Reading FC picked up a point on the road but drop into the League One relegation zone as speculation continues over the future of manager Noel Hunt.
The Royals started the day in 19th place, just above the relegation zone but started brightly when in-form goalscorer Jack Marriott pounced on a defensive mistake to put Reading in front after just six minutes.
The lead didn’t last long as Exeter responded less than five minutes later when former Royal Jayden Wareham, who turned down a contract extension at Reading in the summer in favour of joining Exeter, levelled the game and subsequently celebrated in front of the travelling away fans.
Despite two big chances for Reading in the second-half that’s all the game wrote in terms of goals with results seeing the Royals drop down to 21st and into the relegation zone.
There has been plenty of speculation around the future of Hunt at the club after Reading’s underwhelming start to the season.
FootballLeagueWorld reported on Friday evening that the club were edging towards dismissing Hunt if the Royals did not defeat Exeter.
Despite that, Reading’s co-owner and chairman Rob Couhig came out in strong defence of Hunt at a Q&A session with supporters last week.
Couhig said that he and CEO Joe Jacobson have been impressed with Hunt’s management and also claimed that the team had been playing some of the best football in the division across the last four matches.
Couhig also said that he is not a big believer in sacking managers in order to improve results, stating that sacking a manager does not suddenly make a player a ‘better striker or a better defender’.
However, pressure is beginning to mount on Hunt with Reading now sitting in the relegation places after 11 matches.
Many fans not only believe that a squad with the quality of Reading’s should be competing much higher up in the table having narrowly missed out on a play-off place last season, but are also disillusioned with the team’s lack of tactical direction and variation.
It is understood that Couhig is keen on Gillingham manager and former Wycombe boss Gareth Ainsworth as a potential replacement for Hunt despite Ainsworth playing down any links a few weeks ago.
Meanwhile, it is also noted that another former Wycombe manager, Matt Bloomfield, is now available having been sacked by Luton Town last week.
