The 2022/23 season proved to be a disastrous campaign for Reading FC and one that ended in relegation from the Championship.
After starting the campaign with such promise, Reading’s dreadful away record eventually caught up with them and coupled with a six point deduction from the EFL resulted in a 22nd place finish.
The Royals will now play in England’s third tier for the first time since 2001/02.
Goalkeeper
Joe Lumley: B
Despite Reading’s poor defensive record, they conceded 19 less goals in the league than they did the previous season. The loanee had a horror show away at Rotherham, but mistakes were few and far between after that with some strong displays which helped the defence to leak fewer goals.
Defenders
Amadou Mbengue: B
Arrived as a bit of an unknown quantity, but added much needed pace to Reading’s back line. At 21, he’s still a raw talent but has the makings of a quality Championship defender. A popular character in the dressing room too.
Nesta Guinness-Walker: B-
Grew in stature as the season progressed, particularly defensively. Established himself as Reading’s most offensive wing-back and was controversially sidelined by Ince, who preferred Rahman.
Naby Sarr: C+
Started brilliantly by scoring the winner away at Millwall on his debut. Got injured the following game and missed three months of the season. Put in some decent individual displays in the last few games.
Tom Holmes: C
Appointed vice-captain over the summer and should be credited for being one of five players to play at least 40 games in all competitions. Was ultimately a constant in a defence which shipped 68 goals.
Tom McInytre: C-
Showed versatility in a number of positions throughout the campaign, but struggled to match the pace and power of the league’s best forwards – was run ragged on far too many occasions.
Andy Yiadom: C-
Appointed as club captain in the summer, but has struggled to adapt. Made 41 appearances and managed just one assist. Improved towards the back end of the season, but certainly not his finest season in a Royals shirt.
Sam Hutchinson: D+
Solid when called upon, however hard to give him higher than a D+ due to his constant injury problems. An experienced head at the back and able to step into midfield, but only managed 11 appearances throughout the season.
Scott Dann: D-
The decision to extend his contract for this season was a peculiar one and that proved to be the case when he didn’t make his first appearance until December. Only managed 649 minutes across the whole season, mainly used as a sub.
Baba Rahman: E
A significant drop-off in performance compared to his previous loan spell saw the Ghanaian make some critical errors which cost his side, most notably away at Sunderland. Missed the last 15 games of the season through injury.
