Bristol City’s Championship rivals sack manager after winless run

Reading have sacked former Liverpool and Manchester United defender Paul Ince after a winless run saw them drop in the relegation zone.

The Royals have not won in their last eight matches, and in that run includes a 1-1 draw with Bristol City, which came at Ashton Gate last week. Tommy Conway opened the scoring but Lucas Joao equalised, and they very nearly won but failed to take their chances.

Reading failed to win over the Easter period with a 1-1 draw with Birmingham City last Friday, before a late 2-1 defeat to Preston yesterday. A six-point deduction handed to them last week brought them into the relegation dog fight and they are currently in the bottom three, and are a point adrift of safety with Cardiff City above them, holding a game in hand.

Ince, along with his assistant Alex Rae have departed the club, and for the remainder of the season, Under-21's manager Noel Hunt will manage them. Hunt made more than 150 appearances for them as a player, winning the Championship in 2012, and also played for the likes of Portsmouth, Leeds United and Ipswich Town.

A club statement read: "Reading Football Club can confirm that the contract of first team manager Paul Ince has been terminated with immediate effect.

Head of Football Operations, Mark Bowen, said “I would like to thank Paul and Alex for their efforts throughout what has admittedly been a frustrating and exceptionally challenging season so far. We would like to wish them well in their future endeavours.

“The board will work diligently to identify the manager who is the best fit for this football club going forward - a candidate capable of driving it towards a healthier, brighter future.

“However, for the next five games, our only focus is on doing everything we can to survive this season. Put simply, that means everyone – from myself, to the staff, to the supporters - lending all their support to Noel, Eddie, James and the first team players as we go into five crucially important games at the end of our 2022-23 campaign.”