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Reading To Face Wycombe Wanderers In The Carabao Cup

It’s a local derby in the League Cup.

By BucksRoyal
Wycombe Wanderers v Leatherhead - The Emirates FA Cup Second Round Photo by Jordan Mansfield/Getty Images

What a draw this is! Reading will go to Wycombe Wanderers in the first round of next season’s Carabao Cup, having been drawn against the Chairboys this evening.

The match is due to be played in the week beginning August 12 - therefore coming after the second league match of the season. By the time the journey to Adams Park comes up, Reading will have opened their campaign against Sheffield Wednesday before going to Hull City the following weekend.

It’s a short trip up into Buckinghamshire for the Royals, but a familiar one seeing as the first team have had numerous friendlies there in recent seasons, while the under-23s and women’s sides play there regularly.

Reading Women v Manchester City Women - WSL Photo by Catherine Ivill/Getty Images

The game is also the closest thing we’ve got to a local derby - at least geographically, with it taking just 40 minutes to make the 20-mile drive. We’re bound to pack out our own allocation in what should be a great occasion in the cup.

This is our first away game in the League Cup against a side from a lower division since 2015, when a Steve Clarke side went to Portsmouth. That night - also a fairly local game (it’s only in the next county) - ended in a 2-1 win for the Royals; Nick Blackman cancelling out Connor Chaplin’s opener before Garath McCleary got a winner.

Reading had already gone to Colchester in the previous round, winning 1-0 in extra time thanks to a goal from Chris Gunter of all people. You have to go all the way back to 2013 to find an away League Cup game against a lower-league side that Reading lost (in short, an upset on the road) - when Nigel Adkins’ team was thrashed 6-0 at Peterborough United.

In the subsequent Championship seasons, the Royals have been knocked out by...

  • Derby County in the third round,
  • Everton in the third round,
  • Arsenal in the fourth round,
  • Swansea City in the third round,
  • Watford in the second round

So all in all, a fairly decent record, with our last four exits coming against Premier League opposition. That said, hopefully this upcoming match against Wycombe Wanderers can be the start of a much better run.

Now you’ve read this, here’s one from the archives on how ‘interesting’ Reading’s cup ties have been in the last few seasons.

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