Paul Ince makes “miracle” claim on Reading FC players | OneFootball

Reading manager Paul Ince believes his side’s current players are faring miraculously in the face of real adversity in recent months, speaking to Berkshire Live following their 3-1 victory against Huddersfield Town.

The Royals were forced to rebuild their squad during the summer with several first-teamers including John Swift, Josh Laurent and Andy Rinomhota all leaving the Select Car Leasing Stadium on the expiration of their contracts.

This task was made more difficult by the EFL restrictions they had to abide by, limits that consigned them to recruiting free agents and loan players, also needing to abide by a wage limit.

Quiz: Did Reading FC win, draw or lose the last time they played at these 18 stadiums?

1 of 18

1. Pride Park (Derby)

Win Draw Lose

However, that didn’t hamper their ability to enjoy a reasonably successful window, managing to add depth to key areas, though they were still previously tipped to be near the bottom of the division after finishing in 21st last season.

Their task had already been made difficult by their transfer restrictions – and their current injury crisis has created another barrier in their quest to secure survival this season.

Despite this, they have already managed to win 21 points from their opening 11 league matches and currently sit in third position going into tomorrow evening’s clash against Norwich City, with Ince proud of how well his players have performed so far.

Speaking after their victory against the Terriers, he said: “It’s a miracle what these players are doing.

“At St George’s Park we had eight trialists. I don’t think players get the credit for what they’ve achieved in such a small space of time.

“With the embargo and everything, for the players to be up there [in the table] is unbelievable.”

The Verdict:

Ince’s side have made a very good start to the season and that’s partly because there has been a sizeable shake-up in the Berkshire side’s playing squad over the summer, something that was much-needed.

However, that hasn’t been the only reason why the second-tier side have made a good start to the season, with their off-field changes also seeming to pay dividends at this stage and Ince should take some of the credit for that.

Off-field stability will only help matters on the pitch – and this is one key reason why they could enjoy a better season than they did last term – with the owner facilitating some much-needed changes.

The players also deserve to be applauded though, not just for their current league position but also for the way they responded to heavy defeats against Rotherham, Sheffield United and Sunderland.

Nesta Guinness-Walker is one player who has made the step up from League One admirably and Sam Hutchinson has done extremely well to remain fit and in form up to this point, with several others deserving credit as well including Tom Ince who looks like a new player since his move from Stoke City.