Reading welcome Port Vale to Select Car Leasing Stadium this Saturday in a big weekend in the bottom half of the table. The Hosts are sitting perilously close to the relegation zone and desperately need a win and Port Vale will also be looking for three points to increase the gap between them and the drop zone.
Reading currently sit 21st in League One after 25 games. The Royals have seven wins, six draws and 12 losses, leaving them on 23 points, equal with Cheltenham and three points ahead of Carlisle, both in the relegation zone.
In their last five games in all competitions, Reading have two wins, two draws and one loss.
Despite having only 42% of the possession and just ten shots, Femi Azeez and Sam Smith both scored to give Reading the 2 - 0 win over Wigan. Next time out, Josh Knight opened the scoring for Peterborough to give them the lead at halftime. Smith levelled the game in the second half, but Ephron Mason-Clarke regained the lead for The Posh just six minutes later. Azeez scored with just five minutes left to grab a 2 - 2 draw, despite having six shots in comparison to Peterborough’s 20 shots.
It was another 2 - 2 draw for Reading, this time against Cheltenham. All of the goals came in the first half, with a goal from Liam Sercombe and an own goal from David Button gave Cheltenham the 2 - 0 lead. However, goals from Jeriel Dorsett and Paul Mukairu made it level at halftime. Neither team could score again and had to settle for the point. Reading bounced back against Exeter City. Goals from Harvey Knibbs and Azzez along with an own goal from Alex Hartridge gave Reading the 3 - 2 win.
The last time out for Reading was in the Third Round of the Football League Trophy against Brighton’s U21 team. Neither side could find the back of the net in normal time, despite Reading having five more shots on target than Brighton. However, Tivonge Rushesha, Azeez and Caylan Vickers all missed their penalties giving Brighton the 3 - 2 win.
Port Vale, on the other hand, sit 14th in League One. In 25 games, Port Vale have eight wins, six draws and 11 losses which leaves them on 30 points, seven points above Reading and the relegation zone.
In their last five games in all competitions, Port Vale have one win, two draws and two losses.
Kieran Sadlier opened the scoring for Wycombe early in the second half, but in the last minute of normal time James Wilson popped up with a goal to grab a 1 - 1 draw and a point for Port Vale. A goal from Adam Phillips and a brace from John McAtee gave Barnsley the 3 - 0 lead at halftime. Ethan Chislett and Jack Shorrock did score late on but it wasn’t enough as Barnsley held on for the 3 - 2 win.
Ben Garrity, Wilson and Nathan Smith all scored in the 3 - 0 win over Blackpool, despite having just 39% of the possession. Garrity once again scored for Port Vale, but an 80th minute penalty from Jordan Gibson and a 93rd minute from Jon James Alexander Mellish gave Carlisle the 2 - 1 win.
The most recent outing for Port Vale was against Charlton. Corey Blackett-Taylor opened the scoring for Charlton but a penalty from Chislett levelled the game before halftime. Daniel Kanu regained the lead for Charlton but Uche Ikpeazu equalised. Tyreece Campbell thought he had won the game for Charlton, but a goal from Gavin Massey grabbed a 3 - 3 draw for Port Vale.
Reading and Port Vale have met 63 times in their histories, with the first meetings coming back in 1926. Not much separates the two sides with Reading having 25 wins and Port Vale having 24 wins, with the other 14 games ending in a draw.