A football reporter made redundant as part of a regional publisher’s cutbacks has shared fears that the club he reported on will now not be covered properly.

Jonathan Low covered Reading FC for Berkshire Live until losing his job as part of wider cuts by Reach plc, in which almost 200 journalists were set to be made redundant.

Now, as the new football season approaches, Jonathan has spoken out about the “great shame” of  what he claimed was Reach’s decision to no longer cover Reading’s matches.

He was among a number of football reporters to lose their jobs amid the cuts – along with Daniel Davies, who covered AFC Bournemouth for Dorset Live, and Richard Mills, who reported on Brighton & Hove Albion for Sussex Live.

The Nottingham Post’s Notts County writer Ollie King also left the business, although Reach has claimed it will continue to employ a journalist dedicated to covering the club.

Other regional press outlets that cover Reading FC, nicknamed ‘The Royals’, include independent weekly Reading Today and Newsquest’s Reading Chronicle.

Jonathan, pictured, told HTFP: “It’s a great shame that BerkshireLive is no longer covering Reading FC.

“I think fans will really see the difference once the season is up and running next month when the site is not covering all the matches home and away as well as the regular press conferences.

“During my time with the company, there have been so many changes in so many areas – when I started in 2012 putting content online was done once, maybe twice a week – and the workforce has certainly been severely stretched in recent times.

“A club the size of Reading is never going to generate the same level of coverage as a top Premier League club but it is a hugely valuable asset for the local community.

“I hope that connection between supporters and club – which can be hugely bolstered by local media – does not take too much of a hit and although there are still several other outlets covering the Royals’ fortunes, having one less critical friend is not beneficial for Reading FC in the long term.”

Jonathan had spent 10 years with Reach and its forerunner Trinity Mirror, where he initially worked as a news reporter on the Wokingham Times and Bracknell Standard.

He later became a sports reporter and also wrote for the Reading Post before the titles were closed, at which point he joined the newsdesk of digital-only title GetReading, which has since been rebranded as Berkshire Live.

Jonathan, who had been in his most recent role since 2019, added: “I’m yet to move on to anything actually, although not through want of trying.

“I’m hoping to continue writing in some capacity, whether that be in communications, copywriting, content writing, marketing or something similar.

“I think my time as a journalist is over for the time being and I’m eager to try my hand at something a little different and experience another industry.”

Reach has been approached for a response to Jonathan’s comments about Reading FC coverage.