Leam Richardson applauds Reading ‘character’ after victory over Wycombe

Reading manager Leam Richardson praised his side for “staying connected” as they fended off a second-half Wycombe fightback to secure a hard-earned 3-2 League One victory.

Top scorer Jack Marriott scored twice to give the Royals a 2-0 half-time lead but Wanderers drew level with goals from defenders Dan Casey and Anders Hagelskjaer.

However, two minutes after Hagelskjaer’s 72nd-minute equaliser, in-form Marriott completed his hat trick to secure the victory with his 16th goal of the season.

Richardson said: “It was a fantastic result. We started the game well and maybe we could have managed the game better in the second half.

“But the work ethic and how we stayed connected was excellent.

“Jack has been like that [scoring goals] since he first put on a pair of boots – and he still is.

“At the top end of the pitch, that’s what the players there get paid to do.

“All three goals were different goals but they were Jack Marriott goals. Once he gets a chance and a sight of goal, he’s always on the spot.

“Overall, it was a good game. We kind of shot ourselves in the foot a little bit [conceding two goals] but the way we responded showed great character.

“As a football club, we’re definitely moving forward. It’s great to back up an away win [2-1 at Wigan on Tuesday].

“For those fans who went all the way to Wigan, we dedicate today’s win to them.”

Wycombe had been on a good run of four wins from their previous six outings and only one defeat in seven in 2026.

Head coach Michael Duff was annoyed at the goals his side conceded.

“With their first goal, it was us who had a three-on-one,” Duff said. “For the second, it was just a disaster.

“And the third one was even worse because we had just got back in the game.

“We’d just got back in it and I was pretty convinced we could have gone on to win.

“The whole momentum of the game was with us, it was us attacking them.

“Tactically, we got everything wrong. It’s just not good enough. You have to find a way.

“Some of the players think they must be playing for little old Wycombe or something like that. Big players step up in big moments.

“That’s what the best players do. In possession we were really good but we can’t really talk about that because of the individual errors.

“In that first 15 minutes, if you take away that really horrible goal, it was a really positive start. We dominated that 15 minutes.

“Of course, overall, there are still lots of positives. But we lost and the overriding emotion is just frustration again.”