Whatever happens this season, Reading have performed above expectations, the Royals at one stage looking like they could challenge for promotion to the Premier League.
However, as well as having a points deduction lingering over their heads, Paul Ince’s side have lost four matches in succession, the gap to the relegation zone currently standing at nine points.
If reports are to be believed, that effectively stands at three with a six-point deduction expected, and it heaps the pressure on Reading to deliver three points on Saturday.
Although Reading possess the seventh-best home record in the division, back-to-back 1-0 defeats have been posted versus Sheffield United and Millwall.
The Berkshire outfit also went down 2-1 at Blackburn Rovers in midweek, and Ince will be the first to acknowledge that his players need to bounce back in their next match.
While Hull can claim to have enjoyed a positive second half of the season thus far, the Tigers have prevailed in just one of their last seven fixtures.
A total of six points have been accumulated during that period, the most recent of three defeats coming by a 3-1 scoreline at home to leaders Burnley earlier this week.
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Now trailing the top six by 14 points, a late promotion bid is out of the question, leaving Liam Rosenior and his squad to focus on posting the two wins which would realistically guarantee their second-tier status for another 12 months.
Rosenior will demand more than that, however, with Hull having gone five matches on their travels without registering maximum points.
