When : Tuesday March 17, 2026, 7.45pm
Where : Pirelli Stadium, Princess Way, Burton upon Trent, DE13 0BH
Capacity 6,912
At this level a trip to this part of Staffordshire has always turned out to be a nightmare with zero points returned from two attempts.
And success won’t get any more likely this time round either because Burton are your proverbial difficult, awkward and “one to avoid” opponent as despite their seasonal struggles they produce the results they need year in year out. None more so than this season as they’ve managed to win at Cardiff and Bradford plus get a point at Huddersfield. At home they’ve drawn with Cardiff and done both Stockport and Bolton by 3-0, so if you think this is going to be a simple points grab, you’ll likely be extremely disappointed.
Form is mixed for the Brewers with 2 wins and 2 draws earning 8 points from the the last 18 played for however if Reading can hit the form shown in the 1st half against Plymouth it should be enough to grab some points, plus Burton begins with B so plenty to be hopeful for on the night.
Burton’s threat comes in the form of 13 goal Jake Beesley and his 8 goal partner Tyrese Shade, really not gentlemen you want to leave to their own devices. In addition there’s are the standard contingent of two ex Reading players (George Evans & Terence Vancooten) who will be only too ready to help make this visit a miserable experience again.
Reading draw too many games and concede too many silly goals to probably be promoted this season but if they can keep scrapping away there’s always a chance to buck a trend and at least extend the season by 2 or 3 games.
Ward was omitted from the Plymouth game simply to give him a rest as he’s been involved regularly and been feeling a couple of minor niggles recently, Stevens apparently has a head injury which is why Rhone has been on the bench. Marriott etc. all still injured. However there should still be sufficient options and permutations available from which to find a team that can win at the Pirelli.
Getting into the play off positions continues to be a real struggle and now we’re entering the nightmare run of games with Stevenage, Huddersfield, Lincoln & Cardiff starting to hove into view. Reading could sneak into 5th or 6th off the back of three points from this one, but that would also be dependent on other results going the club’s way in the following:
Huddersfield v Lincoln
Plymouth v Stevenage
Stockport v Northampton
Referee
Ed Duckworth Lewis Method
Previously
18 Dec 25 > Reading 3-2 Luton Town
11 Mar 25 > Reading 2-0 Wrexham
19 Oct 24 > Reading 4-1 Crawley Town
History
This is fifth trip to the Pirelli and while Reading won on their first two excursions things have changed. First Reading got themselves relegated and since then the club has been back twice and lost twice, both games by 3-2. Also of interest is that neither club has ever kept a clean sheet in this particular fixture. So 0-0 then.
How to follow the game
- Ticket yourself, be brave and travel
- Sky Red button/NOW app
- Listen to Radio 5 Live and/or a myriad of other radio stations for score flashes
- Ring/text a mate for updates
- Use a RoyalTV subscription
- BBC Radio Berkshire (FM : 104.4, 104.1 or 95.4 depending where you are in the area)
