Steve Coppell has said that the Club's Academy is closer than ever to delivering players to the first team squad.

He has high hopes for homegrown youngsters such as Alex Pearce (pictured), James Henry, Hal Robson-Kanu and Jem Karacan, who all impressed during loan spells in lower leagues last season.

But he has also warned that those players will only be picked if they are good enough rather than as a token gesture.

Steve told readingfc.co.uk, "We have a number of younger players who are not too far away.

"It would be brilliant if one or two of them could make the step and actually play a role, but that has to be based on ability, not on sentiment.

"We will be looking for some of them to make an impact, and we'll have a smaller squad but bigger demands."