11 years ago today, Noel Hunt was starting for Brian McDermott’s Reading at St Mary’s – looking to topple the league leaders. The Royals striker and his teammates earned a massive, massive win to take us top of the Championship and a big step towards promotion.
Today, Hunt is looking to topple the league leaders in the Championship once more. And while the situation is very different and this is undoubtedly a much bigger task, Noel is going to give it all he’s got.
“There was no hesitation in stepping up…it’s a massive honour,” he said. “This is a club I love and from that point of view it was a no brainer. I didn’t think twice.
“I’ve lived in this area ever since I moved down from Scotland. It’s home. The circumstances are unfortunate with the gaffer and Alex leaving – they were really good to me, good people. But that is football. And we’ve got to look forward now and to the task in hand.
“It's a privilege to be out there working with these boys every day. The last two days have been great. They’re a great bunch, fantastic professionals, a good spirit and there’s loads of experience out there.
“From AC down to Joe, and all the lads in between, the boys have been great. They are a really good group of strong characters and we’re going to need every single one of them.
“That’s what I told them in our meeting yesterday – from the starting eleven, to the subs, to the boys not involved, to the injured players, to the young lads, everyone is needed.
“And when I say ‘everybody’, I don’t just mean everyone in this building. I mean everybody in the town. The fans are so important and the people of Reading are so loyal to their club.
“I hope we can give them something to cheer about. The boys feed off it. The more encouragement we can give them, the more it will breed success.
“And we’ve got to stick together. I want everyone to be in and around it. I don’t want anyone to feel that they’re not a part of it. This is a massive challenge, but the only way we’re going to achieve it is by sticking together as a family.”
“I’ve told them they have to go out there and enjoy it. Relish it. We’ve been the hunted for the last six or seven weeks. Now I want them to go out there, play forward, get on the ball, not be afraid to make mistakes, but be brave."
Noel Hunt
Three of our final five games come within the space of a week. Hunt has had very little time to get his message across and training into a depleted squad. But that hasn’t stopped him trying!
“My job in the last couple of days has been about trying to get dribs and drabs of information into them about how we want them to play. It’s a short turnaround for sure, but we’ll give it a go!
“There’s been a lot to cover in just two days. They boys have been switched on to it and have listened to every word. They want to improve.
“I’ve told them they have to go out there and enjoy it. Relish it. I feel like we’ve been the hunted for the last six or seven weeks, waiting for the point deduction to hit. So the players have had a tough time of late.
“Now I want them to go out there and enjoy their football, play with smiles on their faces. I want us to play forward, get on the ball, not be afraid to make mistakes, but be brave.
“We don’t have any negativity, I only want to see positive reactions around the place.
“It’s going to be a rollercoaster. I’m hoping there are going to be ups and I’m sure there will be downs. But all we can look at now is Burnley on Saturday – a fantastic side, already promoted, they are going to be champions and they are gunning for our points record.
“It's a massive game, but all five games are. And we have to take it game by game. But we know what is at stake and we’re up for the challenge.”
