Reading handed defender injury blow ahead of Wanderers clash
Reading have been handed an injury blow ahead of their League One clash with Wanderers this weekend.
Jeriel Dorsett is set to miss “eight to 10 weeks” after suffering a torn hamstring against Leyton Orient last weekend.
The 22-year-old defender had only just returned from an injury which saw him miss six matches.
"He has torn his hamstring so it will be an eight-to-10-week job," manager Noel Hunt told Reading Chronicle. "Everyone knows what we have and what we haven’t got, it is what it is.
“I am proud of what we have in this dressing room right now and that is not going to change. What we have, we will work with and focus on and do our best to make better.”
Kelvin Ehibhatiomhan returned to starting line-up against Burton on Tuesday night and got an hour under his belt before making way for Mamadi Camara.
"I was conscious that he was getting tired,” Hunt continued. “He was putting in a shift. Emotions kick in and you want to keep him out there but can’t afford to lose anybody at this stage.
“I thought Mamadi came on and looked good as well, which is a positive for us. Chem (Campbell) got through, he has missed two or three weeks before and is only getting back to speed now.”
The Royals suffered a 3-2 defeat against the Brewers despite second half goals from Michael Craig and Sam Smith.
Reading have now lost four successive matches in all competitions, slipping to 10th in the League One table.
"I was probably the angriest man in there and rightly so,” Hunt said after the final whistle at the Pirelli Stadium.
“I felt we deserved more out of the game, and I felt the game owed us something because of the decisions against us that were given.
“I told them not to get their heads down, keep going and we fell short because we had the lapse of concentration.
“It was an improvement from last Saturday. We were trying to earn the right for the whole game and we got the balance right.
"It is game management and - the first 10 minutes of the game, last five minutes of the half, first 10 minutes of the second half and last five minutes - no matter how you are feeling, you have to stick to the gameplan and stick to what you know.”
When asked about Saturday’s game, he replied: “Good teams are going to come to us, spend money, it is what it is. We will go and put everything on the line to get a result."
