Reading Women progressed to the second round of the League Cup with a 3-1 victory over Havant & Waterlooville at a blustery Westleigh Park on Sunday, producing a solid performance that was far more straightforward than in recent weeks.
First-half goals from Sophie Bishop and Ellie Szekeres gave the Royals a comfortable 2-0 lead at the break.
The hosts pulled one back through Sophie Lee shortly after half-time, briefly reducing the deficit, but Keren Banduka restored Reading’s two-goal advantage to secure
the win and confirm a place in the next round.
And all done in the presence of co-operating manager Rick Catania, who was very much part of the matchday action, on the touchline alongside the management and coaching team.
As with their recent cup ties against Bromley in the FA Cup and Enfield Town in the Isthmian Cup, Reading were once again up against opponents enjoying an excellent run of form.
Although the Hampshire side play a tier below Reading, in Division One South of the Southern Region Football League, they came into Sunday’s fixture sitting top of the table after taking maximum points from their opening four league matches.
Havant & Waterlooville will be hoping to follow the well trodden path of clubs such as Farnham Town, Fleet Town and AFC Portchester, all of whom have recently secured promotion to the Premier Division.
Their only defeat had come in the FA Cup, where they lost 3-1 to fellow Division One side AFC Stoneham.
Like Reading, Havant & Waterlooville had also spent much of their early-season campaign on the road. Of their seven matches in all competitions, six had been played away from home, making Sunday’s encounter only their second appearance at Westleigh Park this season.
Reading manager Ed Jackson-Norris reverted to a more familiar-looking starting XI, making six changes from the side that featured in mid-week.
Scarlett Bowcott was handed her first appearance of the season in goal. Having featured throughout the Royals’ pre-season friendlies, the young and amiable shot-stopper made only her fourth senior start.
Regulars Keziah Banduka, Ellie Luscombe, Bishop, Alice Curr and Nat Cowell all returned to the starting line-up.
Mia Parker, Georgia Hayes, Ellie Manners, Keren Banduka and Macey-Nikiah Walters were named on the substitutes’ bench, but with no less of an important role still to play – Jackson-Norris often utilising his finishers to either see out a game or, as has been the case more recently, to claw themselves back into a match.
Team (3-1-4-1-1): Scarlett Bowcott (GK), Bethan Poole (Alice Curr, 89’), Keziah Banduka, Lara Moore, Poppy Whitburn (Georgia Hayes, 70’), Ellie Szekeres (Mia Parker, 55’), Ellie Luscombe, Freya Morgan, Alice Curr (Ellie Manners, 76’), Nat Cowell (captain) (Keren Banduka, 70’) Sophie Bishop (Macey-Nikiah Walters, 70’)
Reading goalscorers: Sophie Bishop, 7’; Ellie Szekeres, 20’; Keren Banduka, 72’
Havant & Waterlooville goalscorer: Sophie Lee, 48’
Reading yellow cards: Ed Jackson-Norris, 74’
Havant & Waterlooville yellow cards: Mille McNamara, 76’
First half
In an assured start from the kick-off, it was the Royals who struck first.
From a Reading throw-in, Cowell’s early pressing helped force the ball into the path of Morgan on the right wing. Demonstrating great confidence, she took on her defender and delivered a dangerous ball into the box.
Bishop collected it and showed excellent composure to control, take a step and stroke the ball past goalkeeper Sara Luce for a smart finish and an early lead for the Royals. 0-1.
There were rapturous cheers of delight and relief from the travelling fans. This was the first time in five matches that Reading had taken the lead, dating back to the end of September, when Szekeres opened the scoring against Oxford City at the SCL Stadium.
Reading doubled their lead in the 20th minute from their first corner. Curr’s delivery was only partially cleared, with the ball falling to Szekeres on the edge of the penalty area. She controlled it well before unleashing a shot into the bottom corner, putting the Royals firmly in control. 0-2.
Jackson-Norris’s game plan is built around playing through midfield, and on Sunday, the central trio demonstrated just how effective this can be.
Luscombe provided a strong, protective base, while Szekeres intercepted play and moved possession forward with purpose. Combined with Morgan’s vision and quality of passing, the trio tirelessly worked together to unlock defences and create opportunities for the Reading front line.
The pace of Bishop and Curr, combined with Cowell’s strength leading the line, meant the Royals looked dangerous with every attack.
Reading came close to extending their lead on several occasions throughout the first half, with their movement and running causing the Hawks defence plenty of problems.
