Why Reading FC must take three points at Carlisle trip”

Reading FC striker Sam Smith has vowed that the team will ‘learn lessons’ after they slipped to a home defeat against League One relegation rivals Shrewsbury Town.

The Royals were defeated at home for the first time in 2024 on Saturday, despite their strong performance before into the game that has helped them escape the relegation zone.

Sam Smith gave Reading optimism by cutting the deficit in half after the visitors scored two goals in the first six minutes. The first half saw all of the goals come from this quarter.

Reading pulled even with a deflected shot from Kelvin Ehibhatiomhan, but the Shrews secured maximum points with the game’s last play of the first half.

“I believe that everyone is disappointed with the way we started the game,” Smith remarked.

“In training, we worked on this, but we didn’t get off to the best start. It is definitely not ideal to be behind 2-0.

It’s challenging when they score right before halftime and maintain their lead entering the second half.
They made it harder to beat them since they slowed down the game and sat out. You take that chance when you give up so late in the first half.

“We were playing excellent football when we tied the score at two, but the third was a sucker punch. It was going to be difficult to concede after the strong start we had.

“Well done, Shrewsbury; they destroyed the mood, took a seat, and finished the game.

“When a team plays as direct a game as they did in the second half, it’s always hard to come back.”

When the Royals visit Carlisle United, who is currently at the bottom of the table, on Saturday, they will be hoping to resume their winning ways.

Smith went on, “We have a big game coming up on Saturday. We’ll take what we’ve learned from today (Saturday) and go into Saturday with the mindset that we can win three points.

“With Saturday and Tuesday coming up, there have been a lot of games lately, and there’s no doubting our thin squad.

“We start focusing on Saturday now, and it’s a good opportunity for the lads who have played a lot to get rested.”