Reading FC continued their preparations for the upcoming 2025/26 season with a pre-season friendly away at League Two side Gillingham.
Plenty of players got valuable minutes in their legs as Noel Hunt’s team took on the Gills at Priestfield in a match that ended in a goalless draw.
Among the Reading team were two trialists as the club continues to look to bolster their first-team squad.
Both of the trialists, Yeboah Amankwah and Joe Morrell, featured in the second-half.
Amankwah is a 24-year-old centre-back who is currently without a club and would be available on a free transfer if the Royals decide to make him a contract offer.
Amankwah came through Manchester City’s academy and despite not making a first-team appearance for them, he played 24 times for Accrington Stanley before he moved to Belgian side Lommel SK in 2022, where he has played 46 times.
Meanwhile, Morrell is likely to be a much more familiar name among fans of the EFL.
The 28-year-old central midfielder was most recently at Portsmouth before being released this summer.
He played a total of 92 league matches for Pompey, including 27 league games when they won promotion from League One in the 2023/24 season.
He has also played for Cheltenham Town in League Two, Lincoln City in League One and played 10 times for Luton Town in the Championship.
Morrell has also won 37 international caps for Wales and is now looking for a new club.
Although he has clear quality to play in League One, and potentially above, Morrell has suffered a horrendous past year and a half with injury.
He has been on the sidelines since January 2024 with a knee injury, but is now looking to get back to full fitness.
