Reading kickstart their campaign to defend the Berks and Bucks Senior Cup this evening- on the very same ground they lifted the trophy back in May.

Over 600 supporters travelled to Bottom Meadow, the home of Bracknell Town and Sandhurst Town, back in May to support Noel Hunt's youngsters.

Enjoying a stellar campaign, the Royals finished sixth in PL2 and just days after their 2-1 win over Marlow in the local competition over 3,000 supporters turned out as Sunderland visited the SCL Stadium in the PL2 play-off semi-final.

Failing to reach the final at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, losing in extra-time to Graeme Murty's Wearsiders, Hunt had done enough to impress and took over from Ruben Selles in November.

With the Under-21s now under the watchful gaze of Hunt's former assistant, Peter Scott, Bracknell host the Royals for a 19.45pm kick-off this evening.

In the build-up to the quarter-final tie, take a look below at the team that won the competition back in the spring.

Harvey Collins- Maidenhead United
Goalkeeper Collins joined the club aged 11 and progressed through the ranks to become a regular up until Under-21 level. Battling sepsis and still going strong, the youngster departed over the summer and is now on the books of National League side Maidenhead.

John Ryan- Reading
An Irish youth international, full-back Ryan arrived from Serie A side Sassuolo and became a regular under Noel Hunt in the Under-21s. Struggling with injury in recent months, he is yet to make a full debut.

John Clarke- Reading
A versatile Irish youth international, Clarke has struggled with injury in recent years and saw little action since the club fell into League One. However, the former Port Vale youngster made three Championship appearances under Paul Ince and played the entire 90 minutes during the 2022/23 League Cup exit to Stevenage.

Jay Senga- Reading
A highly regarded midfielder, the Belgian has featured prominently for the Under-21s in recent seasons. Making the breakthrough to first-team contention, the defensively minded ball player has five first-team appearances to his name as well as 16 while on loan in Scotland with Ayr United. Playing for the first team under Hunt, Senga had seven minutes against Burnley in the FA Cup third round last month.

Michael Stickland- Reading
Still captain of the Under-21s, as he was for the cup win last May, Stickland has one first team appearance this season as Cheltenham Town won 1-0 in the EFL Trophy. With one minute of Championship football under his belt, as well as a half against Swansea City in the EFL Cup, Stickland was involved in the FA Cup upset at Kidderminster Harriers back in 2022.

(Image: ©Jason Dawson)

Louie Holzman- Reading
From good local stock, with his uncle Jake Cooper a Royals regular a decade ago, Holzman has become a semi-regular first team defender this season. At 21, the central defender has five League One appearances, and a red card, to his name as well as six cup appearances.

Adrian Akande- Reading
A goal scorer at Bottom Meadow in May, the exciting winger was one tipped to make an impact in the first team this season. Akande has 16 appearances under his belt so far and scored in the FA Cup win over Harborough Town. Missing through injury recently, the 20-year-old returned to PL2 action on Friday and scored upon his return in a 3-1 win over Aston Villa.

Jacob Borgnis- Reading
A classy midfielder working through the ranks, Borgnis is yet to make his debut for the first team but has nine Under-21 games to his name to date.

Basil Tuma- Reading
A pacy forward tipped for success under Paul Ince, who gave the 19-year-old his debut in 2023, the Malta international has 12 first-team appearances to his name but has seen little involvement since Hunt’s move to the senior side.

Charlie Wellens- Reading
The 22-year-old son of Leyton Orient boss Ritchie Wellens arrived from Manchester United last summer and has been a regular for the Under-21s ever since. Yet to make his league debut, the midfielder has made three appearances in the EFL Trophy to date but is well-thought-of by boss Hunt.

Jeremiah Okine-Peters- Reading
Another explosive forward who has been tipped to break through for a while, the 23-year-old is still featuring regularly for the youth sides but has only one cup appearance to his name for the first team, coming in the EFL Trophy at Cheltenham. He scored the first goal of the 2024 final.