A weekly newspaper darkened its front page ahead of a “black Saturday” for football fans on its patch.

Reading Today ran the black front page as Supporters of Reading FC fans prepare to protest against the club’s owner Dai Yongge.

Fans of the team are being encouraged to wear black to tomorrow’s match against Burton Albion to vent their frustration at Mr Yongge’s running of the club.

It comes after it was revealed he had failed to pay HM Revenue & Customs on time this month, which could spark a points deduction.

Reading Today editor Phil Creighton told HTFP: “Fans are rightly concerned about the future of Reading FC. Another points deduction could be the balance between staying safe in League One and relegation.

“There are fears the club could be forced to fold and more than 150 years of history gone just like that.

“Saturday’s game will see another protest, with fans urged to wear black clothes. We want to show our solidarity with them, and decided to produce a very simple, evocative, and striking front page.

“I can’t take any credit for this. It was cooked up by sports reporter Andy Preston and Meta community reporter Ji-Min Lee, and they have done a brilliant job.”

Campaign group ‘Sell Before We Dai’ is calling on fellow fans to go to the game in dark clothing “as a mark of respect for what this great club used to be”.

Protesters are also encouraging a repeat action of throwing tennis balls on the pitch during the game, a tacticthey employed at a recent game against Bolton Wanderers.

In July, Reading Today held its own protest against Mr Yongge by publishing a blank front page.

The stunt aimed to show the paper’s distaste at the “radio silence” from the club.