Reading Aims for Victory at AFC Wimbledon with New Playmaker George Earthy

Reading head back to league duty on Saturday with a spring in their step and a new playmaker in tow, as they make the short trip to AFC Wimbledon for matchday two in League One.

A second penalty shootout win of the season, this time against Wycombe Wanderers on Tuesday, has steadied the early-season nerves and thrown up a few selection headaches. Fringe players took their chance. One or two did more than that. And now a fresh face, George Earthy, drops into what is already an ambitious, attack-minded midfield.

The Royals travel to the Cherry Red Records Stadium for a 3pm kick-off on Saturday 22 August, with referee Michael Barlow in charge and the bookmakers nudging them in as narrow favourites. Only just. Wimbledon at home are never a formality, and both sides have already shown a taste for tight games and penalties.

Wimbledon stuttering, Reading searching for rhythm

AFC Wimbledon’s start mirrors Reading’s in shape if not in mood. One league defeat, two cup ties dragged to spot-kicks. The difference: only one of Wimbledon's shootouts has gone their way, with Leyton Orient knocking them out on penalties on Tuesday night.

Johnnie Jackson’s side, though, is no soft touch. Former Reading defender Andy Yiadom is in the squad, joined by ex-wonderkid Steven Sessegnon in a group that has enough energy and athleticism to trouble anyone at this level. It’s not quite clicked yet, but the pieces are there.

Reading, for their part, used midweek to rotate. It wasn’t a classic. Both sides laboured for long spells. Yet the game quietly reshaped the conversation around the starting XI.

Academy steel and a case for promotion

If Tuesday was about squad depth, it was also a reminder of the club’s academy muscle.

Ashqar Ahmed stood out at right-back. He racked up seven defensive contributions, created two chances and completed 83% of his passes. Nothing flashy, just sharp, reliable work on and off the ball. On this evidence, he has every right to expect a run in the side.

Alongside him, Boyd Beacroft put in the sort of performance centre-backs build reputations on. He led the match with 12 defensive contributions, won six of his seven ground duels and made six clearances. Across the early fixtures, he has looked Reading’s most assured centre-half, reading danger early and dealing with it decisively.

Out wide, Emmanuel Osho brought a different kind of threat. Two shots, both on target, and two successful dribbles from three attempts. He stretched Wycombe, drove at defenders and probably should have scored. The starting XI might still be a step away for him, but as an impact option off the bench he looks ready-made.

Then there was Liam Fraser, who played like a man intent on nailing down his place. He took his goal well, dictated play with 75 touches and threaded seven passes into the final third. He backed that up with seven recoveries, four clearances and a perfect record in the air, winning 100% of his aerial duels. On current form, he has a strong claim to start ahead of Andy Rinomhota this weekend.

Those four performances, especially from the younger trio, were a timely advert for Reading’s Category 1 academy. The pathway is open – and being used.

George Earthy: goals, guile and a new dimension

Into that mix comes George Earthy, and he might just change the whole feel of Reading’s front six.

Born in 2004, the attacking midfielder has spent almost his entire career at West Ham United, with two loan spells at Bristol City. His senior numbers are modest but encouraging: five appearances and one goal for West Ham, plus 51 games for Bristol City with three goals and two assists.

The real headline comes from his 2023/24 campaign with West Ham’s under-21s. Thirty-two appearances. Fourteen goals. Eleven assists. Those are elite academy numbers, the kind that mark a player out as more than just another prospect.

Data from his main season at Bristol City backs that up. Compared to others in his position, Earthy ranked in the higher brackets for goals, expected goals (xG), xG on target, non-penalty xG, shots, shots on target, successful passes, touches in the opposition box and possession won in the final third. He doesn’t just drift around the edges of games; he lives in the areas that decide them.

He is, quite simply, a goalscoring midfielder. He shoots often, but crucially he hits the target often too. In a league where goalkeepers can be exposed from distance, that matters. Lewis Wing, who loves a long-range effort himself, suddenly has real competition for those 25-yard headlines.

There’s another twist: Earthy is genuinely two-footed. That opens angles, passing lanes and shooting options that defenders struggle to read. Show him one way and he can still hurt you with the other.

For Reading, already boasting a creative core, he looks less like a luxury and more like a potential fulcrum.

Predicted XI and how Reading could line up

So how might Reading shape up at Wimbledon?

Joel Pereira is expected to keep his place in goal.

Across the back four, Ahmed is well placed to start at right-back, with Beacroft partnering Paudie O’Connor in central defence and Jeriel Dorsett on the left. It’s a unit that combines academy energy with senior know-how.

In front of them, Fraser and Wing form the double pivot. One to screen and recycle, the other to step on and threaten from range. Both can pass, both can tackle, and both will need to manage transitions against a Wimbledon side that likes to break quickly.

Ahead of that pair, the attacking three could feature Daniel Kyerewaa, Earthy and Kyreece Lisbie. Movement, rotation, and plenty of shots from the edge of the box. It’s a trio built to swarm around the lone striker.

That striker, leading the line, is tipped to be Jack Marriott. His job is simple on paper and brutal in reality: occupy centre-backs, finish ruthlessly, and make Earthy and company’s service count.

The prediction? A 2-0 Reading win, built on a tighter back line, Fraser’s control in midfield and the spark of something new from Earthy.

If that comes off, and if this front six really is as strong as it looks on paper, this trip to Wimbledon might be remembered as the afternoon Reading’s season truly caught fire.