Well then. Where do you start with that?
At 90 minutes, this game looked like it would surely end up as a solid, encouraging start to the Leam Richardson era. Reading were two goals to the good, thanks
to Lewis Wing and Mark O’Mahony, with the visitors seemingly kept at arm’s length. Surely even the bizarre eight minutes of time added on wouldn’t be an issue?
On 90+3, Regan Linney slammed home for 2-1, picking up a loose ball after the initial free-kick had gone through the ball. Five minutes later he had his brace, thanks to a howler from Jack Stevens at the death. It took Linney just four minutes into extra-time to complete his hat-trick, Carlisle United’s impressive turnaround and the Royals’ embarrassment.
Actually no, that’s not quite right. The embarrassment didn’t stop there.
Look, this is the FA Cup: weird things can and do happen. Regardless of the gulf in quality on paper – the Cumbrians sitting two divisions below us – the drama of such occasions is ripe territory for bizarre swings in fortune. If the Royals’ woes had ended with Stevens’ howler, or even Linney’s third, that would be one thing.
But just as bad as all that – worse, really – was the limp, weak reaction to going behind. Forget tactics, formations and personnel – the fundamental non-negotiable of any side should be to never be out-fought, always to give as much as you can. But with the score at 2-3, and an embarrassing FA Cup exit on the cards, it’s as if Reading were oblivious to what was happening.
Simply put, the Royals didn’t make Carlisle work hard enough for their win – bar a couple of long-range shots, their ‘keeper wasn’t tested. It was complacent, uninspiring and angering – as fans made clear at full-time with the loudest booing of the season.
On the one hand, this pathetic collapse wasn’t that surprising. After all, teams that have just sacked a manager aren’t in the best of states anyway, let alone when it’s a club with form for struggling against non-league sides in this competition.
On the other… I still expected so much more. Surely, surely every single one of those players out there today should have been busting a gut to impress the new gaffer? Apparently not.
It’s far too soon obviously to put this on Richardson, who’s only been in his position for a few days. Indeed, much of the pattern of the game – promise in the first half, deterioration in the second, lack of ruthlessness, poor game management – have been problems for a while now.
But he’s already been dealt one nasty curveball. How he reacts to this showing, how he asserts standards after what he’s just witnessed, will be a vital early test of his management. Good luck Leam!
Richardson named a strong side for this game, with Andy Yiadom returning to the XI.
Reading (4-2-3-1): Stevens; Yiadom, Stickland, Dorsett, Jacob; Wing, Savage; Kyerewaa, Doyle, Lane; Ehibhatiomhan
Subs: Norcott, Ahmed, Abrefa, Borgnis, Spencer, Garcia, Camara, Tuma, O’Mahony
The first half an hour was pretty encouraging for Reading, with the game quickly settling down into the pattern of the home side looking to unlock the visitors.
To do that, Richardson had given the Royals a different in-possession structure, suggesting an immediate attempt at getting his new team firing as an attacking force. In build-up, Reading essentially went 3-2-4-1: Yiadom deep with the centre-backs and the double pivot staying put, Matty Jacob and Daniel Kyerewaa holding width, and Paddy Lane coming very central to provide close support for Kelvin Ehibhatiomhan.
It bore some fruit, with Reading looking stronger attacking down the left. On one occasion, around 10 minutes in, Lane and Jacob combined on that flank before Kamari Doyle finished, only for the goal to be ruled out (I think for handball).
Reading weren’t to be denied for too long though. Just over half an hour in, Lewis Wing put in a corner that wasn’t cleared, instead eventually coming back to him in the area, in space, allowing him to slam home past the ‘keeper. 1-0.
The Royals had further chances in a half that was overall comfortable (Carlisle offering little bar a header from a free-kick that went in, but was ruled out for offside). Kyerewaa, played in by Doyle down the right, set up Ehibhatiomhan for an effort that was fired over the bar, before the centre-forward forced an excellent one-handed stop from the goalie with a powerful header (via a right-footed Lane cross from the left).
Half time: 1-0
Going again after the break has been an issue for Reading this season, and so it proved again today. Carlisle looked the stronger side in the early stages of the second half, with the Royals struggling to rebuild the momentum they’d managed before the interval.
Richardson then turned to his bench a couple of times. Yiadom (exposed defensively somewhat and tiring) was sensibly swapped out for Kelvin Abrefa on the hour mark, with Mark O’Mahony introduced for Lane, who’d continued his recent improvement.
And the Irishman had an instant impact off the bench. On 68 minutes, Doyle floated in a cross to him from the right, O’Mahony controlled well and bounced his finish home, off the turf and past the ‘keeper for 2-0.
The second goal brought a lift to the home side, with Ehibhatiomhan (pushed out to the left when O’Mahony replaced Lane) looking more confident. He forced a strong save with a low, hard effort that seemed destined for the bottom corner, while Jacob blasted over from a corner.
Richardson turned to his bench twice more in the 81st minute. On came the returning Mamadi Camara and Andre Garcia, replacing Kyerewaa and Ehibhatiomhan out wide. Though neither had a huge attacking impact and Reading did go off the boil somewhat as the second half progressed, a two-goal lead really should have been good enough.
Linney had other ideas, of course, making it 2-1 and then 2-2 in front of an ecstatic away end. While there was a freak element to both of those goals – the ball going loose after a free-kick had gone through Reading’s wall, and Stevens’ weak goalkeeping – the goal for 2-3 was a catalogue of defensive errors. The Royals were badly stretched, ragged and then punished by his finish from the edge of the area.
Full-time: 2-3
I was really hoping Richardson would go in strongly in his post-match media comments, but he decided not to do so, instead taking a more analytical tone. To be fair though, his point that Reading’s performance was too polarised either side of the break – becoming too individual in the second half – was a good one.
With a seemingly ever-growing injury list, there’s probably not a huge amount of changes he can make on Thursday, when Stevenage come to town. There must, however, be some kind of substantial response to this performance.
