THIRD SUCCESSIVE MATCH FALLS TO POSTPONEMENT
LAST NIGHT’S match against Fulham was another victim of the resurgent Omicron strain of covid.
And it was the third successive Royals match called off after their scheduled 150thanniversary match at home to Luton Town, and an away game at Peterborough United on Boxing Day were both cancelled.
This means that Reading’s next scheduled fixture will be against Derby County on Monday, January 3 – unless it also gets pulled due to the pandemic.
A statement on the club’s website reads: “A significant number of ongoing Covid-19 cases continues to severely impact already injuryhit first team and Under-23 squads at the club and, during such a hectic period in the festive fixture schedule, there has been insufficient time for enough players to safely return from their periods of isolation or recover from the symptoms of the virus.
“We approached the EFL to inform them about the current situation and it was confirmed that the fixture against Fulham would consequently be postponed.
“We wholeheartedly apologise for the inconvenience and understandable disappointment this postponement causes to both home and away supporters.
“We have worked extremely hard to ensure we would be able to fulfil this fixture, so this decision was reached reluctantly by all at the club.
“This is an entirely unprecedented situation. However, we have to appreciate that these are unprecedented circumstances we live in.
“And we hope our supporters understand that the health and safety of our players, coaching team and staff must remain our highest priority at this uncertain time.”
The fixture will be rescheduled in due course with all tickets purchased remain valid.
All tickets are also eligible for a refund if supporters are unable to attend the rearranged match.