A Reading FC midfielder discusses his troubles with injuries
Sam Hutchinson, whose initial calf injury last season limited him to only 12 games, has acknowledged that he ‘never felt right’ following the injury.
The incredibly seasoned midfielder has been a constant for Ruben Selles during the League One season’s opening games, giving a youthful team grit.
Hutchinson, a fan favorite at Sheffield Wednesday, had previously retired from football while playing for Chelsea due to a chronic knee ailment, but the 34-year-old fought back and went on to have a prosperous Football League career.
The Windsor-born tough-tackler, who struggled with nagging ailments last year, acknowledges that he now takes better care of himself and that previous Royals manager Paul Ince was a “accident waiting to happen.”
“With the help of the staff and the physios, I am controlling myself better. I was constantly chasing my tail after the initial calf injury last year, and I was never right,” he remarked. “Since Paul Ince and I shared the same worldview, we were probably an accident waiting to happen. When he asked to leap, I would reply, “How high?” Because I would never say no to him, even though I loved and admired him for it, it was probably the worst thing that could have happened to us both.
READ MORE:
Bolton Wanderers boss: Experience must count against Reading
WANDERERS must be ready for anything when they face Reading this afternoon, warned manager Ian Evatt.
An unpredictable atmosphere awaits the Whites in Berkshire after a week where the home club was docked three points by the EFL and protests against the ownership have been mooted among home supporters.
Equally difficult to predict will be how Reading’s squad – on average the youngest in League One – would react to the volatility.
Evatt has called on his players to stay focussed and maintain the sort of tempo to their game which Derby County struggled to cope with before the international break.
“We have to try and use our experience to our advantage,” he told The Bolton News. “The news of a points deduction can do one of two things – it can galvanise them, or it can make them feel pretty sorry for themselves; I’d expect it will be the first one.
“
I expect Reading to make things difficult but the one thing we did really well against Derby and Salford was to start the game electric-fast, and if we can do that again it will put them under pressure and, fingers-crossed, we can get that first goal, which we know is highly important for the way we play.
“Doing that would put the pressure on them and then it is down to those young players to see how they react.”
Reading have beaten Cheltenham and Stevenage at home this season but the reaction to this week’s points deduction – dished out by the EFL because owner, Dai Yongge, did not deposit enough money for wages – has brought about an angry local reaction, putting some question marks against how Ruben Selles’s side may react.
Wanderers encountered similar issues under their previous ownership in early 2019 where fans voiced their unhappiness.
While Evatt has sympathy for the Royals’ cause, he also wants his players to ensure they get the job done.
“We have to show empathy to the people at Reading and the situation they find themselves in because we have been there ourselves,” he said. “For us, we have to use our focus and understand the job we are there to do, regardless of the outside noise or circumstances.
Leave a Reply