Reading Women made an emphatic return to the Select Car Leasing Stadium on Sunday, and in some style, with a statement 7-2 victory against inaugural tier five visitors Fleet Town.
In a case of clearly not reading the script, the visitors surprised the 500+ crowd by taking the lead in the Royals’ new backyard. Just before half-time though, Nat Cowell became Reading’s first player since Jessie Stapleton, against Durham in April 2024, to get her name on the scoresheet at the SCL, to set the stage for what
was to be an explosive second half for the Royals.
A Poppy Whitburn goal shortly after the restart calmed any nerves and allowed the hosts to step up a gear and run riot, with an own goal and two apiece from both Sophie Bishop and Alice Curr.
Although Fleet Town competed in the same league last season (following their promotion from Division One South in 2024/25), it was only the second time the two sides had met in tier five.
The Royals ran out 8-0 winners at Arbour Park, Slough last season, with the reverse fixture unable to be fulfilled and all three points awarded to Reading, after Fleet were unable to field a team towards the end of what was a very protracted season, disrupted by a very wet winter.
Following last weekend’s defeat at Farnham Town, Reading manager Ed Jackson-Norris made just two changes to the starting XI.
Tia Johnson and Keziah Banduka were on the bench, with experienced striker Cowell leading a front three, alongside Curr on the left and Leah Why on the right. At the other extreme, under-16s pathway graduate Lara Moore made her full league debut for the first team – and what a place for her to do it!
Team: Sophie Butler (GK), Poppy Whitburn, Lara Moore (Keziah Banduka, 55’), Sarah Thompson (captain), Bethan Poole (Lara Moore, 89’), Ellie Szekeres (Sophie Bishop, 60’), Freya Morgan (Martha Riley, 60’), Ellie Luscombe (Freya Morgan, 79’), Alice Curr, Nat Cowell (Tia Johnson, 60’) , Leah Why (Mia Parker, 60’)
Reading goalscorers: Poppy Whitburn, 48’; Nibblett (OG), 58’; Sophie Bishop, 72’, 86’; Alice Curr, 90+1’ 90+3’
Fleet Town goalscorers: Lily Martin, 36’; Priya Wilson, 90+1’
Reading yellow/red cards: None
Fleet Town yellow/red cards: None
First half
Fittingly, Reading kicked off the match and won the first corner within the first 60 seconds, with left-back Poole (who scored Reading’s opening goal of the season last weekend) sending her shot wide of the post.
Although the visitors also won their first corner early, it was Reading who dominated the play in the opening 20 minutes.
Royals striker Why – a threat all afternoon and unlucky not to get on the scoresheet – flashed a couple of fierce shots just wide of the post and crossbar angle, and forced Reading’s second corner of the match after her shot was deflected, following a great move involving Poole, Curr and Szekeres.
After Morgan’s shot was deflected for a corner and Reading’s fourth and fifth were scrambled away, it felt like it was only a matter of time before the Royals would open the scoring.
But Fleet had other ideas. A shot from Lily Last forced Reading goalkeeper Butler to tip the ball over the crossbar and set the path for what became a good spell of pressure and series of corners for the visitors.
With just over 30 minutes of the match gone, the visitors stunned the home crowd with a great long-range effort from Martin. Following a throw-in, and under pressure from Why, the Fleet captain turned and crisply hit a shot which flew past Butler for the opening goal of the match. 0-1.
With a newly found confidence, Fleet’s Avery Tolley fired a shot straight at Butler, with Reading defender and captain Thompson putting in a great challenge to prompt the visitors’ fifth corner of the match, which was cleared to safety.
With the game edging its way to half-time, Reading’s midfield dynamo Szekeres found Curr, who sent a delightful flicked pass through to Cowell. She timed her run perfectly to beat the offside trap, round goalkeeper Belle Hicks and slot home for the equaliser. 1-1.
That was the fillip everyone needed and, maybe it was just me, but it felt like a palpable weight of expectation was suddenly lifted from the stadium. And it was perfectly timed to enjoy over a hot drink and hot dog during the half-time break.
Half-time: 1-1
Despite the onset of rain, there was nothing that could dampen the mood when Reading took the lead just minutes after the restart.
Reading looked to have set up more attack-minded after the break and their high press paid off when Why released Curr down the left. The winger’s cross from the left was saved by Town ‘keeper Hicks, but only parried to Whitburn – the right-back following up to convert, left-footed. for 2-1.
Shortly after came Jackson-Norris’ first change in personnel, a like-for-like swap that saw Keziah Banduka replace Moore in central defence alongside Thompson.
Reading striker Why, appearing to enjoy a more central role, chased down a ball to dispossess a defender and whip in a cross. Hicks again got a hand to the delivery, only to see her attempted save hit defender Lauren Nibblett and go into the net for an own goal. 3-1.
With a two-goal cushion and strong substitutes bench, Jackson-Norris chose to make a quadruple change. Strikers Johnson and Bishop replaced Cowell and Why, with midfielders Riley and Parker (who took over the captain’s armband) coming on for Morgan and Szekeres.
With players visibly tiring, the Reading changes were the last thing Fleet wanted to see, and the new personnel continued from where those departing had left off.
Johnson saw a couple of efforts go close before Bishop made no mistake, reacting quickest to an attempted clearance, from Reading’s eighth corner, to fire home and make it 4-1.
With Reading firmly in control and the majority of the play in the visitors’ half, goalkeeper Butler was largely a spectator, watching her teammates as they peppered shots towards the opposition ‘keeper.
Reading added a fifth when pressure from Riley forced the ball into the path of Bishop, who rifled her shot into the bottom corner for her second of the match. 5-1.
With the match heading into three minutes of time added on, there was still enough action for three more goals. In a great bit of play by Fleet, Imogen Cocherell burst into the box and, to her credit, stayed on her feet under pressure from Reading defender Moore, delivering a cross to the back post for Wilson to tap home. 5-2.
Reading kept possession from the restart. Banduka found Whitburn with a long, angled pass; her cross from the right eluded Bishop but was slotted home by the alert and lively Curr, in support just behind her, for 6-2.
Curr had tried her hardest to get on the scoresheet up until that point, but she didn’t have to wait long for another to arrive. Bishop turned provider, her pass cutting open the Town defence for Curr – who showed no signs of tiredness throughout her 90 minutes – to run onto the perfect assist and finish with ease, wrapping up a thoroughly deserved and entertaining end to the match. 7-2.
At the final whistle, Dog Days Are Over burst into life, loud and proud through the shiny new sound system. Florence + the Machine’s iconic track had aptly been voted for by the Loyal Royals as their post-match winning anthem.
Full-time: 7-2
The Southern Region League includes 12 clubs this season, the healthiest it’s been since 2008/09. The even number of teams also means that, before cup competition interruptions (which start next weekend), no side has to sit out and wait (as in previous years), with up to six league matches able to be played each weekend.
With 60 points still to play for, and with half the league fancying themselves as title contenders, it’s still very early days, making for an exciting prospect ahead.
If you enjoyed Sunday’s match (and who wouldn’t?), the great news is that there are several more opportunities to watch Reading play at the SCL Stadium over the next three weekends.
So make sure to head back to the SCL next weekend (September 20, 2pm kick-off) when Reading take a break from league action to take on Beaconsfield Town in the second qualifying round of the FA Cup.
See you there!
League results
- Chesham United 3-2 Woodley United
- Denham United 2-2 Southampton Women
- Oxford City 0-1 AFC Portchester
- Sholing 1-7 Farnham Town
- Winchester City Flyers 8-1 Beaconsfield Town
