Hunt brothers growing in stature

The Hunt brothers are fast becoming the most fearsome sibling footballers in England and  this week Reading boss Steve Coppell reserved special praise for the eldest Hunt, Noel, who is looking like being one of the bargains of the season.

Noel, 25, came to Reading in the summer from Dundee United and is now an established first choice in the team, having scored eight goals in 17 appearances.

He scored again during Saturday's 3-0 win over Derby County, and has formed an excellent partnership with Kevin Doyle, prompting the praise from his manager.

Coppell said: “Noel is a very, very bright player and looks a good addition - but time will tell.

“He’s got that lively mentality and off the field there’s a sparkle in his eye.

“That brightness is important in a football brain, it's that jack in the box approach. He can see things and he can force things to happen.

“He’s a good foil for anyone with him, he can blend with any type. If he’s with a big man he can play the knockdowns but he can also be the target because of his great spring. And he’s quicker than people give him credit for.”

Hunt took advantage of charitable defending in the 20th minute to head in brother Stephen’s corner, and Coppell was left purring at the current striking options at his disposal.

“We’ve got combinations up front and Shane Long also offers a different complexion to the attack,” he added.

“Noel and Doyle are scoring consistently and I always say you need 40 goals from your strikers to have a fighting chance.

“There’s a great connection with our Irish boys and the players we've brought over have a terrific mentality, which is half the battle.

“When you apply properly you’ll get a return at some stage and they’ve all done terrific.”

Hunt was joined on the scoresheet by fellow Irishman Kevin Doyle whose brace maintained Reading’s unbeaten home record and continued their push for promotion.

Doyle headed in Chris Armstrong’s cross from close range in the 68th minute to double Reading’s lead and then got his second with a beautiful angled drive.

Derby came close through Kris Commons but failed to get a shot on target.

After the game Coppell commented: “Derby had only been beaten once in 11 games and they looked very solid to me on paper.

“We knew it would be a stiff test and it proved to be.

“The first goal came from nothing; it was a corner, but not one we have worked on.

“We knew we’d have to push on - and we did. The Kris Commons chance was critical - because if he’d scored that it might have been different. But from then on, we looked good.”