Reading Women’s opening match of the 2026/27 campaign didn’t go to plan, having suffered a heavy 7-3 defeat away to Farnham Town on Sunday.
As understatements go, yes, it’s a big one, I know.
Goals from Farnham Town’s new-look strike force sealed an emphatic victory for the home side, with the experienced Ashlee Hincks notching up four goals, alongside two from Cherelle Khassal and one from Alisha Buckingham.
In reply, goals from Bethan Poole and Tia Johnson pulled Reading back into contention, each
time just a single goal behind, before Farnham extended their lead, with Alice Curr executing a perfectly placed free-kick in time added on at the end of the match.
Although the result speaks for itself, it was a match that – up until the hour mark – was one Reading were very much involved in and capable of getting something out of, although they were always chasing the game.
The killer goal was Farnham’s fourth, just three minutes after Reading had clawed themselves back into the match, at 3-2 (after what looked like a genius quadruple-substitution move from Reading manager Ed Jackson-Norris). A blow too far from which the team never recovered.
It was always going to be a tough test. Farnham are a club in a hurry. Backed by entrepreneur Harry Hugo, both the men’s and the women’s team are in a race to climb up the leagues. The women’s team have only been around for two years and have already enjoyed back-to-back promotions in that time, rising from tier seven to their current tier five status.
In a show of continued intent, Farnham appointed a new manager in the summer, Kevin Foster, leaving tier-three side AFC Wimbledon after 10 years of service to be a part of the owner’s new project.
Foster wasted no time in bringing new players to the squad, with new faces amounting to more than a starting XI, many of them either following him from Wimbledon or dropping down two tiers from the National League tier three to play in the Southern Regional League.
Eight of those new signings started on Sunday against Reading, including quadruple goalscorer Hincks, one of those Wimbledon players who followed the new manager. She’s an experienced centre-forward who brought an impressive (to say the least) hit rate of 145 goals from 135 appearances over the last five seasons in the National League.
If Reading have infrastructure and training facilities to attract players, Farnham clearly have something else. And whatever it is, they seem to be doing something different if they can encourage players (and managers) to step down two tiers and be a part of their new journey.
Reading have made summer signings too, with Jackson-Norris introducing seven new faces into the squad this year. Four of the new additions – Freya Morgan, Ellie Luscombe, Alice Curr and Leah Why – were named in the starting XI, making their league debuts for the Royals.
Two more new faces – Martha Riley and Sophie Bishop – were on show, named on the bench alongside experienced players Nat Cowell and Mia Parker, as well as exciting prospect Lara Moore, an under-16s pathway graduate.
One bonus of the day was seeing Jazz King among the match-day crowd, albeit on crutches, starting her rehab and recovery just a few days after her ACL reconstructive surgery.
Team: Sophie Butler (GK), Poppy Whitburn (Lara Moore, 61), Sarah Thompson (captain), Keziah Banduka, Bethan Poole (Mia Parker, 61), Ellie Szekeres, Freya Morgan (Martha Riley, 61), Ellie Luscombe (Nat Cowell, 61), Alice Curr, Tia Johnson, Leah Why (Sophie Bishop, 45)
Reading goalscorers: Bethan Poole, 45’; Tia Johnson, 61’; Alice Curr, 90+5’
Farnham Town goalscorers: Ashlee Hincks, 4’, 14’, 72’, 90+1’; Cherelle Khassal, 52’, 65’; Buckingham 83’
Reading yellow cards: Sophie Bishop, 57’
Farnham Town yellow cards: Libby Doyle, 61’; Mia Ring, 65’; Islam Whelan, 80’; Farnham Town coach, 84’; Rose Kite, 87’; Gabby Bishop, 90+2; Alisha Buckingham 90+3
First half
The sun shone with the Royals looking resplendent, wearing the blue-and-white hooped kit for the first time this season. A good day for the Select Car Leasing sponsors too, with Reading’s shirts displaying the SCL logo.
Although it was Reading who enjoyed the first bit of early pressure, Curr’s shot from the right flashing wide of the back post, Farnham’s Hincks had the clinical finish and first goal of the afternoon. The towering number nine cut in from the left, unleashing a fierce shot which flew into the top corner from the edge of the Reading penalty area. 1-0.
Curr looks to be Reading’s set-piece specialist and was unlucky when her free-kick was just out of reach of Johnson and Poole, for an immediate reply.
Just minutes later, there was another blow for the Royals, with Hincks grabbing her second in a five-minute spell for 2-0. Another set-piece, but this time Town’s centre-forward elected to go direct with her free-kick, which rocketed past Reading goalkeeper Butler from long range.
