James Earnshaw

After more than 20 years in the top two divisions of English football, many had expected Reading to need an acclimatisation period in the lower leagues. What followed was nine months of sheer heartbreak, ecstasy, agony and pride as the Royals overturned points deductions, and a 10-point deficit, to survive in League One. Take a look at part one here, reaching New Year's Day in an unforgettable campaign following the club, and continue below for the turbulent but ultimately more fun second part to the season.

The route that Reading will need to take in order to win PL2 has been mapped out as Middlesbrough visit the SCL Stadium on Saturday in the first knockout stage. Noel Hunt's Under-21s made a very successful start to life back in Category One and the PL2, finishing fifth in a 26-team league table.

Reading star Lewis Wing is looking to back up his Player of the Season award with the EFL's Player of the Month honour for April. The 28-year-old has enjoyed his best individual campaign of his career, picking up 11 goals and 10 assists as the Royals ended 17th in League One. Four of Wing's strikes came in the month of April when the club officially guaranteed survival. Scoring two direct free-kicks against Bristol Rovers and Burton Albion, his long-range piledrivers at Barnsley and Bolton Wanderers were from more than 100 yards out from goal collectively.

A pair of former Reading captains are among the raft of EFL players released after clubs revealed their retained squad lists. With League One and League Two done and dusted, barring the highly-anticipated play-off campaigns, relegation and survival has been confirmed in the bottom two rungs of professional football. Managers are already looking ahead to pre-season and building their squads for the summer, with those out of contract either kept on or let go. Among the hundreds let go so far include former Royal captains Alex Pearce and Liam Moore.

After more than 20 years in the top two divisions of English football, many had expected Reading to need an acclimatisation period in the lower leagues. What followed was nine months of sheer heartbreak, ecstasy, agony and pride as the Royals overturned points deductions, and a 10-point deficit, to survive in League One. Take a look at part one below, reaching New Year's Day in an unforgettable campaign following the club.

For most in the EFL, April 27 marked the end of a gruelling nine-month campaign of blood, sweat and tears. However, for those in the Championship, Saturday marks the final game of the normal season for 24 teams in the 2023/24 season. Only Rotherham United have booked their place back in the third tier for next year, just the 25 points adrift of the nearest team in an uber-competitive second tier. Two of Huddersfield Town; Birmingham City; Plymouth Argyle; Sheffield Wednesday or Blackburn Rovers will also be visiting the SCL Stadium next season in League One.

Reading club captain Andy Yiadom released an emotional message on social media after Saturday's 3-2 win over Blackpool signalled the end of a tough League One campaign. The full-back has been injured for the last three matches, with Jeriel Dorsett and Kelvin Abrefa filling in for the vastly experienced operator. Bringing to a close the Ghana international's sixth season in Berkshire, it is the first campaign in which he has failed to score and his lowest match involvement (34 appearances) since an injury-hit 2020/21 year (21 appearances). But this year did mark his 200th club appearance, a landmark achievement for the former Barnet and Barnsley favourite.

Reading Under-21s head coach, Noel Hunt, has said that he would love former teammate Shane Long to return to the club following his retirement last summer. Hunt, leading the Royals youth team into the PL2 play-offs and the Premier League International Cup, played alongside Long for both Reading and Republic of Ireland from 2008 until 2010. Long, after five years and more than 200 appearances, left for a decade of Premier League football before making an emotional return in 2021. Scoring twice as the club were relegated to League One, Hunt stepped in as interim manager for the final five matches, with Long also featuring after returning from injury. The 37-year-old retired in the summer of 2022, but Hunt would love for the club legend to return in some capacity.

Supporters Trust at Reading [STAR] have issued a takeover update from former CEO Nigel Howe heading into May. Exclusive negotiations with an unnamed party were announced on March 26 and it was expected to take two months for any deal to be completed. Due to non-disclosure agreements, little information is coming out in public regarding the identities and progress.