Former Lincoln skipper Paudie O’Connor has admitted he was left gutted by the small number of games he played for Noel Hunt during the manager’s spell in charge at Reading.
O’Connor joined the club in June on a four-year contract after leaving the Imps, having been brought in to strengthen Reading’s defence following Tyler Bindon’s return to Nottingham Forest and ongoing speculation around Amadou Mbengue.
He suffered an injury during pre-season against Portsmouth and did not make his Reading debut under Hunt until October in a 1-1 draw with Exeter. It was one of only four appearances he would make for the former Reading forward. Hunt was later dismissed after a run of results that left the club nineteenth in League One.
Asked about his time under Hunt, O’Connor said:
“I was gutted, to be honest, from a personal point of view. I felt like I would have liked to play a lot more games when he came in.
“There was a lot of faith with the contract I was handed. And it did not work out the way I would have wanted. I rushed myself back and tried to give it as good as I could for a few games.
“But I have spoken to him and he is a really tough guy. I wish him nothing but the best.”
We signed O’Connor on a free transfer after he ran down his Bradford City contract. He made an immediate impact, debuting on the opening day of the 2022/23 season against Exeter City and scoring his first goal in an EFL Cup tie at Bristol City later that year.
Named Player of the Season in his first campaign, he was appointed club captain in August 2023. Notable moments included scoring twice in the 2024–25 season opener at Burton Albion, and being sent off twice, as well as picking up a suspension for ten bookings.
By the end of his three seasons with the Imps, he had played 121 league games, scoring six times, before moving to Berkshire in the summer.