Ince: Make your Mark and stick to your principles
PAUL INCE had words of encouragement for new Huddersfield boss Mark Fotheringham after subjecting him to a baptism of fire.
Reading kept their place among the early pacesetters thanks to goals from Tom McIntyre, an own goal from Terriers keeper Lee Nicholls and a strike from sub Yakou Meite.
It was a first match as a manager for young Scottish coach Fotheringham, 38, in for the sacked Danny Schofield and a former assistant to Felix Magath at Hertha Berlin.
And while the Royals are thriving at the top, Huddersfield are left languishing at the bottom with what looks a long, hard winter ahead.
Ince said: “It is important Mark sticks to his philosophy and doesn’t try to change because of where you are in the table. Believe in what you do, because players will see through it if you don’t.
“Sir Alex Ferguson always said to me don’t let players get away with an inch, let alone a yard. We will have a couple of glasses of wine now.
“The Championship is so tough, especially for your first job. We were in that tough place last season.
“I am not paying much attention to the table. We have to stay in the league, 48 points or whatever it is. When we get there, we’ll look at it again.
“The first half today I was delighted with our performance – then in the second half we came off it a little bit at 2-0 up.”
Andy Carroll was given the first start of his second spell at Reading in the No.2 shirt after signing a fourmonth deal last month.
And Carroll, 33, for whom Liverpool once paid £35million to Newcastle, was soon in the wars and receiving treatment.
It was the Terriers who had the first shot in anger, a looping effort from Yuta Nakayama.
But just before the halfhour the home side took the lead. Tom Ince curled in a corner from the Reading right, and McIntyre headed home his second goal of the season.
Within seven minutes the Royals doubled their lead in bizarre circumstances after Jeff Hendrick escaped down the left.
His cross was hammered by Michal Helik from inside the six-yard box into the back of his own goalkeeper Nicholls with the ball rebounding into the net.
Fotheringham threw on subs at halftime and Danny Ward twice went close.
But another horrendous defensive mix-up allowed Meite to smash in his first goal of the season from almost on the goalline.
There was a stoppagetime consolation goal as Tom Lees headed in Sorba Thomas’ corner.
Fotheringham said: “The heads didn’t go down today, that was pleasing, and we just need to cut out the individual errors.”
READING: Lumley 6; Yiadom 7 (Fornah (65) 6), T Holmes 7, McIntyre 7; Hoilett 6, Hutchinson 8, Ince 6, Hendrick 7, Guiness-Walker 7; Carroll 6 (Meite (72) 7), Joao 6 (Loum (78) 6) HUDDERSFIELD: Nicholls 5; Turton 5 (Mbete (69) 5) Lees 5, Helik 5, Nakayama 5 (Jackson (46) 6); Russell 5, Kasumu 6; D Holmes 5 (Ward (46) 6), Rudoni 5 (Mahoney (69) 6), Thomas 7, Rhodes 7
STAR MAN: Sam Hutchinson – Mopped up everything in midfield for Reading and never gave the Terriers any peace as they tried to build momentum.
REF: Oliver Langford 6