'Togetherness' urged at Portsmouth rivals as crisis club looks for support in battle against League One relegation

The head of football operations at Pompey rivals Reading has issued an impassioned statement urging fans to keep with the team heading into their final 10 games of the season.

Writing on the Royals’ official website, Mark Bowen called for ‘togetherness’, with the crisis club embroiled in a relegation battle following a further two-point deduction last week for a failure to pay their debts. That means six points have now been taken off Reading since the start of the season - leaving them just five clear of the drop zone.

A 3-1 away win at Reading on Saturday - a game that saw nearly 1,400 Royals fans travel to Cumbria - helped ease some of the pressure that had been building. But with 10 games still remaining, and fixtures against promotion-chasers Derby, Bolton, Barnsley and Blackpool, yet to be played, Bowen reached out to the fan base to offer his thanks and to ensure their support remains.

He wrote: ‘Another hugely difficult week for the club, the players, the staff and also for you, our fantastic fans, has just passed. What never ceases to amaze me is the uncompromising support you always give us.

‘I feel now is the perfect time to say a heartfelt thanks to you all, from Rubén (Selles, manager), the players and myself. To see almost 1400 fans travel all the way to Carlisle, on a cold, wet, late winter's Saturday, to make sure that our team have the huge vocal support that inevitably pushed them on to an important success was amazing, just amazing! And with ten games to go, in order to secure our League One status, that TOGETHERNESS which I'm sure we can all feel is going to be of big significance.’

Follow the latest from Pompey at Fratton Park and beyond when you sign up for our football emails The former Wales international also provided an update on the sale of the club, which is currently owned by Dai Yongge. Last week, he was fined £100,000 'for his repeated failures to deposit an amount equal to 125 per cent of the club’s forecast monthly wage bill in a designated account' - a fine he must pay by March 18. The Chinese businessman was also urged to 'adequately fund' the Select Car Leasing Stadium outfit or sell his shareholding.

Bowen added: ‘The sale of the Club is progressing, with the help and expertise of Nigel Howe. There have been an extremely high volume of enquiries, with some primarily focused on the Club’s real estate assets – notably the Select Car Leasing Stadium and Bearwood Park. Whilst every proposal is considered, the primary focus for Nigel and Mr Dai is to sell all assets and the Club inclusively – so we must be patient in allowing the correct process to be followed. I know Nigel is keeping STAR regularly informed and I thank them for their support with our communication.

‘This fabulous club has 152 years of history behind it, and I know that we can all play a big part in creating a successful future as well. So I say again, with just ten games remaining a BIG THANK YOU to ALL of our supporters! Keep doing what you're doing!’

Pompey have beaten Reading twice this season as they continue to set the pace at the top of League One.