Reading looking to improve home form as they seek to maintain play off place

Reading have been one of the surprise packages in the Championship this season with many expecting them to end up with a season of mid-table obscurity.

However, the Royals have managed to prove many wrong, picking up 54 points from their 33 games and lie in 5th place in the second tier, currently standing three points clear of the play off positions.

Despite all this, they have found life tough at home in recent times, losing three on the bounce to Middlesbrough, Millwall and Brentford, which has seen their season in danger of falling apart after such a strong start.

They face a Blackburn Rovers side tonight who have found life tough this campaign, picking up just 40 points, some way off the top six and in the middle of a real rut having lost four of their last five.

The Berkshire club are in their eighth successive season of Championship football following their relegation from the Premier League in 2012-13 but other than the 16-17 season, the team have failed to make it in the top six each campaign.

They have really struggled in the last three seasons in particular, recording finishes of 20th, 20th and 14th, which caused there to be no real optimism among Royals’ fans going into the season under Veljko Paunović, who joined the club last summer.

Reading’s automatic promotion push is now looking an unrealistic aim with Brentford currently holding a nine point advantage with just 13 games remaining in the season, although, many Royals’ supporters would have bitten your hand off for a place in the top six at the start of the campaign.

Paunovic told Reading’s official website just how crucial the next few days could be for his side.

“There isn’t long to prepare for it. Preparation has to be squeezed into this short window – and at this stage of the season, results are especially vital.”

“It’s a big task for our mentality and the culture we are building at the club. We are trying to forge the culture of a mentality where when you have a game to win, you win it.”

“You do your homework. You do your job. And you execute it. Then you move to the next one. This is what differentiates teams who have success come the end of the season and those who lament.”

“With two home games this week it’s a great opportunity. But one game at a time. There are 13 games left, we can’t rush ahead before we are ready.”

Defensive problems have caused huge issues for Paunovic’s side, conceding 37 goals at the three quarter mark of the season, the joint most in the top ten, so they will really need to firm this up if they are to end up finishing in the play off spaces.

The Royals face back to back games at the Madejeski Stadium this week with relegation threatened Sheffield Wednesday also visiting Berkshire on Saturday afternoon, in what is a season defining week for the club as they look to back up last weekend’s narrow 1-0 success over Rotherham United.

Yakou Meite and Lewis Gibson are both back involved for the game against Rovers to hand a massive boost to the team as they look to put the pressure on those in and around them with the games coming thick and fast.

Prost International’s Tom Mason (@tom_mason18 on Twitter) will be there bringing you live updates as the Royals look to make it back to back wins against Tony Mowbray’s Blackburn Rovers.

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