‘How bad has he been?’ - Former Portsmouth favourite’s Reading woes continue after horror miss
Paddy Lane made the move from Pompey to Reading during the summer transfer window.
Paddy Lane has endured a difficult start to life at Reading.
Having netted just one goal in his first 10 outings for the Royals, some fans might have expected more from the League One title-winner. Yet he winger’s frustrations continued on Saturday afternoon during his latest outing for the third-tier side.
Indeed, the 24-year-old has been grabbing the headlines in recent days after a horror miss during Reading’s 1-1 draw against Mansfield Town.
With Reading a goal down at the time, Lane missed a sitter from six yards out by unbelievably firing wide of the semi-unguarded target.
He was then seen holding his head and collapsing to the ground in embarrassment as the reality of the miss sank in.
Luckily for Lane, Noel Hunt’s side went on to find a crucial equaliser after the break, with former Pompey forward Matt Ritchie providing his first assist for the club since his Fratton Park exit in the summer.
Noel Hunt has sympathy for Paddy Lane after horror miss
The point leaves Reading 19th in the standings, with Lane’s miss adding to the pressure already on the manager.
But former Pompey striker Hunt has sympathy for the Northern Ireland international, and reassured him that more opportunities will come.
Speaking after the draw, Hunt said: ‘Listen, we’ve all been there. I’ve been there myself, I’ve missed plenty of them.
‘I just said to Paddy: ‘You’re closer to scoring now, get your mind set on that. It’s coming, it’s going to fall for you again.’
‘He knows where the goal is and I’m not worried about him. He’ll score more goals than he misses.
‘He will be feeling it tonight, but Paddy is a great lad. He works his socks off and he will score goals. He scored a great goal, but the whistle had just gone for a foul- what for I don’t know.’
Reading faithful’s view on Paddy Lane’s miss
After a frustrating start to life at the Select Car Leasing Stadium, which has reaped just one goal in 10 outings, Royals supporters were far less supportive over Lane’s miss.
One supporter wrote on social media: ‘Honestly how bad has he been since joining?…. Think he’s had one good moment not even a game. Really hope it’s just the tactics letting him down as a player and when the inevitable happens we see the player we thought we were getting!’
Meanwhile another added: ‘I was going to say this before the miss but apart from the banger against Port Vale I couldn’t tell you anything Paddy Lane has done. Bang average start so far and going under the radar.’
This fan called it one of the worst misses he’s seen. He wrote: ‘One of the worst misses from a Reading player I can remember. Rivals the Joao miss a few years ago,’ that was also echoed by a fellow supporter, who said: ‘Paddy had too much time, what a miss!’
Paddy Lane’s Pompey departure
During that time, the winger played a key role in the Blues’ 2023-24 League One title-winning side, which saw him net 12 goals and register seven assists.
However, the young talent struggled in the Championship last term, scoring once in 22 second-tier outings before his season came to an end in January after sustaining a knee injury.