“Any player can be a hero in one game, and disappointed at the end of another. It affects people and players, the club, fans… all in a different way. We all see the same thing, but we all see it with different views.

“That means it’s always a challenge – every game, training session, everything you do in football and in life.

“And it’s a challenge for everyone involved at Reading Football Club at the moment, on and off the field. Everybody wants to win and do the right things, to be entertaining and be at the top of the leagues – all the normal things that go with being successful. We’re in a challenging time at the moment.

“My experience tells me that in these moments, you find out what people are about. Right now we need everybody to pull together. That’s on and off the field, inside and outside the club. We’re all part of it together, the community and the fans.

“Understandably it is a challenge right now. But this is the moment when we stick together. We get through this period and move forward.

“We have to support each other and do that the best we can. We’re all pulling in the same directions for the right reasons. So let’s stick together and try to move forward as a club. We appreciate everything that the fans do and say and they are entitled to their opinions – I totally respect that. They are supporters of the club and we are grateful for that – so long may that continue.”

As one of the biggest and most complicated arms of the club, the Academy has had to make significant adaptations to circumstances during the past two years; a global pandemic has caused plenty of logistical trials and tribulations for our youth setup.

And it is a collective effort from everyone that has seen continued improvement – from all the staff that have coached players from the earliest age, right through to the first-team group integrating players to the rigours and demands of Championship football.

“Being a Category 1 Academy, you’re always trying to strive to be the best you can be,” Gilkes continued.

“There are so many people that are a part of that. Medical staff, sport science, transport, operations, education, analysis, coaches… I know I’ll leave someone out! So many people are involved in getting the operations working on a daily, weekly, yearly basis. It goes on and on. It’s never fixed in stone – things change in a moment, you always have to adapt and find solutions.

“I have fantastic staff alongside me, who try to find the best solutions as quickly as possible.

MG: "It is a challenge right now. But this is when we stick together!"