Football – England – Championship
Saturday 3rd August 2013 – Kickoff: 1500hrs
Relegated Reading will attempt to once again bounce back up to the Premiership following their demise last season, and they open up their campaign with a home match against Ipswich Town at their Madejski Stadium on Saturday.
The Royals finished second from bottom of the top flight just three points above rock-bottom QPR although both of these sides should figure strongly in the play-off pack later in the season as they can’t seem to make up their minds which division they truly belong in. We saw previously relegated Bolton Wanderers make a late surge up the table last season and narrowly missing the play-offs on goal difference, and I can see Reading doing the same this season.
Striker Noel Hunt who found himself on the fringes of the squad last season has joined Leeds United on a free transfer along with Ian Harte to Bournemouth and Jay Tabb to today’s opponents Ipswich Town, but the bulk of last season’s squad has remained. In come Royston Drenthe and former Manchester City left-back Wayne Bridge, and you have a pretty solid squad that includes the trickery and creativity of McAnuff, Kebe, Karacan and Robson-Kanu along with opportunistic striker Le Fondre who could be dubbed the ‘new’ Kevin Phillips, with Pogrebnyak and journeyman Roberts who has a proven goalscoring record at this level up front.
Visitors Ipswich Town improved their Championship record by one position last term when they finished in 14th place as manager Mick McCarthy failed to make any real impact with the Tractor Boys and it looks likely that they will remain mid-table candidates again this season unless striker Aaron Mclean can recapture his prolific scoring touch that he showed with Peterborough United in League Two a few seasons ago, but age is against him and he has failed to make an impact at this level thus far (just 9 goals in 76 appearances with Hull City).
Ipswich’s midfield will rely heavily on the trio of Skuse, Tabb and Wordsworth although they don’t seem to have the same quality and technique as the Reading engine-room and their best hope will be to make Portman Road a fortress it seems.
I have to go for Reading in this one as their squad is still essentially of Premiership pedigree, and their midfield are capable of opening up Ipswich’s inconsistent defence almost at will; could be a 2-0 win for the home side here.
Pick: Reading straight win @ 1.93 Pinnacle
