The Reading Chronicle
Squad17 Aug 2026
Derrick Williams in a row with a teammate
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Reading this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Boardroom17 Aug 2026
5 academy players handed senior numbers at Reading
The morning the pathway stops being a brochure and becomes a team sheet. Most of them will not be here in three years; all of them have already done the hard part, which was getting to today.
Squad17 Aug 2026
Words at Reading training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Lewis Wing is at the centre of it, and the squad will now find out whether the standard rises or the pair of them simply stop speaking.
Match15 Aug 2026
Cardiff City take the points off Reading
Beaten 0‑2, and beaten fairly. The manager kept his words short afterwards, which was probably wise.
Squad17 Aug 2026
No hiding place for Derrick Williams
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Derrick Williams, and the manager let it.
Market17 Aug 2026
Reading promote Christopher Jackson from within
The academy exists for exactly this morning. Christopher Jackson has come through every age group the club runs and has now been handed a senior number, and the people who coached him at twelve will be the proudest in the building.
Market17 Aug 2026
One of our own: Benjamin Evans joins the Reading first team
Clubs spend fortunes looking for players and occasionally find one down the corridor. Benjamin Evans is that, and the reception he gets on his first appearance will be different in kind from the one any signing receives.
Market17 Aug 2026
Steven Ward steps up from the Reading academy
There is no fee, no unveiling and no agent on the steps. Steven Ward has been at this club since he was a boy and is now, formally, one of the first-team squad — which for a local readership beats any signing of any size.
Market17 Aug 2026
Reading promote Andrew Bailey from within
The academy exists for exactly this morning. Andrew Bailey has come through every age group the club runs and has now been handed a senior number, and the people who coached him at twelve will be the proudest in the building.
In brief
- Player ratings Nobody could get near Paddy Lane
- Squad 9 new faces, and Reading are still learning each other
- Boardroom Reading turn down the training-ground plan