Morgan and Bishop combined once more, the midfielder’s weighted through ball being played into the path of the Reading striker. Bishop’s effort was bravely blocked by Hawks goalkeeper Luce, whose excellent save denied the Royals another goal.
Curr went close soon after, latching onto a dangerous cross whipped in by right-wing-back Whitburn. Her effort was fired narrowly wide of the back post as Reading continued to press and put the match beyond reach.
At the other end, Reading goalkeeper Bowcott had relatively little to do during the first half. However, with the hosts always a threat from counter-attacks, she needed to remain alert.
With just five minutes of the half remaining, she demonstrated this to perfection, racing off her line at just the right moment to bravely clear the danger as Havant & Waterlooville’s number nine, Lauren Aitken, bore down on goal – her quick reaction ensuring Reading kept their two-goal advantage at the break.
Half-time: 0-2
After a first half in which Reading had looked firmly in control, they switched off early in the second, making life for themselves (and the Loyal Royals) just a little harder than it needed to be by conceding only three minutes after the restart.
The home side were given far too much time and space down their right, allowing Ruby Saunders to deliver a cross into the box for Lee to tap home unchallenged from close range. 1-2.
Just minutes later, the hosts came controversially close to equalising, with the Hawks’ top goalscorer Millie Bradbury firing narrowly wide. The opportunity came amid strong appeals from the Reading players, after defender Keziah Banduka had been clearly wrestled to the ground in the build-up, only for the referee to wave play on.
The referee’s leniency and growing inconsistency in the officiating contributed to what became a feisty and fiery end to the match. Poole, Moore, Keziah Banduka and Parker all found themselves on the receiving end of some heavy challenges but showed great restraint.
Jackson-Norris was shown a yellow card, following his protests over a foul on Reading captain Cowell, who had entered the game as a substitute. The Hawks’ Millie McNamara was also cautioned for one of the more innocuous infringements during the second half.
The introduction of Walters, Keren Banduka and Hayes with 20 minutes of normal time remaining highlighted both Reading’s character and the strength in depth available from the bench.
As on Wednesday, albeit in very different circumstances (with Reading trailing 4-0 midweek), Jackson-Norris reshaped his side, reverting to a flat back four. The versatile Hayes was moved into central defence to help shore up the back line and ensure the Royals could see the game out.
However, it was the attacking impact of Walters and Keren Banduka that paid almost immediate dividends, with the pair combining just two minutes after their introduction to restore Reading’s two-goal advantage.
A long ball from Keziah Banduka sent Curr chasing to poke the ball beyond the onrushing goalkeeper, but stumbled off balance as she attempted to continue the move. Walters was alert to pounce on the loose ball before cutting it back across goal from a tight angle, leaving Keren Banduka with a simple tap-in to open her account for the season. 1-3.
The last action of the game came in the 90th minute, a Reading corner causing chaos for the Havant & Waterlooville defence. Luscombe’s shot rebounded off the post and went across the face of goal, with Manners’ snatched effort going wide.
Full time: 1-3
Having already exited both the FA Cup and the Isthmian Cup, a run in the League Cup would provide a welcome confidence boost and distraction from the demands of league football.
It’s also a competition that will bring back fond memories for the fans, following last season’s dramatic semi-final, when Reading were narrowly beaten 1-0 away to AFC Portchester.
Surprisingly, the draw for the second round of the League Cup was also made on Sunday evening, with the Royals handed another away fixture (no surprises there, then!). Their opponents will be Southampton Women, with the tie scheduled for Sunday, November 29, with kick-off at 2pm.
Sunday’s victory over Havant & Waterlooville marked what is currently the fifth of eight scheduled consecutive away matches for Reading.
Let’s hope it doesn’t come to this, but should the Royals fail to secure a home fixture on Sunday, November 22 – a date currently blank in the calendar – their run of away games could stretch into double figures. At this rate, when the team finally returns to the SCL Stadium, the club may need to organise a special-event welcome-back party.
Before then though, in one of those footballing coincidences that seem to crop up regularly, the two sides will meet twice over the next month. First up is an important league encounter next weekend (Sunday, November 1, kick-off at 2pm), when the Royals make yet another trip to the south coast to face Southampton Women.
See you there!
Other League Cup results
- Chesham United 3-2 Wimborne Town
- Farnham Town 6-1 Denham United
- Kidlington 0-9 Southampton Women
- Bognor Regis Town 1-2 Beaconsfield Town
