Noel Hunt Analyses Reading’s Defeat At Lincoln City

The new gaffer was particularly critical of the referee’s refusal to award Reading a penalty in the first half.

Noel Hunt took his Reading side to Sincil Bank to take on Lincoln City on Saturday, which ended in a 2-0 defeat.

The home side took the lead in the eighth minute, after which Reading felt they should have had a penalty, but it was waved away by the referee. Shortly after, Louie Holzman was sent off, to leave the Royals down to 10 men with an hour left to go on the clock. Lincoln doubled their lead in the second half.

Manager Noel Hunt felt that there were decisions missed by the officials. Here is what he had to say, he spoke to the Reading Chronicle.

Hunt on the defeat

“It was [a tough day]. I don’t think we started particularly well in terms of getting to the pace of the game quickly enough. We found ourselves a goal down but off the back of that we grew into it a little bit and started to get a foothold in the game.

“We were in their final third a bit more but big decision, like the handball when Sam [Smith] was turning it around the corner, stops him going through on goal.

“The penalty shout, I cannot fathom how he hasn’t given the penalty. That’s the second one in the last two weeks. Those things aren’t going for us at the minute, but I said to the boys that you have to stick with it and keep working hard.

“The sending-off changes everything for us. He does catch him and it’s a sending-off so it’s tough to be away from home with 10 men. I can’t praise the players enough for the second-half performance in terms of their effort and work rate.

“The second goal, we went through the process during the week of their late runs through the full-back and centre-half and he just hasn’t picked it up or seen it, so it was one of those days.

“We were getting a foothold but when we go through on goal it gives us confidence. On another day you get the penalty and it kickstarts us, but we need that rub of the green. We need to keep working on what we’re doing and not coming away from it. That’s where we got success so we need to brush up on a few things.”

Hunt on the level of officiating

“It’s not as if they’re hard decisions, they’re clear-cut. I don’t understand how they can get them wrong, everyone else sees it. Their manager said it was a stonewaller, same as last week.

“I’m sick of us seeing it, I want the officials to be good enough to see it. It is a really important part of the game because it’s a turning point in the game.”