Paul Ince has been sacked as Reading manager with the club fighting for Championship survival. A 2-1 defeat at Preston on Monday extended their winless sequence to eight matches and left them a point adrift of safety after a six-point deduction for breaching the EFL’s financial rules. Ince was appointed on an interim basis in February last year and led Reading to safety with four wins in 14 fixtures. This season began positively and the club were in the top three after 11 matches, but they have won twice in the league in 2023. The assistant manager Alex Rae has also left and the Under-21 manager, Noel Hunt, a former Reading striker, is taking charge of the first team until the end of the season. Reading play at home to promoted Burnley on Saturday and host Luton, who are on course for at least a playoff place, four days later. They then face playoff hopefuls Coventry, struggling Wigan and finally Huddersfield, who are also trying to avoid dropping into League One and have picked up under Neil Warnock.