Pre-Season friendlies announced

The Royals have announced on their official site that they are due to play three League Two teams, one League One team and a Premiership team in the form of Swansea City before they get back to business in the football league next season.

The first team squad is due back training on June 30/July 1, where they will undergo rigorous fitness tests before heading off on a short UK-based training camp.

Their first fixture sees them take on the Grecians, managed by Paul Tisdale, on July 15; four days later they'll travel further west to take on recently-relegated Yeovil Town before heading back to Berkshire to recuperate.

7 days on and they head off to Wycombe Wanderers (where they recently loaned Nick Arnold, now no longer with the club), followed by another away game at Stevenage, managed by Gary Smith.

Their schedule will finish with a fixture against the team that kept us out of the Premier League the last time we were in the play-offs: Swansea City.

Loyal Royals won't forget that last summer the Swans came back to haunt us, beating us 3-0 in our own back yard, with Michu, Shelvey and Hernandez scoring the goals; another opportunity for revenge, it seems.

In summary:

Tuesday 15th July, Exeter City (a), kick-off 7.30pm
Saturday 19th July, Yeovil Town (a), kick-off 3pm
Saturday 26th July, Wycombe Wanderers (a), kick-off 3pm
Tuesday 29th July, Stevenage (a), kick off 7.30pm
Saturday 2nd August, Swansea City (h), kick off 3pm

Ticket prices and further information for each of these fixtures will be announced in due course.

The Under-21s return to training on June 26 and, like their more experienced counterparts, will partake in two days of fitness testing.

New scholars at the Madejski will be inducted on July 1, with our Under-18s returning the day after.

A Reading XI (including a number of youngsters) will warm-up for the upcoming season with some additional pre-season fixtures, which will be announced at a later date.