After winning three of their first four games, Reading has had three of their Under-21 stars nominated for the PL2 Player of the Month award.
After a one-year absence, Noel Hunt’s team has made a successful return to PL2, the top division of Under-21 football for teams with Category One academies.
With three victories without a loss to their name, the only blemish on their record is a 3-0 loss to fellow early pacesetters Arsenal.
The three finalists for the award, Jayden Wareham, Sam Paul, and Dom Ballard, are joined by five other young people.
Wareham, who spent the majority of August merely on trial with the team, scored three goals in a very productive month, earning himself a full-time contract with the Royals.
3️⃣ players on the Royals' books have been shortlisted for #PL2 Player of the Month for August!
An impressive start to the campaign for @Noelhunt20's @RFCAcademy side (and some goalscoring exploits for the Saints for one of the nominees, too!)
Full info here 👇
— Reading FC (@ReadingFC) September 11, 2023
In contrast, 18-year-old Ballard scored two hat tricks in his first three games for parent club Southampton before joining Reading on loan. Paul was a part of a defense that went more than five hours without conceding.
On the shortlist are Yago Alonso of Tottenham Hotspur, Jamie Donley of Tottenham Hotspur, Martial Good of Fulham, Mark O’Mahoney of Brighton & Hove Albion, and Ronnie Stutter of Chelsea.