We’ve seen plenty of so-called fairytale promotions in the EFL in recent years, but this year feels somewhat different, particularly in League One.
Birmingham City recently confirmed their promotion back into the Championship at the first time of asking, which isn’t at all surprising given the sizeable amount of money they spent on rebuilding their squad last summer.
Wrexham are seemingly edging closer to claiming the second automatic promotion spot in the third-tier of English football, although Phil Parkinson’s men will know that there isn’t much room for error, with Wycombe Wanderers breathing down their neck.
Plenty of pundits have labelled the prospect of Wrexham winning back-to-back promotions under Ryan Reynolds’ ownership as a fairytale run, but given the bigger picture in League One, it’s anything but that.
The one team that would fit that description perfectly are Reading. The Royals moved into the play-off positions, and with a two-point cushion over seventh-placed Bolton Wanderers, there’s every chance they could win a timely promotion back into the Championship.
Noel Hunt’s Reading are priced at 20/1 to win promotion from League One, which certainly holds some nice value, especially when you consider that Bolton and Huddersfield (both 12/1) are shorter prices to achieve promotion.
Those two teams have struggled for momentum recently, and are outside the play-off places, so it’s surprising to see Reading priced generously with most betting sites.
Reading have had years of turmoil in terms of off-field problems, with owner Dai Yongge being charged multiple times by the EFL for breaching their regulations.
The club have also been deducted points in previous seasons, which ultimately cost them their place in the Championship a few years back.
Reading were hit with the potential threat of being removed from the league if Yongge didn’t sell the club by a certain date, with the Chinese owner being disqualified recently.
Former Wycombe owner Rob Couhig looks as though he’s edging closer to getting a takeover deal over the line, although nothing is certain given previous takeover attempts involving Dai Yongge.
Reading have only got 12 players on their books aged 22 or older, and the club’s academy players have certainly stepped up to the mark when called upon.
The likes of Lewis Wing, Charlie Savage, Amadou Mbengue, Tyler Bindon, and Harvey Knibbs have been Reading’s standout players this term, and Hunt will be desperate for them to remain injury-free moving forwards.
Knibbs’ performances in the 2024/25 season have caught the eye, with the midfielder chipping in with 16 goals and 4 assists so far this term.
The Reading squad is made up of free transfers and loan signings, apart from Andy Yiadom, who is into the final year of his contract with the Berkshire-based side.
Reading are certainly a nice price to win promotion into the Championship this season, especially with a favourable run of fixtures standing between them and a ...
