Can the Royals get back to winning ways in the first of their two festive SCL fixtures?
Merry Christmas to those who celebrate! But now that is over, we have football to focus on!
After two disappointing results, the Royals face current shock relegation fighters Northampton Town. A very underwhelming performance against Lincoln City has left the fans already questioning what the team is able to achieve this season, especially if we lose players in January. I still have faith, but results need to come soon.
Northampton are currently sat in 20th in the league, having lost 5-0 to Charlton Athletic at the weekend. However, the hype of a new manager could benefit the Cobblers.
In this preview I will talk about Kevin Nolan, his experience and what he could bring to Northampton; how a small run of home games could lift the spirits in the dressing room; and my predictions.
What? League One matchday 21
Season? 2024/25
Who? Northampton Town
Where? Select Car Leasing Stadium
When? Thursday December 26
Time? 15:00
Opposition manager? Kevin Nolan
Kevin Nolan started his managerial career at Leyton Orient where, in January 2016, he signed as a player/manager. He made his managerial debut against Wycombe Wanderers and won that match 2-0, having himself as an unused substitute.
The following month, Nolan was nominated for the manager of the month award, due to his Orient team winning three of their first four matches with him in charge. In April of the same year, he was relieved of his managerial duties with the club handing them over to Andy Hassenthaler.
Almost a year after his Orient appointment, he put pen to paper at Notts County, who had lost their last 10 matches. Although registered as a player, he didn’t make any appearances for the club. He got the team to safety in that season and, in the next campaign, by September he had Notts County second in the league.
However, in August 2018, Nolan was dismissed after a six-game loss streak.
In 2020 he was appointed first-team coach at West Ham United but, after the sacking of David Moyes in 2024, he left the club alongside the Scotsman.
Lastly, as of three days ago, he was appointed manager of Northampton Town. His highest win rate (46.7%) was at Leyton Orient.
Notts County owner Alan Hardy said: “Kevin has brought real pride, optimism and stability to this club which has not been seen for many years.”
This is where I will start. When playing, Nolan was known to always have a spring in his step. Northampton players and fans are down at the moment due to them being so low in the table compared to last year, when they finished 14th.
Having lost a few players in the summer, Northampton have recruited well, bringing in players such as Nesta Guinness-Walker, Tariqe Fosu and Cameron McGeehan.
I think these three players will work well in Nolan’s system. It may be best for the Cobblers to play a formation that includes wing-backs; Guinness-Walker works well as one.
The formation I suggest is 3-4-3, which allows good defensive cover while also keeping numbers up front. McGeehan has the talent to hold that midfield together by himself, but putting him alongside someone like William Hondermarck would work. These two would play off each other, allowing a more free-flowing system when on the attack.
Reading have two home games in a row: this one at Mansfield Town at the weekend. As we all know, Reading have a good home record this season: the Royals have won 11 of 13 home matches this season, only losing to Leyton Orient and most recently to Blackpool.
The game against Northampton should (I don’t want to jinx it) be a win.
However, Mansfield could be more of a challenge. The newly promoted side have started a lot better than some people expected, me included (18th in my predictions), but the Stags currently find themselves in 10th in the league, having most recently beaten Rotherham United. But I won’t go into much detail as I will do that on Sunday.
Home games seem to be where the points are coming from at the moment. For that to continue, a few things need to happen.
Firstly, Noel Hunt needs to find and stick with a play-style. There has been too much trial and error when it comes to tactics used. Ruben Selles was the opposite in that he needed to change his formation to get the best out of the players. Hunt has had the ability to learn off great managers as a player and a coach.
Targeting the home matches is important as they are the ones that the fans care about the most. Winning the next games can spark some momentum going into the new year, when there may be some sad days due to losing players and games.
Joel Pereira was our only good player against Lincoln and I expect him to be needed a few times in this game.
I am uncertain whether Amadou Mbengue is back from injury yet and Louie Holzman is suspended. I would suggest playing Michael Craig, Tyler Bindon, Abraham Kanu and Andre Garcia, but if Mbengue is back, I would put him in the line-up.
With Ben Elliott still injured, the midfield options are scarce. This means it is likely Lewis Wing, Charlie Savage and Harvey Knibbs will start.
Similar to the midfield, we have a serious lack of numbers in attack at the minute. Sam Smith and Chem Campbell will start, but I expect a change to happen with Hunt bringing Adrian Akande into the team for this game if he is available.
Score prediction: 2-0 Royals!
Good luck to those going to the game and I hope for a good result before the new year.
I hope you all had a good Christmas and got everything you wanted - and importantly, come on you Royals!
