New Headline: Dive Deeper: Get Your Hands on Last Week's Shocking Stories - Exclusive Tips from "Bobbins
Signs of promise emerged in Reading’s 2-2 draw with Plymouth, but familiar flaws remain.
A win, a draw and a loss. A week that somehow managed to contain the full Reading experience: a soaring high, a grim but predictable low, and then a surprisingly composed performance against one of the league’s form sides. After the victory at Luton Town, it was almost inevitable we’d be flat against Mansfield Town.
That match was instantly forgettable – the energy was wrong, the passing was imaginary and control was something happening to someone else. So when Plymouth Argyle rolled into town, with their excellent away form and huge travelling support, it had all the makings of another muddled, confidence-free outing. Instead we got something… a bit more intriguing.
“For the first time in a while, we played football” I’ll admit I feared the worst. Argyle have been relentless on the road and I wasn’t convinced we had the mental resilience to cope. I’ve said before that this squad still feels like it’s in its toddler phase: stumbling, learning, trying to ram the square shape into the triangle hole.
But this performance hinted at something a wee bit more mature. For the first time in a while, we played football. We moved it through the thirds with intent, especially in the first half.