Paul Ince appointed as permanent Reading manager after securing survival

Reading have appointed Paul Ince as their permanent manager following a successful interim spell in charge during which he led the Royals to Championship safety.

Ince took over from Veljko Paunovic in February, winning four and drawing three of his first 11 games in charge. Reading’s upturn in form allowed the side to secure survival with three games remaining, despite incurring a six-point deduction in November for breaching EFL financial rules.

The former Manchester United and Liverpool midfielder will again be joined by his assistant Alex Rae for the 2022-23 season, with Mark Bowen leaving his interim role at AFC Wimbledon to become Reading’s head of football operations.

“Paul and Alex were brought into Bearwood to instil confidence, structure, spirit and determination into a first-team squad which in difficult circumstances had lost its way early in the year,” the club’s chief executive, Dayong Pang, said.

“Ultimately, he had to produce almost immediate results. Fourteen points from their first 10 games proved enough to keep the club in the Championship and I am delighted that Paul and Alex have accepted the challenge to take this club forward.”

Before taking the Reading interim job, Ince had been away from management since leaving Blackpool in January 2014. He has also previously managed Blackburn, MK Dons, Macclesfield and Notts County.

Johnnie Jackson has been named as the new manager of AFC Wimbledon, signing a two-year deal with the club. The former Charlton manager will be tasked with returning the Dons to the third tier, following relegation to League Two this year.

“I cannot wait to get started,” Jackson told the club website. “I am extremely familiar with the AFC Wimbledon story and have total respect for