Reading FC suffer big double blow - Plymouth Argyle, Huddersfield Town will love it | OneFootball

Reading will be without Benn Ward and Randell Williams for the remainder of the season as they try to secure a top six finish.

Reading missed the chance to move into the play-off places last time out after a 1-0 defeat to fellow promotion hopefuls Stevenage.

However, Leam Richardson’s men will still believe a return to the Championship is possible, as they gear up for what is a massive final seven games of the campaign.

Reading’s form over the past six weeks has generally been impressive, so they will head into the final months of the season with optimism. The Royals are currently positioned in eighth place either side of Plymouth Argyle and Huddersfield Town, who may both now be licking their lips at some fresh news coming out of the Select Car Leasing Stadium.

There's no denying that injuries are starting to impact Richardson’s side, with top scorer Jack Marriott currently out with a hamstring problem, and he is still not back to full fitness.

Reading FC dealt double injury blow involving Benn Ward and Randell Williams

Despite Marriott’s obvious quality, with the striker scoring 16 goals in 23 games this season, Reading have managed to cope reasonably well without their talisman, even if they wish he was back out on the pitch.

Richardson isn’t working with the biggest squad in the league, and has now been confirmed that Benn Ward and Randell Williams are now set for spells on the sidelines.

The update was shared by journalist Ramy Abou-Setta, as he stated the duo will not feature again for Reading this season, in what is a major setback for Richardson.

The versatile Williams, who can play down either flank, was forced off in the first half of the loss to Stevenage on Saturday. Meanwhile, Ward was replaced after 27 minutes against Burton Albion just four days prior.

Therefore, the club were obviously waiting to discover the extent of the injury issues, and their worst fears have been confirmed in the sense the pair will not play during the run-in.

Reading face an uphill battle to reach the play-offs as injuries pile up

Obviously, this is not the news that Reading wanted, although the fact both players were forced off in the first half of recent games meant they knew good news was unlikely.

You do have real sympathy for Richardson, as every manager would want to approach these high-pressure games with a fully-fit squad.

The loss of Williams is a blow as he had suffered injury issues earlier in the campaign, and he had shown flashes of what he can do, and he is a useful option to have in the squad.

With Ward, it’s a real shame for both the player and Reading. He only joined the club from Accrington Stanley in the winter window, but he handled the step-up to League One very well, even if it’s early days.

After he came into the XI, Reading picked up 14 points from the seven games he had started before the Burton game where he picked up the injury. That highlights the impact he had on the team, so there’s no denying this is bad news for the Berkshire outfit.

Nevertheless, these things happen in football, and it’s down to Richardson to find a solution to ensure the team can get results, and for those on the fringes to step up and take the opportunities that will come their way.

It remains to be seen whether they can do that, and this double injury blow will make Reading’s task of reaching the play-offs much more difficult ahead of their game at home to Wigan this weekend.