Adkins praises influence of midfield trio

With Guthrie and Williams out injured against Doncaster, we feared the worst, but Ledge, Akpan and Taylor proved otherwise.

Guthrie and Williams have been crucial figures in central midfield all season and it is no secret we seem to pay worse without them. However, despite a shaky first half, Leigertwood and Akpan were very good in the second, with substitute Taylor providing the assist for the second goal.

Speaking to the Official Reading FC website, Adkins praised the midfield trio by saying: ‘Second half Ledge did ever so well sitting in there on his first start in a year, him and Hopey, who has also been out injured. Then Jake came on and did great at an important time.’

‘He’s been with us since the age of 8, he’s not played a lot recently but he trains magnificently every day and we’ve a lot of confidence in him. He broke forward in the manner we were looking for, and what a super cross. We really, really like him and his attitude is top drawer.’

Seeing the way Ledge played in that second half was great to see, almost back to his best – making interceptions and keeping the ball moving with simple passes. Hope also put in a decent shift alongside him, while young Taylor proved his worth with a fantastic cross for Pog to score.