Noel Hunt Expresses Honor and Privilege in New Role as Reading Manager

Noel Hunt’s inaugural match as Reading manager concluded in a 1-1 draw against Wycombe Wanderers. Noel Hunt has stated he feels “privileged and honoured” to assume his current role as Reading’s manager. The club, known as the Royals, had announced on Friday that Hunt would succeed Ruben Selles, who departed to join Championship team Hull City. Less than 24 hours following the announcement of his appointment, he took to the dugout, guiding his team to a 1-1 stalemate against Wycombe Wanderers, who are the leaders in League One. Speaking to BBC Sport, Hunt described the experience as: “It’s been a bit of a whirlwind,” adding, “I’m privileged and honoured to be in this position, and I know what I’ve got to do is give it everything that I’ve got. “We have to take it game by game and try and get to those 50 points as fast as we can. That hasn’t changed from when Ruben (Selles) was here and it won’t change now.”” Hunt recounted: “I got a phone call asking what was I thinking, I had a really good chat with Ruben and then went back and said ‘yeah I’m all in’.” Following the match, Hunt, a former Republic of Ireland international, disclosed that since his appointment, he has not had direct communication with owner Dai Yongge or chief executive Dayong Pang. Instead, it was head of recruitment Brian Carey who contacted him regarding his interest in the position. During Reading’s match against Wycombe, Harvey Knibbs emerged to net the equaliser after his team had conceded an initial goal. The forward has proven to be a crucial contributor throughout his tenure at the SCL stadium, accumulating seven goals across all competitions this season. Knibbs expressed that the departure of Selles was difficult, but affirmed the squad’s confidence in Hunt, who is a well-known figure at the club due to his prior engagement with the academy. Knibbs conveyed to BBC Sport: “It’s gutting (to lose Selles) with the form we’ve been in and the relationship we’ve built over the past 18 months,” adding, “But this group’s felt adversity before and we all believe in Hunty and know his qualities. “There was no time to feel sorry for ourselves, a new era began today and I thought we gave a great account of ourselves.”” Knibbs further disclosed that he is presently dealing with what he characterized as an MCL sprain. He informed BBC Sport: “It’s painful to play on but I can get through it while it hopefully recovers.” Reading’s next fixture is scheduled for Wednesday in the EFL Trophy, preceding a home match against Blackpool on Saturday.