Reading will be looking to continue the positive upturn to form shown under new manager Mark Bowen when they take on a revitalised Millwall under Gary Rowett this Saturday at the Madejski Stadium.

With last Saturday's clash against Nottingham Forest at the City Ground postponed due to a waterlogged pitch, the last fixture the Royals played was against QPR on October 22, which ended in a 2-2 draw.

The two matches that Bowen has taken charge of have been against potential promotion contenders, in QPR and Preston North End, resulting in four points from a possible six.

Bowen and his players will hope that it continues, and his side gradually climb out of the relegation picture.

There have been under-performing players in the team this season because of the poor run of form The Royals were on prior to Jose Gomes's departure, but midfielder John Swift is exempt from that list.

The 24-year-old has been one of the bright sparks in the team this season, contributing with two goals and four assists, with a 83.5% pass success rate.

[freshpress-poll ]

From his twelve appearances so far this season, Swift has made 42 key passes, an average of 3.5 per game. He also averages 1.3 successful dribbles per game.

Those are good numbers for an under-performing team that find themselves in 21st position in the table. This shows that the Chelsea youth product can establish himself as a key player for The Royals in the coming months.

One improvement that Swift will be looking to add to his game is his goal return, which has not surpassed five in the league for the past two seasons. If that target were to be achieved, it would also help the team as a whole.

Reading have scored 14 goals in their 13 Championship games thus far, which is a disappointing average just over one goal per game.

Combining with other attacking players such as Ovie Ejaria in the final third could help to increase the tally, as well as produce more goal scoring opportunities for the team.

Swift has been at the Berkshire club since July 2016, signing for Reading after the expiry of his Chelsea contract. He since made over 100 league appearances for the Royals in just over three years at the Madejski Stadium.

That makes the playmaker one of the more senior figures currently in the dressing room, which he can use to his advantage. If he performs the well, the team is likely to do the same, as the younger players will look up to Swift on the pitch - all that despite being the age of just 24.