The weather may have changed a lot since last weekend – those in attendance at the SCL today had to put up with a cold, windy and sometimes wet afternoon – but the proverbial deckchair was out once again. Having watched Stevenage goalkeeper Filip Marschall enjoy a particularly comfortable second half at Reading’s expense last time out, Joel Pereira managed one of his own against Wigan Athletic.
The Royals’ keeper was only called into serious action once today, flinging himself to his right acrobatically
to deny Caylan Vickers in the 91st minute. Otherwise this was an afternoon of R&R for Pereira, with Reading’s outfield defence not seriously tested by a blunt Latics side that never really looked like causing danger.
Suffice to say, this was one of the worst opposition performances we’ve seen this season, and there’s no getting away from how important that was in determining just how stress-free this game was from a Reading perspective. We haven’t had enough of these matches this season.
That said, in stark (and reassuring) contrast to the Stevenage game, this was also an afternoon when Reading played well in their own right, doing the basics thoroughly and convincingly throughout the 90 minutes. Good structure and confidence in possession? Check. Competent defending? Check. Legitimate threat going forwards? Check. No abrupt collapse in performance? Check.
There was more on top of that, to be fair. Reading at times played some good football collectively, there were bright individual performances from Kamari Doyle and Kelvin Ehibhatiomhan in particular, and there were enough near-misses for the scoreline to been a couple higher than 3-0.
I wouldn’t get too carried away though: this was a good display against a bad side, not a great one. In that respect I’d put this game in a very similar category to the 2-0 home win over Burton Albion.
The big – and significant – difference though is that this time Reading were coming in off the back off a bad performance (an infuriatingly passive one at Stevenage). Given how low confidence may well have been among the players over the course of the last week, the collective reaction deserves a lot of credit.
Kudos in particular though to Kelvin Ehibhatiomhan, who’s now on six in his last six. He’s developing a real knack for poachers’ goals and today’s brace – a first-half header and second-half scramble from close range – was another example of that.
While these goals look easy on paper, they require confidence, ruthlessness and opportunism – qualities he’s lacked – so I’m delighted to see him taking them on board. As tempting as it is to bring up factors such as the influence of James Beattie on the coaching staff or the amount of game time on offer now Jack Marriott is injured, ultimately it’s on Ehibhatiomhan to deliver, and right now he’s doing exactly that.
Keep it up please, Kelv!
Leam Richardson was able to name some returning players in the matchday squad today: a timely boost with Randell Williams and Benn Ward now out for the season. Daniel Kyerewaa started and Haydon Roberts made the bench, while Jeriel Dorsett remained in the XI despite being forced off at Stevenage.
Reading (4-2-3-1): Pereira; Nyambe, O’Connor, Dez Williams, Dorsett; Wing, Fraser; Doyle, Savage, Kyerewaa; Ehibhatiomhan
Subs: Stevens, Yiadom, Burns, Roberts, Ritchie, Lane, Keane
This game was a match-report writer’s dream, without an extensive list of major moments to get through. Those moments fell kindly for Reading in the first half though, starting in the ninth minute, when Doyle lofted in a cross from the right which Ehibhatiomhan nodded home from close range for 1-0.
Doyle was the creative force once more, 10 minutes later, as the Royals went 2-0 up. Picking up a loose ball, he drove forwards and slipped a cute pass in behind for the onrushing Charlie Savage, whose low cross was bizarrely diverted by Latics defender Will Aimson into his own net. Fortuitous yes, but with confident attacking play you make your own luck.
Reading came close on other occasions too. A Ryan Nyambe low cross found Daniel Kyerewaa, whose shot was blocked – this was pretty much his only major involvement in a quiet return from injury. Ehibthatiomhan also set up former assister Doyle with a bold run forwards, the latter scooping a shot wide of the post after the ball had dropped for him in the Wigan area.
So, all in all a good half which was largely uneventful and short on drama, bar some moments of class going forwards. Getting two early goals was critical though, seemingly dealing the visitors a damaging blow to their confidence and doing most of the work towards getting the game won before the 20th minute.
Half time: 2-0
There was one half-time Reading change, an enforced one, with Doyle replaced by Paddy Lane. Hopefully that’s just precautionary: as well as playing excellently today, Doyle is generally so important to this side, being the only proper playmaker. His creativity isn’t easy to replicate.
Wigan responded fairly well after the break to be fair, looking the brighter team in the early stages of the second half. Reading were penned back in that period and needed the tactical time-out of Pereira going down for treatment around the 51st-minute mark. That said, the Latics hadn’t actually translated that resurgence into seriously threatening Pereira’s goal.
Still, we’ve seen Reading fade drastically in the second half far too often this season, so it was great to see the improvement at this point of the contest today.
Dorsett came close to making it three, nodding a corner wide when he probably should have scored, but Ehibhatiomhan made no mistake in the 63rd minute. Another Savage in-swinger was recycled by Lane – to Paudie O’Connor at the back post – and the knock-down eventually fell for Long Kelvin to poke in for 3-0.
The game was basically dead at that point, with Wigan dejected and the Royals not desperate to push for a fourth. Other chances did come through, with substitute Roberts (on for Kyerewaa) whipping in an excellent cross that Ehibhatiomhan headed wide.
Not to be outdone for skill, Pereira provided a moment of his own. When under pressure at the back, he deftly spun past an onrushing Wigan attacker in one of the most confident, classy ways you’ll ever see from a goalkeeper at any level, let alone League One. An absolutely delighted Club 1871 behind him paid tribute with a chant of: “Joel Pereira, he’s taking the piss.”
After a Wigan ‘goal’ was ruled out for offside, Richardson turned to his bench a couple more times in the 85th minute. Off went Ehibhatiomhan and Nyambe, for Will Keane and Andy Yiadom.
The final big contributions came from goalies at both ends of the pitch. As well as the previously mentioned acrobatic stop from Pereira in injury time, Wigan ‘keeper Sam Tickle did well to deny Savage when he burst through on goal and let fly with his right foot.
Full time: 3-0
With the exception of Doyle going off at half-time, this game couldn’t have gone much better. Reading put the Stevenage game behind them convincingly, scored a few, kept a rare clean sheet and got minutes on the board for players returning from injury. Kyerewaa and Roberts will both certainly be important in the run-in.
The result moves the Royals back into the top six, albeit only just, with Stevenage and Plymouth Argyle both within three points of us but able to call on games in hand (two and one respectively). Next up, another crucial playoff clash, as Reading head north to 10th-placed Huddersfield Town on Good Friday.
