Joel Pereira: 6
Routine save from a Bloxham shot on the right (Reading’s left) in the 64th minute. Unable to do anything about the Blackpool goal in the 80th minute.
Didn’t really have much to do this game (reference the notes above), which is a massive positive for us, despite conceding for the first time in three games. A far cry from earlier in the season.
Udoka Godwin-Malife: 6
Blackpool mostly attacked down Reading’s left today, so didn’t find himself with a lot of work to do and didn’t get forward as often.
Overall, a pretty quiet
day at the office for Dokes. Two notable moments were when he worked well to block off a Blackpool break in the 24th minute with Paudie O’Connor (good) but lost possession with a heavy touch in the middle of the park in the 79th minute (bad) that almost led to a Blackpool counter.
Paudie O’Connor: 7
Better today, a much more solid performance. He made a number of good headed clearances in the first half of the first half and also combined well with Dokes to block off a Blackpool break in the 24th minute, being smart to stay on his feet and not diving in.
Unfortunately, he was caught ball-watching for the Blackpool goal in the 80th minute, instead of tracking the run (which was more like a jog) from the Blackpool attacker.
Benn Ward: 7
Ward had a quiet but effective first half, unflustered and dealing with what came his way.
In the second half, Ward was slow to get going and let a dangerous whipped cross get behind him in the 48th minute, which led to nothing fortunately. Ward also nearly set up Marriott with a header in the 62nd minute, having stayed up as part of the attack after a Reading corner.
He struggled to deal with Bloxham’s run down the right in the 64th minute, but Pereira showed safe hands. Ward, however, later showed great anticipation to step across and block a dangerous Bloxham run into the box to get the ball out for a corner.
Haydon Roberts: 6
Good cross from deep to find Marriott at the near post in the fourth minute and in particular during the game, he was consistently looking to put crosses into the box from the wide/deep left.
His wanderings forward sometimes left a gap between himself and Ward which Blackpool would look to exploit, particularly in the second half, but rarely did they succeed in doing so. Until they did, and wasn’t anywhere to be seen for the Blackpool goal.
Roberts also went down with an “injury” in the 88th minute but didn’t get up quickly enough, despite being instructed to get up by Richardson, so Reading went down to 10 men for a period of time while he could get treatmen, which didn’t help with the game management, as Blackpool were chasing an equaliser at this point.
Lewis Wing: 6
Just… meh. Perhaps it’s because of the ludicrous levels of performance he has set for himself in the previous three years, but he’s just not clicking into gear yet.
For example: Wing found himself in space 30-35 yards out and in lots of space in the 23rd minute – AKA Wing Territory. Naturally, fans urged to him shoot, but Wing instead provided a rugby conversion, and we may never get that ball back again.
Looked a little brighter in the second half, but at times a bit sloppy. Wing delivered a good corner into the box in the 62nd minute that we weren’t able to capitalise on and also did well to feint a shot and use his left to set up Marriot in the 66th minute, who unfortunately had just strayed offside.
Wing also put in a crucial foot to stop Bowler’s run into the box – had he not made the contact to win the ball, it would surely have been a Blackpool goal in the later stages of the game.
Howver, it was poor from Wing in the 92nd minute to get caught offside for a tap-in that Reid did so well to set up for him.
Not a bad day by any stretch, but you just know that, in terms of performance right now, he is closer to his floor than his ceiling.
Andy Rinomhota: 8
Excellent. It seems coming off mid-week against Mansfield Town was just a precaution because Rinomhota in the middle of the park was imperious, particularly in his defensive work.
Not just limited to contributing defensively, Rinomhota played a good long ball to find Lisbie for the pre-assist to make it 1-0.
Rinomhota also did one of his classic striding runs through the middle of the park to carry the ball forward, which found Paddy Lane after he got knocked down in the 16th minute, which nearly led to 2-0, and then popped up in the Blackpool box in the 28th minute, looking lively while Reading knitted together some good passing moves.
Capping off his notable first-half moments, Rinomhota’s defensive work in the 35th minute – tracking back to win the ball after initially carrying the ball forward, and then playing it to safety – was excellent.
The second half was more about the continued defensive contributions, though he did play a great ball forward in the 60th minute to find Earthy in space which cut the Blackpool midfield wide open.
Subbed off for Charlie Savage in the 85th minute.
Kyreece Lisbie: 8
You know already what I’m going to say when I say it’s a customary Lisbie performance. He played all the classics: defence-splitting runs, crosses, low balls into the six-yard box, an assist, knitting play together on the right and tracking back to support defensively. However, today he also delivered his first Reading goal.
In the first half, Lisbie received a long ball from Rinomhota and ran through the middle of the pitch to get a great low ball across the six-yard box to set up Earthy to make it 1-0 to Reading in the 12th minute.
This was followed by up a run down the right in the 18th minute where he cheekily nutmugged the Blackpool left-back to put a cross in for Earthy.
I loved the effort to track back and support Dokes in the 42nd minute to prevent a Blackpool counter, also. In fact, he was so quick he not only got ahead of the Blackpool attacker but ahead of Dokes too, to win the ball and get it safe.
