Reading Football Club

Reading born-and-bred; defender Tom McIntyre worked his way up through the Academy ranks with the Royals after joining the club at the age of eight.

Despite his scholarship years being plagued with long-term injuries – back and leg problems each requiring lengthy lay-offs – his promise was rewarded with his first professional contract in the summer of 2017.

Even before graduating the Under-18 squad, he had already been a regular in the Under-23s – which included a run in the team that reached the knock-out stages of the Checkatrade Trophy and were finalists of the Premier League Cup in 2017.

The following season, in his first year as a pro, he helped the Under-23s to the Play-Off Semi-Final in Premier League 2, where he scored against Aston Villa – although it was the Villains who progressed.

And his rise continued into the first team in the 2018-19 season, where he would go on to make his debut in Royals colours away at Rotherham United in December, helping the team to a 1-1 draw – he played the entirety of the game, despite fracturing his skull in the early exchanges.

Surgery was required for metal plates to be fitted, so he was ruled out from playing any further games for a few months, returning to action as a substitute away at Bristol City the following April.

McIntyre was also part of the squad that travelled to Estepona in the summer for an intensive pre-season tour of Spain, returning to English shores for the start of the 2019-20 Championship campaign.