If Reading were rocked, it didn’t show. With Johnson put through on goal, her effort went just wide, under pressure from the recovering Farnham defender.
Pressure from Reading midfielder Szekeres set up a chance for Curr (who had swapped sides with Why), only to see her effort ruled out by the referee’s assistant for offside.
In a spell of continued pressure, Johnson had another chance. Her shot was accurate but lacking in enough power to beat goalkeeper Rose Kite (ex-Reading, Oxford United, Southampton and Wimbledon).
Reading finished the first half well and earned their deserved rewards when Poole headed in from close range, from a third corner in quick succession.
Curr’s delivery towards the back post was bundled back across goal by a Farnham defender, under pressure from Thompson and Keziah Banduka, falling nicely to Poole, who had peeled away to find herself in a great position to nod home. Game on. 2-1.
Half-time: 2-1
Jackson-Norris made one change at half-time, with the introduction of Bishop for her debut, in place of Why, in a like-for-like swap.
In an early warning sign of things to come, the Royals defence were nearly punished when trying to play out of the back, with Town’s Castle dragging her shot wide after Reading had given the ball away.
Seven minutes after the restart, the Farnham striker pounced again, with Castle this time unforgiving. A through ball found space for the Farnham player to run in on goal and finish confidently, under pressure from recovering defender Whitburn. 3-1.
It’s fair to say that not only do Farnham have experience – in bucket loads (and at a higher level too) – but they were also pretty streetwise, knowing when and how to stop the play.
The hosts collected six yellow cards through the second half (and were fortunate to have not picked up any earlier).
This gamesmanship extended to Town’s coaching team too, midway through the second half, doing their best to try and influence (upgrade) the referee’s decision of what was a deserved yellow card (but nothing more) for Bishop, which was Reading’s only caution of the match.
The referee later booked one of the Farnham coaches for dissent (his team were ahead 5-2 at the time).
In a bold move, Jackson-Norris made a quadruple change, with an immediate effect. Bishop’s vision and perfectly executed cross-field pass found Johnson on the edge of the penalty area, with the Reading striker adjusting her feet to coolly finish with a right foot shot past Kite. 3-2.
If Reading fans were back in expectation of a great end to the match, Farnham had other ideas. Within three minutes, the home side had once again restored their two-goal advantage.
Reading defender Banduka’s pass was blocked and fell kindly for the home side, who ruthlessly released Castle down the left. Once again, she made no mistake, drilling the ball past Butler from a tight angle. 4-2.
After the attack-minded substitutions, and with Reading needing to get back into the match, the new formation inevitably left counter-attacking gaps for the home side to exploit, and they did this ruthlessly.
Hincks completed her hat-trick by converting from the penalty spot, after being felled by Banduka, who mis-timed her tackle in a last-ditch attempt to stop the centre-forward’s run on goal. 5-2.
With the game already beyond reach and with the final whistle not far away, Reading had – understandably – lost a bit of their bounce and energy. With four minutes to go, Farnham worked the ball out to Buckingham on the right for a neat finish. 6-2.
Route-one football secured Farnham’s seventh. Hincks latching onto the goalkeeper’s long kick, the centre-forward composed enough to lob the out-coming Butler with a deft finish. 7-2.
In a bizarre twist to the end of the match, Farnham goalkeeper Kite gave away a direct free-kick just outside of her penalty area when, in a state of confusion, she picked up the ball.
Curr, in a show of her credentials and of what we will hopefully see more of this season (in better circumstances too), executed the set-piece in some style, driving her shot past the wall and into the bottom corner, for Reading to have the last say. 7-3.
Full-time: 7-3
Although a bruising scoreline, it’s a temporary blow and knock-back which is far too early to worry about, It’s also against a side who, among many others – including Reading – will all be expecting to compete at the top end of the table.
There’s time to wallow, review and reset but, as the message goes, ‘keep calm and carry on’ – apt for when the Royals resume training on Tuesday.
And they have a great opportunity to put this all behind them next Sunday (Sunday September 6, 2pm kick-off), with Fleet Town the first visitors to the SCL Stadium since Durham, in the Championship (now WSL2), back in March 2024.
After two years away, it will be a great homecoming occasion and spectacle, in front of what I’m sure will be a good Loyal Royal crowd.
Tickets are available on the Reading Women website with both matchday and season tickets available (with under-16s free of charge when accompanied by an adult).
See you there!
Other league matches
- Beaconsfield Town 2-2 Woodley United
- Chesham United 0-4 Southampton Women
- Fleet Town 0-3 Oxford City
- Sholing 4-2 Denham United
- Winchester City Flyers 1-3 AFC Porchester
