LONDON, England (CMC) — Reggae Boy Amari’i Bell helped heap more misery on struggling English Championship club Reading — who were missing his Jamaican teammate Liam Moore — as they were beaten 2-0 by in-form Luton Town on Wednesday night to suffer a fourth defeat in a row.

The Hatters took the lead on 33 minutes in a quiet first half when Royals defender Tom Holmes deflected 27-year-old left-back Bell’s teasing cross into his own net.

Allan Campbell doubled the advantage from close range after the break, firing home Elijah Adebayo’s pass after a slick build-up ripped open the home defence.

Centre-back Moore, 28, who has made more than 200 appearances since joining Reading in 2016, was left out of the Royals squad after telling Manager Veljko Paunovic he wanted to leave the club, and centre-half Michael Morrison took the captain’s armband on his first start since mid-September.

The Royals were also without former England striker Andy Carroll after his two-month deal expired this week, as well as goalkeeper Rafael Cabral following his return to Brazil. After a difficult week, there was little to improve Reading’s mood on the pitch.

Reading boss Paunovic said of former Captain Moore: “When I spoke to Liam I told him I want to take the burden from him.

“I think he was carrying a lot in these six years, a lot of good things obviously, but I think he needed a little relief and to focus on his performances.”

After being stripped of the captaincy, Moore hit back in a brief social media post at the weekend, saying: “Incredibly shocked by the club statement tonight.”

Luton climbed to 11th after extending their unbeaten run to five matches, while Reading have just nine points from their past 14 and remain 21st, three points above the relegation spots, having played two games more than 22nd-placed Peterborough.

Reggae Boyz target Ivan Toney, 25, scored his sixth goal of the campaign for Brentford, but his 85th-minute strike during a scramble proved to be only a consolation as the Bees went down 3-1 at home to Manchester United in the Premier League.

Bermuda winger Willie Clemons, 27, increased his goal tally to help Stowmarket Town advance in the first round of Suffolk Premier Cup with a 2-0 win over Lowestoft Town, who play a level above them in the English football pyramid, on Tuesday night.

Clemons broke the deadlock in the 10th minute to slot home his fourth goal of the season and second in successive matches, having played a key role in his team’s 4-1 demolition of Tilbury in the Isthmian League North at the weekend, scoring the visitors’ third goal and also earning them a penalty.