
Knaak's late strike edges Man City closer to WSL title
Knaak's late goal secures victory for Man City, edging them closer to the WSL title.
Reading FC is holding a vote for the Player of the Month for April and May 2026, following a disappointing six-game stretch without a win. The team ended the season poorly, culminating in a 1-0 loss to Blackpool.
We’ve got one final bit of housekeeping before we can roll out our player of the season voting: a last player of the month award. This time it covers five games in April and the final match of 2025/26, which took place in May.
To put it bluntly, this was not a good period on the pitch for Reading, who failed to win any of these six fixtures. It started off badly – a late 1-1 draw at Huddersfield Town on Good Friday – before getting worse. The Royals thoroughly killed off their playoff push by losing three on the bounce (Lincoln City, Doncaster Rovers, Cardiff City).
After the relative high of a 1-1 comeback draw at already-relegated Rotherham United, the final game of the season was as bad performance-wise as it’s been in 2025/26. Reading were booed off after losing 1-0 to Blackpool, without mustering a shot on target.
Without further ado, here’s your shortlist for April/May.
Average rating: 5.5 / Man of the match awards: 2nd (Cardiff City H), 1st (Rotherham United A)
A decent enough month or so on the goals front for Kyerewaa, who netted twice. He was in fact the only player to score in open play, getting on the end of Paddy Lane’s cross at Rotherham to make it 1-1 right after half-time.
Average rating: 5.33 / Man of the match awards: 3rd (Huddersfield Town A), Joint 2nd (Blackpool H)
I wasn’t originally going to include O’Connor, but Ross made a good point: “I just think he’s been OK when the team have been awful.” I’ll accept it.
Average rating: 6.17 / Man of the match awards: 2nd (Huddersfield Town A), 1st (Doncaster Rovers A), Joint 2nd (Rotherham United A), 1st (Blackpool H)
This award feels like a shoe-in for Pereira, who was the only player to come out of April/May with an average score above 6/10, as well as getting a couple of MOTM awards. A bad period could have been even worse, were it not for Pereira.
Average rating: 5.5 / Man of the match awards: 1st (Huddersfield Town A), 2nd (Lincoln City H)
Like Kyerewaa, Wing added a couple to his goals tally in the last few weeks of the season. The second of those, a free-kick against Lincoln, was one of the best strikes he’s managed in his Reading career. Another set-piece effort, this time against Cardiff, was saved immediately before Kyerewaa finished.
So those are your candidates, but who gets your vote? Cast your ballot through this link right here.
Reading FC did not win any of their six matches during April and May 2026, including three consecutive losses.
The article provides a shortlist of nominees for the Player of the Month award, although specific names are not mentioned in the excerpt.
Reading FC's final match of the 2025/26 season took place in May 2026.

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