The 2022-23 campaign delivered ultimate heartbreak for Reading as The Royals were relegated to League One after finishing a crushing 22nd in the Championship, ending their decade-long stay in the second tier. Despite early promise that saw them briefly top the table under Paul Ince, the season ultimately spiraled following a fatal six-point deduction for financial breaches. Leading the scoring charts for the doomed campaign were Player of the Season Tom Ince and veteran Andy Carroll, who each notched 9 crucial goals in a year defined by financial turmoil and the club's desperate, unsuccessful battle for survival.