal superbly well, a delightful dig inside the box. His assist for Kelvin Ehibhatiomhan’s absolute snorter of goal was so smart. While Ehibhatiomhan will rightly get the plaudits for the goal, Wing’s assist was so smart. By passing the ball with pace, the momentum of the ball was not lost from Ehibhatiomhan’s first touch: this allowed room for the ball to be struck with venom and it duly flew into the onion bag. Watch it again, it’s genius!

Fluidity

Tactically, it felt like we had it spot on. Our movement was bold and confident, some of the triangles of play were really pleasing on the eye. It was the kind of performance that showcased the determination and current confidence.

The fluidity of movement was so impressive, too. It seemed that no matter where the ball ended up, we had cover for it; nothing felt out of control or exposed. Ruben Selles must have been grinning from ear to ear: this was as much of a complete performance that we’ve seen for a very long time.

To a man, every player played their part. We’ve never been able to have passengers in the side, but nobody shirked their responsibilities here. After a couple of home disappointments and an absolute robbery of shocking proportions from an official at Derby, they needed to arrest that slide and do it well. The result was a destructive clinic from a team that shows time and time again that they’re up for the fight.

Proud

The support from the stands was the best this season. After the anxiety involving the travesty of Bearwood and Wycombe Wanderers it could have been all so very different. The anger and deserved outrage of the week could have spilled over into something akin to the Port Vale postponement, but, as fans, we’ve united and learned how to protest, how to support and when to do it.

And we do it ever so well. As much as we’ve been proud of our players for performing in the most perilous of circumstances, our fans can be applauded and praised for their actions too.

When this club has needed us most, we showed up. The atmosphere inside the SCL felt vibrant, passionate and defiant. Songs belted out from the first minute until the last, it was the most united of crowds for an awful long time. And it has been an awful, truly awful time.

This was the kind of performance, atmosphere with some stunning goals to boot, that makes some of this nonsense worthwhile.

Relax

And so, we go into that annoying period of the season: the dreaded international break. But, much like other international breaks this season, we need the rest. Physically and mentally.

After the chaos of the week just gone, other aspects need to unfold and reveal themselves. It’s the perfect time for the takeover (we hope) to conclude and having no football in that time kind of helps. The players can go away, recharge, be with their loved ones and relax. They deserve that.

We go into the break with a healthy seven-point cushion to the relegation zone. Another win should be enough to avoid the trap door, all things being equal and the EFL don’t do what they do best.

This should be enough because the teams in the bottom four are awful. From 19th position downwards, in the last THIRTY SIX GAMES that they have played combined, only TWO have been won between ALL of them. Only Carlisle United and Fleetwood Town have won a single match in that time. In that same timeframe we’ve won three and lost three. Momentum is clearly on our side as a result.

There will be plenty of twists and turns along the way, of course, it’s what makes the end of the season so enjoyable. We will have our own backstory be the front story, though. We’re coming to what is hopefully the endgame of an ownership that has taken us all brutally to the brink.

Many of us will remember this week for many years to come; it’s been emotional, stressful and painful. But remember this game: it serves as a reminder of what a special group of people it really is. Long live Reading FC.