Reading set to sack boss after seventh straight loss
CHAMPIONSHIP WEEKEND ROUND-UP
READING are set to sack manager Veljko Paunovic today after a run of seven straight league defeats. The club’s 150th anniversary celebrations on Saturday were marred by a fan protest against the club’s ownership and a 3-2 defeat to COVENTRY as they teeter above the drop zone. Junior Hoilett was sent off with the score 2-2 and Coventry took full advantage thanks to Ian Maatsen’s deflected effort. Angry Reading fans held up banners reading ‘No desire, no drive, no direction’ in a pre-match protest and also called for Paunovic to go. There is also said to be a core of players disillusioned with the direction of the team. ‘The whole year has been difficult. It has been very frustrating for the fans and we share that with them,’ he said afterwards. One consolation was that PETERBOROUGH, two points below them on the other side of the relegation line, lost 1-0 at home to PRESTON. Elsewhere, FULHAM and BOURNEMOUTH piled the pressure on Blackburn ahead of their visit to West Bromwich tonight with narrow wins. Fulham beat HULL 1-0 thanks to yet another goal by Aleksandar Mitrovic, his 31st of the campaign — with 16 matches left to play. It gives the leaders an 11-point cushion to Blackburn in third. Bournemouth left it late but won 2-1 at BLACKPOOL to shore up their automatic promotion spot. They are five points ahead of Blackburn with a game in hand. After trailing 1-0, Jamal Lowe equalised from Todd Cantwell’s cutback with four minutes left and, in the 95th minute, Siriki Dembele drove through the Blackpool defence to win it. Promotion hopefuls QPR lost 1-0 to bottom club BARNSLEY and remain fourth. Barnsley are now five points from safety. Another side in the play-off spots, HUDDERSFIELD, were held to a 0-0 draw against SHEFFIELD UNITED. NOTTINGHAM FOREST remain outside of the top six but took a point in a 2-2 draw with STOKE. Brennan Johnson gaven Forest a second-half lead only for Josh Maja to level things up. Forest goalkeeper Brice Samba was then sent off for senselessly lashing out at Steven Fletcher. Defender Joe Worrall had to take the gloves as Forest had used all of their substitutions and Lewis Baker converted the penalty. But Ryan Yates salvaged a draw when he headed home in the 93rd minute. BIRMINGHAM brushed LUTON aside 3-0 with goals from Juninho Bacuna, Lyle Taylor and Onel Hernandez — all January arrivals. Steve Morison’s return to the Den was not a happy one as his CARDIFF side lost 2-1 to MILLWALL. Murray Wallace and Mason Bennett put the hosts in charge with Joel Bagan’s goal a late consolation.