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Cardiff City Fans Verdict: Ince Jr Inspires Victory

Here’s how the fans reacted to Reading’s first three points of the season.

PA Images via Getty Images

After a loss last week and conceding a poor goal within the first four minutes on Saturday, I’m sure a few fans were fearing the worst - including myself. However, the Royals battled fantastically to come back and gain three crucial points.

Although we’re only two games in, it is so important to get three points on the board as quickly as you can - particularly in our case where you feel every point will be so valuable come the end of the season.

Led by Tom Ince (more on him later), we showed fight, quality and game management to first fight back from a goal down and then to hold on to it - with a Shane Long goal the icing on the cake.

Here’s how the fans reacted...

Shane Long

*More* injury woes led to our Irish Prince Shane Long getting his first start in the hoops since his return - and boy did he make an impression.

It wasn’t just the goal, which was as special a moment as I can remember in recent times, but his overall performance was the best non-Lucas Joao striker performance we’ve had in a very, very long time.

Long isn’t the biggest or strongest, but what he will do is harry and hassle and chase every single ball down. And what he lacks in height or strength, he more than makes up for in experience.

It was a wonderful display from Long and the fans absolutely loved it...

Tom Ince

It was going to take some performance to to get more headlines than Long on Saturday, but Ince Jr did just that.

There will always be that element of ‘he’s only playing because his dad’s the manager’ but honestly, if he keeps playing like that, I really don’t care.

He was simply incredible all afternoon. He led the way in terms of fight and determination to get back into the game, and his team mates followed. And to top it all off, he planted a screamer into the top corner to win the game. A seriously impressive afternoon’s work from Ince.

The fans were clearly delighted with his showing...

A big win

Like I said previously, getting a +3 as early as possible in the season is vitally important. What was so impressive though was the way we got the points. Yes, we conceded a poor goal, but we had the spirit to come back, score two goals and then hold on to the lead comfortably.

There were a few hairy moments, but overall it was an impressive afternoon and one we need to build on...

Conclusion

A big win, but one that needs to be built on. Long was brilliant, Ince was magnificent. Get Sam Hutchinson and (fingers crossed) Naby Sarr into this team and the foundations are there to build a half-decent team.

Carry that kind of mentality and desire throughout the whole season and the fans will be happy, and we might just have a better season than we’re all expecting.

URZ