Vote For Your 2023/24 Reading Rookie Of The Season

TTE awards season turns its attention to the youngsters, with 13 candidates up for this honour.

Every year, in addition to our Player of the Season vote, we run our Rookie of the Season award to acknowledge which youngster’s enjoyed the best breakthrough campaign. It’s not quite a ‘best young player’, as each time we add in some extra criteria, which for this year are as follows:

• Have been 22 years old or younger on August 1 2023
• Have made fewer than five Reading starts before the start of the season
• Have made five Reading starts this season or a combined 10 sub appearances + starts
• Not be on loan at the club

In the past, those criteria have sometimes made things a little tricky for us. Last season for example, only three players - Amadou Mbengue, Kelvin Abrefa and Nesta Guinness-Walker - were eligible. Still, the length of the shortlist can sometimes be just as telling as who wins the award outright.

As is the case this time. From three candidates in 2022/23... to 13 in 2023/24.

The difference isn’t really the number of young players who featured to some degree. In total, 18 would have been eligible last time out. What’s changed is how involved in the first team they are. Nelson Abbey, Michael Craig and Kelvin Ehibhatiomhan got into contention by going from three, five and nine appearances respectively to 26, 36 and 47.

So who’ll take the award this time out? The victor will join a list of winners currently featuring Jake Cooper, Aaron Tshibola, Liam Kelly, Omar Richards, Andy Rinomhota, Tom McIntyre, Tom Holmes and Femi Azeez.

Without further ado, here are your candidates, with appearances (all competitions) and the average from our Player Ratings included for some extra info.

Nelson Abbey

Appearances: 26

Average rating: 6.2

Abbey would have surely been a strong contender for Player of the Season, let alone Rookie of the Season, had he stayed for the full campaign. He was a revelation in the first half of the season at the heart of defence and deservedly earned a big-money move to Greek side Olympiacos.

Photo by Pete Norton/Getty Images

Kelvin Abrefa

Appearances: 13

Average rating: 6.0

Although he had a tough season due to injury, Abrefa ended 2023/24 well by featuring in Reading’s final four games, starting two of them. He was generally solid each time he played, and certainly consistent, getting a 6/10 every time we rated him.

Tyler Bindon

Appearances: 44

Average rating: 6.1

This was an excellent season for Bindon, who came second in the official POTS vote, behind the outstanding Lewis Wing. Although he arrived as an unknown, he quickly became a first-teamer, before really going from strength to strength after the January losses of Abbey, Tom McIntyre (both sold) and Tom Holmes (injured).

Matty Carson

Appearances: 17

Average rating: 5.4

Go back to the early part of the season and Carson was a first-team regular. Part of the side that demolished Millwall 4-0 at The Den, he kept his spot for the most part until October. That run included a particularly creative evening at Exeter, grabbing two assists in the 9-0 win.

Photo by Kieran Cleeves/PA Images via Getty Images

Michael Craig

Appearances: 36

Average rating: 5.8

Craig managed a few appearances for Reading last season under Paul Ince, but this was absolutely his breakout campaign. It took him a little while to break into the side, but in late 2023 he became an important defensive presence at the base of midfield.

Jeriel Dorsett

Appearances: 27

Average rating: 5.7

Although some would have predicted a Dorsett breakout this season, no one would have guessed it coming at left-back. Dorsett was thrown into that role late in 2023 and made it his own for a time, adding solidity to a spot which had desperately lacked that quality.

Kelvin Ehibhatiomhan

Appearances: 47

Average rating: 6.0

It’s easy to forget just how ever-present Ehibhatiomhan has been for Reading this season, but he featured in 54 of the Royals’ 55 matchday squads. A return of 12 goals and one assist isn’t to be sniffed at either, with one of those strikes - in a 4-0 win over Cambridge United - being voted the club’s goal of the season. He also showed his versatility by heading out to the left wing later in the season.

Photo by Kieran Cleeves/PA Images via Getty Images

Ben Elliott

Appearances: 42

Average rating: 5.7

Elliott took his time getting going, struggling for game time for much of the season, but proving his quality late on. His run of matches in April was his best bit of form, coming at the heart of midfield, and earning him the TTE Player of the Month award.

Clinton Mola

Appearances: 35

Average rating: 5.4

A bit of a wildcard signing at the very end of the summer window, Mola endured a rough first half of the season but turned things around later on. In the second half of the campaign he firmly established himself as a strong option at left-back and right-back, with his technical ability and enterprising runs forward standing out.

Tivonge Rushesha

Appearances: 11

Average rating: 6.4

Rushesha didn’t manage as many appearances as others on this shortlist, but he still showed his talent in the time he had on the pitch. The best example of that was the 9-0 win at Exeter City when he bossed the midfield.

Charlie Savage

Appearances: 45

Average rating: 5.9

Savage was an almost ever-present for Reading in 2023/24, featuring in a host of midfield pairings and combinations, showing plenty of tenacity and technical ability. He popped up with some end product too: five goals (including excellent strikes against Millwall and Bolton Wanderers) and three assists.

Photo by Pete Norton/Getty Images

Caylan Vickers

Appearances: 22

Average rating: 6.1

Boy, this lad is fun to watch. Vickers broke into the first-team picture in the opening weeks with some bold, entertaining displays and was a delightful source of creativity. And he chipped in with three goals and two assists also, including a vital last-minute winner against Bolton Wanderers.

Jayden Wareham

Appearances: 11

Average rating: 5.6

Wareham’s game time was limited, but he snuck into first-team contention over the course of the season after some eye-catching goalscoring form for the under-21s. He was involved in all but two of Reading’s matchday squads from February onwards, suggesting Ruben Selles is keen to use him more next season.

Vote

Ranking each of these players from 1-13 would have been a little tricky, so what we’re asking you to do is to grade each of them from 1-5, based on how well you think they did this season. For complete avoidance of doubt, one is the lowest and five is the highest.

You can vote in the poll below or, if it doesn’t display on your device, please use this link here.