Manager Ruben Selles urges Reading fans to end mid-match protests

Posted Sunday, October 01, 2023 by PA

Reading manager Ruben Selles urged the club’s fans to end their mid-match protests after the goalless draw with fellow League One strugglers Burton was halted in the first half.

For the second-successive Reading home fixture, the game was held up in the 16th minute as Royals fans threw tennis balls onto the pitch in protest at the running of the club by controversial Chinese owner Dai Yongge.

After a 10-minute delay, the match was restarted – with Burton clinging on throughout for a desperate point mostly thanks to a string of fine saves from goalkeeper Max Crocombe.

“I don’t think that the stoppage affected the momentum of the game,” Selles said.

“I understand the protests, the fans are not happy. But I would like to play the game in a normal format.

“From the meeting before the game, the referee (Sam Purkiss) decided that we would have to come in (to the dressing-rooms) so that it is like another half-time period.

“We needed to adapt and adjust to that. But that’s two games in a row here now and I would not like to get used to that.”

Of the game, Selles said: “The frustration that we had came from not scoring from the chances that we had.

“We created more than enough chances to have won the game.

“We had great situations that we wanted but we need to be more ruthless in the last third. It is a game that we should win.

“I don’t think that Burton had one shot on target or one situation. I don’t think that they had one situation to score a goal.”

Burton are now unbeaten in four matches in all competitions.

“When you come to places like this you have to defend resolutely and stay close as a team,” Burton manager Dino Maamria said.

“It was a really tough game, as we knew it would be, but I thought our players were brilliant.

“We had good moments when we could have made things out of our transition but we couldn’t do it.

“But if you come here and get a clean sheet and a point, you take it.

“The games come thick and fast but the players have stepped up as a group lately. You can see the resilience and mentality that we are trying to create.”