We’re not really used to ‘routine wins’ in these parts, are we? In recent years, Reading have generally needed either to play particularly well for a victory or to get lucky, so today’s game – a run-of-the-mill one by comparison – feels somewhat unfamiliar, but certainly not in a bad way.
Reading may not have been at their free-flowing attacking best (like when sticking five past Mansfield Town) and didn’t put in a standout, complete performance (like against Blackpool), but they didn’t have to be.
This was a professional and “efficient” (to pinch an apt adjective off Wimb) home victory over Notts County.
We did everything we needed to do though. Reading were solid at the back (surrendering an xG of just 0.59, as per FotMob), created enough chances to be a convincing threat going forwards (2.62 on the same metric), took two of them and then managed that lead maturely.
It also helps hugely when you have a simple but effective route to goal, as Reading did today: put a good cross into the box to find a clinical striker in space – then do it again. County should have known better than to give Jack Marriott room, however.
Plus, the fact that Reading regularly find the net from crosses (although they’ve more often been low crosses than aerial ones this season) is an encouraging sign that this side knows how it wants to attack. Stop me if you’ve seen me write that before.
No-one either individually or collectively had to be at their very best performance-wise on the pitch today, so a word for Leam Richardson instead. This game was more evidence that he’s building a well drilled, effective side that can win matches even when it’s not at its best. Long may that continue.
Despite last weekend’s defeat at Cambridge United, Richardson once again made no changes to his league side.
Such consistency in the matchday squad was, like the manner of the win, a break from what we’ve been used to in recent years. It did however mean no room in the squad for Josh Stokes, even though he’d looked promising against Brentford on Tuesday.
Reading (4-2-3-1): Pereira; Godwin-Malife, O’Connor, Ward, Roberts; Wing, Rinomhota; Lisbie, Earthy, Lane; Marriott
Subs: Stevens, Masterson, Savage, Williams, Kyerewaa, Brown, Reid
First half
The opening 45 minutes today weren’t too dissimilar to the equivalent period against Mansfield. Reading started slowly and were second-best for quite some time, but did manage to grow into the game, looking the stronger team by the interval.
Even in this opening spell of the match though – our worst of the afternoon – County were prevented from looking too dangerous in our third. Bar putting a close-range header off target early on and a forward being denied by a vital Paudie O’Connor last-ditch challenge, there weren’t too many really worrying moments from a Royals perspective.
Reading were still poor, but I’d put that down mainly to County’s approach. The visitors pressed aggressively, looking well organised and energetic, doing an effective job of preventing us from gaining space and playing the game we wanted to.
Accordingly, some of our key creative players – George Earthy and Kyreece Lisbie – were fairly quiet in the first half. There was also some defensive shakiness, including Benn Ward losing the ball too easily in the build-up to the opportunity snuffed out by O’Connor, and the distribution from the back should have been more positive.
As the half went on however, Reading did an increasingly good job of taking the game to the visitors. The quicker and sharper in possession we were, the more we looked capable of putting County on the back foot and creating chances.
In the final 15 minutes or so of the half, Lewis Wing managed to find shooting space from long range a few times (not troubling the ‘keeper on any occasion), Udoka Godwin-Malife almost nodded a corner in at the back post, Paddy Lane caused danger with some wicked deliveries and one blocked shot, and Marriott forced a corner with a well struck left-footed effort.
All in all then, a mixed opening 45 minutes, but there were still positives to take and a platform to build on.
Half time: 0-0
Reading didn’t waste time after the break in getting the opener. With 49 minutes on the clock, Haydon Roberts swung in a dream of a cross from the left to find Marriott, whose bullet header from close range left the ‘keeper with no chance. 1-0.
Although the Royals didn’t kick on quite as convincingly as they had after taking the lead against Mansfield, they did fashion some decent chances soon after today’s opener. Roberts almost found Marriott with a long ball, Earthy played in Lane for a well hit shot from a narrow angle, and Marriott drew a save out of the ‘keeper with a powerful hit after Andy Rinomhota had won the ball back.
Down the other end, County – who made a whopping quadruple change on the hour mark – caused some anxiety in Reading’s third. Accordingly, Ward had to be alert a few times, putting in some important blocks to maintain the Royals’ clean sheet.
However, County failed to really open up Reading’s defence all afternoon. The visitors saw a fair amount of the ball, particularly after the break, but their only two shots from inside the area in the second half came in the 92nd minute. Their third and final such effort of the entire contest was that close-range header early on in the first half.
The Royals made their lead more commanding in the 72 minute, with a goal not all that dissimilar to the opener. This time it was from right-winger Kyreece Lisbie, putting the after-burners on to blaze past a defender before lofting a cross to the back post, where Marriott nodded home for 2-0.
That was Marriott’s last major bit of action – in the 74th minute, he and Roberts were subbed off for Jacob Brown and Randell Williams. Richardson’s first move from the bench in league games nowadays is always to bring on those two, albeit with different players withdrawn each time. Today that meant a straight swap up top, Williams going to the left wing and Lane moving to left-back.
Though I’m getting a tad irritated by the routine predictability with which Richardson uses his subs, it almost paid dividends. Earthy charged forward on the counter and played in Brown, who unselfishly fed Williams in space, only for the effort on his weaker, right foot to cannon against the bar.
That was that for major events, pretty much, for the rest of the game. Richardson did however turn to his bench for another couple of changes in injury time, swapping Earthy and Lisbie off for Charlie Savage and Daniel Kyerewaa.
Full time: 2-0
Back to winning ways for Reading then, and I love just how unremarkable this win felt. All too often in recent years we’ve been on the receiving end of a routine win, so it’s nice to see this Royals side able to dish out one of its own.
Plus, a third league win in four games suggests we’re building a bit of momentum. The next step is to translate that into our away form, with three League One matches on the road in the next month or so, starting at Wycombe Wanderers next Saturday.
