Reading have made a solid start to the Championship season as they seek to build upon last season’s third place finish.

Jaap Stam’s men lost out to Huddersfield Town in the play-off final at Wembley back in May to consign them to another campaign in the second tier, which for them began with a lacklustre 2-0 defeat at Queens Park Rangers on August 5.

However, the Royals have since then beaten Aston Villa and Birmingham City, and indeed drawn with Fulham, to leave themselves 11th in the table going into the international break, with optimism certainly building around the Madejski Stadium following clear improvements in recent weeks.

Reading were also busy in the transfer window over the summer, bringing in the likes of David Edwards and Sone Aluko, while also saying goodbye to Ali Al-Habsi and Danny Williams, and the club have confirmed today on the official website another addition to the club, namely Michael Gilkes as First Team Coach.

The former winger played in excess of 450 games for the Berkshire outfit between 1984 and 1997, and was part of the side that won the Simod Cup at Wembley back in 1988, with Gilkes bagging the first goal in their 4-1 victory over Luton Town.

And the fans’ favourite has been working with the club’s Under-18s team in recent years but will officially make the step up to First Team coach, aiding Royals chief Jaap Stam with the senior squad for the rest of the season.

And this news has stimulated quite a response from Reading fans on Twitter, with it fair to say that several are delighted with Gilkes’ appointment…