Port Vale boss Andy Crosby 'wishes Reading all the best' amid a turbulent off-field situation.

The club have been hit with three years of points deductions and transfer embargoes for mismanagement from owner Dai Yongge, with a sale still in the distant future.

Crosby, who has Vale six points clear of Reading in mid table, spent 18 months as a first-team coach of the club under Nigel Adkins, including a short spell while a Premier League club.

Speaking ahead of this afternoon's clash, Crosby said: "We’re expecting a difficult game. We’ve been looking at Reading and they’re a well-coached team. It is difficult circumstances at this moment in time for Ruben to manage the football club on a daily basis because there always seems to be something going off. When I look at his team, they look organised with a good structure, I can see what they’re trying to do. With young players sometimes you don’t get that consistency but he is working in really challenging times at the football club through no fault of his own.

"It is a former employer of mine so I do wish them all the best going forward. They’ve obviously run into some challenging times because of an ownership issue, but we’re going there on Saturday not to be worrying about Reading but to win the game."

Port Vale beat Reading 1-0 back in August, with Andy Carroll missing a crucial penalty at Vale Park.