Reading 2-1 Huddersfield Town: Royals Down The Town

Yesterday at 03:01 PM

Harry's take as Reading fought back to a cracking win over the Terriers.

First and foremost, this new Sky and EFL deal is ridiculous, isn't it? Not only was my body clock all out of sync preparing for a 12:30 kick-off, it just eradicates the entire match day experience we all have.

You don't really fancy a drink at half 11 in the morning (unless you're a lad), you can't really have a pre-match pie or burger, and once you're done you have the the whole Saturday afternoon to do, well, stuff. That might be okay for normal people, but not us football fans.

Anyway, a 12:30 kick-off it was, and Huddersfield Town were the visitors. The Terriers have been our opponents in some our most defining matches in recent history. Obviously the loss on penalties at Wembley, and then the final game of the season before last, which, although we were already relegated, felt like a bit of a moment for us. Although today wasn't as monumental as those two occasions, a big performance and result were still needed.

The good news was that we were at home. As Harvey Knibbs said earlier in the week, we can go toe to toe with any team in this league at the SCL.

However, the first half wasn't really ours at all. We didn't really get dominated, and Huddersfield didn't blow us away by any means, but we just struggled to get out of first gear.

And we were punished for that when a worldie save from David Button (who I thought was quietly very, very good today I have to say) fell to Matt Pearson to put the visitors ahead. Maybe Button's team mates were just as stunned at the save as we were, but that doesn't mean you can just stand still once he saves it, guys.

We needed a moment to get us going really - both the players and fans alike. A 50/50 win back of possession, or maybe even a goal, perhaps both. Step forward Harvey Knibbs.

He did what he does best - winning back the ball - before doing what he does next best: putting it in the back of the net. There was talk when he was injured that he was going to struggle to get back into this team - that kind of chat is long gone now. He is as integral to this team as any other player, and today's performance - and that moment in particular - proved that.

The second half was better than the first, but we still struggled to play any real free-flowing football. As the half went on, you began to feel that it was going to take another fleeting moment of quality to win the game. Good job we've got players like Ben Elliott then.

The only thing that's bugged me about Elliott's start to the season is he hasn't pulled the trigger more. Countless times he's found himself in shooting positions in and around the box but has taken an extra touch or tried to find a pass. Today he had no such issues though, firing the eventual match-winner into the bottom corner.

From then on, as you'd expect, the Terriers piled on the pressure. However, we limited them to very few, if any, clear-cut chances.

It wasn't our finest performance in terms of getting the ball down, playing football and causing problems going forward, but the cliched 'other side of the game' - winning our duels, defending as a unit, putting in the hard yards - we absolutely nailed. And sometimes those wins are the ones that taste the sweetest.

Ruben Selles has created a team with a clear tactical identity and way of playing. But, perhaps more admirably considering the hand he's been dealt, he's built a team full of passion and commitment, arguably on par with the two great teams this club has produced.

Given a chance by the powers that be, which at this point seems to just be Lady Luck, Selles could build something really special here. I just hope to God that he gets the chance to do that before the job he's doing starts to get really recognised by those above us and a bigger club comes sniffing.

It wasn't our best performance of the season today, but for sure it was our best result. While the future of the club may be at its most hopeless, the connection between players, staff and fans has never been as good.