Leam Richardson’s reign as Reading boss got off to the worst possible start as the Royals crashed out of the FA Cup at the hands of non-league Carlisle United.
The former Wigan Athletic boss was not happy with what he witnessed at The Select Car Leasing Stadium.
Royals Dumped Out After Late Drama
The afternoon had started well for Richardson and his new side, with Lewis Wing giving them a half-time lead before Mark O’Mahony doubled that lead with 20 minutes remaining.
A place in the 2nd round looked guaranteed until Carlisle’s leading scorer, Regan Linney, pulled what looked like a consolation back in the 3rd minute of added time.
The Royals could not hold on, and it was Linney who scored in the 98th minute to send the game into extra time.
The National League’s joint top scorer then completed his hat-trick 4 minutes into the additional 30, a goal that proved to be the winner.
As Mark Hughes’ side progresses, Richardson is left in no uncertain terms as to the job that awaits him.
A Million-and-One Excuses
Speaking after the game, Richardson was reluctant to make excuses for the loss but did reveal reasons as to why his side faced an uphill battle to stay in the cup.
The former Rotherham United boss discussed what went wrong for his new side.
“We saw two versions of the team today. In the first half, collectively, there were some very good actions.”
“The result is not what we wanted, and we had a crazy 10 minutes within that. The second half was very disjointed and individual.”
The last few seasons have been a trying time to be a Reading fan, and the new boss acknowledges that and insists the club are still suffering.
“To repeat, the club has been through transition and is still in transition. There have been so many challenges over the past few years, and there are challenges to come.”
On the pitch, Richardson bemoaned the lack of players he had to choose from and the need for the players he does have available to gel.
“There are lads playing together for the first time with no centre halves to pick from.”
“We are making subs for fitness levels in November, which is not correct.”
“There are some really strong performances without being collective as a team in there.”
“People need help with that on the pitch. We need people to return to fitness and stay fit if we want to progress and move forward.”
As Expected – Richardson Looks To The Future
Despite the defeat and the manner in which it came, Leam Richardson is looking ahead positively at what’s to come from his new side.
“I got asked on Sunday if I want to take on the challenge. Would it stop me after a couple of days? You get judged after many weeks and many months at the end of your tenure.”
“There are no surprises at the moment, even today. It is probably what I thought, which is good because nobody likes surprises. We will move on with the positive steps as quickly as we can.”
