Reading FC: Ruben Selles faces Crawley Town dilemma after Rotherham United flashpoint - View | OneFootball

Selles will need to have a long think about who will replace Kelvin Ehibhatiomhan this weekend, with Adrian Akande and Harvey Knibbs two candidates.

The Royals would have been frustrated by their 2-1 away loss at Rotherham United, considering they put themselves in a decent position to go on and win the game.

Lewis Wing's first-half free kick should have provided the Berkshire side with the platform to go on and secure at least a point.

But they collapsed early on in the second half, with goals from Sam Nombe and Hakeem Odoffin giving the Millers the three points in the end.

Having secured back-to-back home victories, the game in South Yorkshire was the perfect time for Ruben Selles' men to build on that and win another three points.

But they were unable to do that in the end and they suffered a further blow when Kelvin Ehibhatiomhan was sent off in the 68th minute.

Not only did they reduce the Royals' chances of getting anything from the game at Rotherham, but it also means he's out for this weekend's clash against Rob Elliot's side.

This is a blow, considering how well Ehibhatiomhan has performed at times this term.

It remains to be seen who comes in for him and Selles has a big dilemma on his hands.

Harvey Knibbs may have to make Reading FC sacrifice

Harvey Knibbs has been a major asset for the Berkshire side since he joined.

The Royals may have been able to do a respectable job without him, with the player spending a chunk of the early stages of the campaign out injured, but he is a very useful attacking player to have and showed his quality last term.

Not only is he able to operate in the middle, but he can also play out on the left, and that could be important with Ehibhatiomhan suspended.

Knibbs moving to the left could allow Charlie Savage to come in alongside Ben Elliott and with Savage able to score from long range, he could end up making a real difference against Crawley.

It's not as if the Royals wouldn't be left with a decent midfield option on the bench if Savage came in because Tivonge Rushesha has shown his quality before and deserves a decent opportunity to impress at some point.

Unfortunately, he hasn't had that chance yet, and it would be difficult to see Knibbs moving out to the left considering he was fairly ineffective there during the early stages of last term, enjoying pretty much all of his success in a central area.

That would leave Savage on the bench again, although it would be difficult to see the Welshman not make an appearance on Saturday, regardless of whether he starts or not.

Ruben Selles may take a chance on Adrian Akande

With Paul Mukairu and Dom Ballard leaving following the end of their loans, Femi Azeez departing during the summer and Taylan Harris and Caylan Vickers leaving in January, there's a shortage of options on the wing.

Luckily, Ehibhatiomhan has been able to establish himself as a threat out wide and luckily, Chem Campbell was allowed to join the club on loan until January.

But with Ehibhatiomhan suspended, academy graduate Adrian Akande may get another opportunity to prove his worth at the Select Car Leasing Stadium.

Performing well against Wrexham and grabbing an assist against Charlton Athletic earlier this term, he has done well at times, but is still inexperienced at this point.

With Knibbs failing to perform out wide before and Akande doing enough so far this season to deserve another start, the latter surely has to be in the starting XI against Crawley, with the former starting in the middle alongside Elliott.

Akande will need to be at his best if he wants to make a difference on Saturday - because Crawley may be a difficult opponent to beat despite their home defeat against Shrewsbury Town last weekend.