Reading FC manager Paul Ince believes that the club are beginning to bridge the gap between the fans and the team.
After coming into the club in a difficult situation last season that saw them in the midst of a relegation battle amid financial troubles, Ince believes they are now working towards building a positive future.
Hundreds of fans turned out at the Oracle in Reading on Tuesday to meet the Royals squad for autographs and photographs.
“Last season I said time and time again, the players, the club, the fans, there was a massive gap and it was important this year to bridge that gap. We don’t do enough of these things.” said Ince.
“It’s important we do a lot more of this stuff. You look at the queues, I couldn’t believe it, it’s great the fans came out.
“With all the kids there, they’re the next generation and the ones we want to get into the stadium and we want to get our stadium full some time in the future.
“It was a great turnout and the players were absolutely fantastic, it was a great day for everyone.”
With the Royals in a much more positive position than last campaign currently in eighth in the Championship with 25 points from 16 games, the general mood around the fanbase seems in stark contrast to where it was this time last year.
Despite being in the top half of the table, Ince is still focused on keeping the team in the Championship this season.
He continued: “I think you’ve got to take it game by game. It’s funny because when we lost three on the bounce we marked teams and looked and thought ‘Ok we’ve got a chance against Bristol City’.
It’s about trying to keep all the players fit and performing to the level for the next five games and that’s it. I don’t like to put points targets on.
“My target is just to stay in this league and that has been the same since day one. At the moment I think we’re halfway there and we’ve got 30 games to go.”
