Charlton boost as Reading sweat injury of 'dominant' star ahead of six-pointer

Charlton Athletic could have hopes of three vital points away at the Select Car Leasing Stadium boosted by the expected absence of Reading vice-captain and defender Tom Holmes.

The 23-year-old, who was signed by Premier League side Luton Town this January before being loaned back to Berkshire, missed out on his side's derby against Oxford United last weekend. Reading picked up a point in that match with Amadou Mbengue covering for Holmes at the Kassam.

Ruben Selles' side are in midweek action before welcoming Nathan Jones and his men on Saturday with a trip to in-form Stevenage taking place on Tuesday night. A win in that match would see Reading jump out of the relegation zone and move level on points with Charlton, with both sides having played the same number of games.

Holmes has been praised by local press in Reading as 'reliable' and 'dominant' and had captained the side in December. Speaking about his injury, Selles said: "It is a bit tricky because he has a partial fracture. It is about mobility and how much he can support playing with the pain. A normal person takes six weeks, but a normal person can take much longer. I don’t know if he will make Stevenage. It is a situation where we are waiting every day.

"It is not a fracture that will need a lot of rest, or we need to stop him, he just needs to get the symptoms of the first days’ pain out of his system and mobility. It is a very unusual injury, but we are taking it daily."

The visit to Reading will be Jones' first match in charge of the Addicks since his appointment was confirmed on Monday. The former Southampton boss was at The Valley on Saturday afternoon to watch the side in the 1-0 defeat to Derby County.