In the second half, Lisbie picked up from where he left off in the first and read the situation well to react to a Marriott shot in the 49th minute and get Reading’s second goal. He was later subbed off for Daniel Kyerewaa in the 76th minute, receiving a well earned round of applause.
George Earthy: 8
Celebrating his 22nd birthday today, he helped himself to a goal with a well timed run to the back post, avoiding being tracked and helping himself to a tap-in to score in the 12th minute. Many happy returns!
Earthy had a headed effort from a Lisbie cross in 18th minute, but couldn’t get it on target and was lively in the box in the 28th minute to string together some good passing moves.
Earthy generally offers great movement and pressing across the forward line and a good example of this was in the 36th minute, using his dynamism to try and press the Blackpool backline to win the ball back, helping Marriott preserve his legs. They are developing quite the partnership already.
In the second half, Earthy’s had a great touch in the 49th minute to take a high ball under control on the edge of the Blackpool area and play in Marriott, eventually leading to Reading’s second, and provided another defence-splitting pass to set up Marriott for an effort in the 60th minute.
Subbed off in the 70th minute for Randell Williams. Earthy went off at half-time clutching his side, so I am not sure if this is coincidental or related.
However, he was excellent today and looks at home in this side. He is already proving to be a smart piece of business, based on his last couple of games.
Paddy Lane: 7
Set up Marriott from a Rinomhota pass on the left, which nearly led to a goal in the 16th minute.
Lane also came right across the field to the right to win a stray Blackpool pass and get possession back for Reading in the 38th minute, but the move broke down through no fault of his own. Generally, Lane had a productive first half, making good runs and linking play down the left.
In the second half, Lane linked play with Marriott in the 61st minute to win a corner, which threatened to turn into a goal.
However, on the down side, Lane was unable to track back competitively to stop the ball getting delivered for the cross to set up the Blackpool goal in the 80th minute, though this may be due to having picked up an injury a few minutes beforehand and I don’t recall Roberts being anywhere to be seen in this moment, so I am erring on the side of leniency here.
Subbed off for Andy Reid in the 85th minute after continuing his strong start to the season.
Jack Marriott: 6
No goals today but still a productive afternoon, most prominently linking play with the likes of Earthy, Lane and Lisbie to help Reading sustain quick attacks.
Marriott started quickly when he snuck in at the near post and nearly nicked the ball off the defender in the fourth minute after a Roberts long ball. He later looked to take an initial poor touch just inside the left of the box from a Lane pass in the 16th minute, but unleashed a ferocious left-footed effort which the Blackpool ‘keeper did really well to parry.
In the second half, Marriot sniffed out a really bad back-pass from the Blackpool defender in the 47th minute and was clean through on goal, but hit it too early and ended up putting it out wide.
Followed this up with another shot shortly after. Marriott had an effort saved from an Earthy pass in the 49th minute, which the ‘keeper allowed to rebound to Lisbie, which Lisbie tucked away.
Marriott showed good link-up play with Lane in the 61st minute to win a corner, however he strayed offside to receive a Wing pass in the 66th minute and did miss a sitter around this period of the game too.
Subbed off in the 70th minute for Jacob Brown.
Subs
Randell Williams: 7
Subbed on for Earthy in the 70th minute to play centrally as the 10 but made an instant impact ON THE RIGHT after drifting over there (are you reading this Richardson? This is where he SHOULD be playing), with a great whipped cross that Ward nearly got a head on.
Dwelled too long in possession in the 72nd minute on a Reading counter, which caused the move to break down.
Looked lively in the middle, but no denying it limited his effectiveness. Eventually this was corrected in the 85th minute with the introduction of Reid, allowing Williams to go out to the left wing.
Williams delivered a Roberts-esque ball from the deep, wide left to whip the ball into the back post to find Kyerewaa, who set up Reading’s third goal. Williams clearly does all his best work out wide and, while his industry in the middle is helpful, it limits how much he can influence a game and the sooner Richardson accepts this, the better we all will be.
Jacob Brown: 6
Subbed on for Marriott in the 70th minute. Started up front but dropped into the number 10 role after Reid came on. As ever, he used his know-how to pop up where he was needed and offer an outlet to release pressure from Blackpool attacks.
Brown played particularly well in tandem with Reid and timed his run well in the 94th minute to get Reading’s third goal, and his third in three games, to seal the three points.
Daniel Kyerewaa: 6
Subbed on for Kyreece Lisbie in the 76th minute.
Kyerewaa was calm when receiving the ball with time and space at the back post from Williams’ deep cross to play in Brown to score Reading’s third. Didn’t do much else and, frankly, didn’t need to today.
Jamie Reid: N/A
Subbed on for his debut in place of Lane in the 85th minute, replacing Brown up top, allowing Brown to go into the number 10 role and Williams to go out wide. I didn’t expect Reid to have any time to make any impact but…
He did phenomenal work to win the ball and show strength and determination to carry the ball up the field on the counter, getting into the box and unselfishly play in Wing to score a goal, which was unfortunately ruled out because Wing had strayed offside, in the 92nd minute.
Having come on after the 80th minute, he unfortunately doesn’t qualify for a grading, but looks like a very promising option to have already.
Charlie Savage: N/A
Subbed on for Andy Rinomhota in the 85th minute. No time to make any kind of impact.
Average: 6.71/10
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