18 – Paudie O’Connor
In all of last seasons celebrations, my one sad moment was catching a glimpse of Paudie in his Reading kit as we celebrated promotion to the second tier. Here was a player who came for free, rose to be club captain and never really let us down. Sure, there was the odd suspension, and in the end, that occasional lack of availability probably made him a little easier to replace, but he was an honest and committed servant to the Imps, and his move was fuelled not (just) by money, but a real desire to play in the second tier.
Back-to-back Player of the Year awards at Bradford City preceded his arrival at Sincil Bank, with the defender turning down a new deal at Valley Parade to join us on a free transfer in June 2022. He promptly won our equivalent award in his first season and later took on the captaincy, making 121 league appearances across three campaigns. Reading became his next destination when his contract expired in summer 2025, signing him on a four-year deal.
Comments Welcome!