Exclusive: Reading FC backed to replace Noel Hunt with Gareth Ainsworth - "He’s a winner" | OneFootball

Lee Hendrie has spoken to FLW about Gareth Ainsworth potentially making the step back to League One with Reading.

Sky Sports pundit Lee Hendrie believes Gareth Ainsworth’s qualities of being a “winner” and a “fighter” will stand him in good stead if he is to succeed Noel Hunt at Reading.

The Royals have had a dismal start to their new League One campaign, currently occupying a place in the bottom four and tasting only one victory from their opening seven games.

After losing their opening three matches of the 2025-26 term, Reading posted draws against Bolton Wanderers and Wycombe Wanderers, before going on to claim their first win against Port Vale, but a 3-2 defeat at Barnsley last weekend put to waste the positive work and leaves them firmly in a relegation scrap in the early stages.

Of course, this is nowhere near where the club wants to be after narrowly missing out on a play-off spot last season and entering a third straight season in League One.

Such a poor opening to the campaign has brought Noel Hunt’s future at the club to the forefront, with the club eyeing up a change to transform their fortunes.

Football League World exclusively revealed Reading are weighing up the possibility of a move for current Gillingham boss Gareth Ainsworth, who has the Gills in the automatic promotion places in the fourth-tier and yet to suffer a defeat from their opening eight league matches.

Of course, Ainsworth has had great success in the third-tier, guiding Wycombe Wanderers to promotion back in 2020 via the play-offs.

With this news in mind, Lee Hendrie has spoken to FLW about his thoughts on a potential appointment and whether it is the right thing for Reading to pursue.

Speaking exclusively to Football League World, ex-Aston Villa midfielder Lee Hendrie believes that Gareth Ainsworth’s qualities of being a “leader” and a “fighter” will help him be the right fit at the Select Car Leasing Stadium.

Hendrie said: “I’d love to see this happen with Gareth Ainsworth. It’s tough on Noel Hunt. I always like to see that people are given opportunities, but it hasn’t quite worked out for Noel. Of course, he knows the football club well, but big clubs want to go forward, and it’s a results-based industry, that’s the unfortunate thing.

“Gareth’s been doing really good things at Gillingham, and he deserves the step-up back into League One where he knows it well.

“I have to give him (Ainsworth) lots of credit because he’s tried certain jobs that haven’t worked, and he isn’t shy of dropping down and taking on a club to drive them on as he’s got that mentality and that way about him. He’s a winner and a fighter, and that’s what I think he’ll bring into Reading, that’s for sure.

“He deserves everything he gets, Gareth, as he isn’t shy of taking something that’s a tough job on and proving he’s capable of doing so. That’s what he’d be doing at Reading, if that’s the case.”

Gareth Ainsworth’s last couple of managerial stints will leave Reading supporters skeptical of success

Despite Gareth Ainsworth having previous success in the third-tier with Wycombe, that was way back in 2020, and his managerial career hasn’t gone as swimmingly since achieving that feat.

He was unable to help keep Wycombe in the second-tier the following season before being picked up by QPR, where he lasted just 39 matches as R’s boss – suffering 25 defeats in the process.

He ended his short spell at QPR with six straight league defeats early into the 2023-24 season, before going back down to League One with Shrewsbury Town, but another relegation was planted on his CV as he failed to help dig the Shrews out of the rut he inherited.

Making a further step down to League Two, Ainsworth is getting the best out of the Gillingham playing squad, but after recently being unable to turn a team around situated towards the bottom end of the third-tier, Reading may not want a repeat and leaving themselves in danger of hurtling towards relegation.

It would definitely be a big gamble to take, as Ainsworth’s recent tenures doesn’t inspire confidence, and the hierarchy should be thinking very carefully about this next appointment as it will be make or break for their season.