Bromley Women 1-0 Reading Women: Match Report

Alice Curr in action / | Alison Matthews Reading Women exited the FA Cup with a narrow 1-0 defeat to Bromley Women in front of a bumper crowd at the Copperjax Stadium on Sunday. A passive first half proved costly for the Royals, with Beth Hull’s strike enough to send the Ravens through to the next r

The Soccer Zone

SEE ALL

SB Nation

Tottenham Hotspur vs. the transfer market: Part 3

SB Nation

Jürgen Klopp hints that Joshua Kimmich may not be a bonafide starter for Germany anymore

Trendline

Kylian Mbappé's Career Trajectory and Impact Detailed on English Wikipedia

What is the story about?

Reading Women exited the FA Cup with a narrow 1-0 defeat to Bromley Women in front of a bumper crowd at the Copperjax Stadium on Sunday.

A passive first half proved costly for the Royals, with Beth Hull’s strike enough to send the Ravens through to the next round despite late pressure and a frantic finish.

The result means Reading have exited the competition at the third round qualifying stage for the second successive season, following a 2-1 defeat to Brentford at the same stage last term.

The Royals

were up against a confident Bromley team in good form following their promotion to the Premier Division of the London & South East Regional Women’s Football League (tier five) last season, for the first time in the club’s history.

Manager Dean Davenport’s side have continued to impress again this season, extending their unbeaten run to eight matches across all competitions.

Bromley are a club on the rise, and despite the Copperjax Stadium hosting a lot of football this season (WSL side London City Lionesses also playing their home matches at the ground), fans turned out in force following a pre-match rally call to set a new club-record 1,208 attendance for the match against the Royals.

With the Southern Regional League starting (for reasons unknown) later than other divisions around them, Sunday’s cup tie was Reading’s fifth match of the season. The Royals arrived unbeaten in their last three games, scoring 12 goals along the way.

Ed Jackson-Norris made just one change to the side that drew with Oxford City last weekend, with Sophie Bishop replacing Nat Cowell in the central attacking role.

Team (4-1-2-3): Sophie Butler (GK), Poppy Whitburn (Nat Cowell, 67’), Keziah Banduka, Sarah Thompson, Bethan Poole (Lara Moore, 57’) , Ellie Szekeres, Ellie Luscombe (Freya Morgan, 81’), Mia Parker (captain) (Leah Why, 57’), Alice Curr, Sophie Bishop, Bogi Tramontini (Georgia Haye, 81’)

Unused subs: Keren Banduka, Martha Riley

Reading goalscorers: None

Bromley goalscorers: Beth Hull, 45’

Reading yellow cards: Bethan Pool, 11’

Bromley yellow cards: None

First half

With Tramontini on the left and Curr on the right supporting Bishop, Reading started with a formidable attacking trio, with further options available from the bench (despite Johnson’s absence from Sunday’s squad).

However, the Royals just couldn’t get the ball to their strikers, with Bishop’s 40th-minute effort – which went just wide of the post – their only attempt on goal in a first half dominated by the hosts.

The midfield trio of Parker, Szekeres and Luscombe worked tirelessly throughout, but found themselves on the back foot for much of the first half, with Bromley’s Mel Espinosa dictating the play in the middle of the park.

Bromley also posed a threat in attack and were quick to break, with Phoebe Murton and Charlotte Lee’s pace keeping Reading full-backs Poole and Whitburn occupied, while Bromley’s Hull kept Butler busy in the Reading goal.

Although under sustained pressure, the Royals’ defence did their utmost to remain resolute. Bromley won six corners (without reply) in the first half but were largely restricted to efforts from the edge of the box, with Luscombe bravely blocking one goal-bound effort and Butler handling confidently throughout.

With the team and Loyal Royals fans no doubt looking forward to a well-earned half-time break, and for a chance for Reading to regroup, the killer blow came in the final minute of normal play.

Bromley striker Hull grabbed her eighth goal of the season, continuing her impressive scoring form (after netting 36 times during 2025/26). She turned sharply to fire home at the near post, with Butler unable to keep out the strike, despite getting her hands to it, giving Jackson-Norris plenty to think about at the interval. 1-0.

Half-time: 1-0

Although Tramontini and Curr appeared to have swapped flanks, there were no other changes as Bishop got us underway for the second half.

Reading survived an early scare after the restart when Bromley’s Jacey Lane squared for Lee, whose sliding effort crashed against the angle of post and crossbar before dropping on the right side of the goal line and being cleared to safety.

If it was the warning the Royals needed, they responded with a strong spell of pressure. Curr created space for a shot but it lacked the power to trouble Bromley goalkeeper Charlotte Greenwood.

Reading made a double substitution in the 57th minute, with Moore and Why replacing Poole and Parker. Tramontini dropped into midfield, allowing Why to provide an attacking threat down the left to try and change the dynamics of the match.

The change almost paid off immediately, as Tramontini unleashed a fierce effort that Greenwood could only palm away, earning Reading their first corner of the match.

More attacking options followed, with Cowell replacing Whitburn and Curr dropping into a right-wing-back role.

As Reading continued to push for an equaliser, they remained vulnerable to the counter-attack, with Butler producing two excellent saves to keep them in the contest.

The first came at close range to deny what looked certain to be a second goal for Hull, before Butler made a full-stretch save to keep out an effort from substitute Maddie Farrand.

After last weekend’s controversial, last-gasp offside decision, there was welcome relief when the assistant referee’s flag was raised again – this time in Reading’s favour.

Bromley thought they’d doubled their advantage when Latifa Mammeri headed home from a free-kick, only for the goal to be ruled out for offside.

With 10 minutes remaining, Jackson-Norris played his remaining cards, bringing on Hayes and Morgan for Tramontini and Luscombe.

With Hayes and Morgan in midfield, Cowell upfront and Why causing chaos down the left, Reading finished strongly and came close to finding the equaliser that could have taken the tie to penalties.

After Butler’s fine second-half display, it was Bromley goalkeeper Greenwood’s turn to shine. She produced an acrobatic save in the 94th minute, tipping Curr’s strike onto the crossbar and behind for a final Reading corner, but the resulting set-piece came to nothing.

Full-time: 1-0

It’s a disappointing result for the Royals, who miss out on a place in the first round proper, and the financial reward that comes with it – although the club will bank another £1,500 following Sunday’s defeat.

With the Isthmian League and Combined Counties Cup draws both made over the weekend, Royals fans won’t have long to wait for the next cup tie.

Before then, Reading return to league action next Sunday, October 11 (2pm), with another away trip to face Sholing on the artificial 3G surface at the Mortgage Decisions Stadium.

See you there!