Reading Women 2-1 Sholing Women: Match Report

SB Nation

Reading Women bounced back from their midweek Berks & Bucks Cup defeat to Ascot United with a 2-1 league victory over Sholing on Sunday, to climb to fourth place in the table.

Goals from Keren Banduka and Nat

Cowell either side of half-time put the Royals into a comfortable lead before Ella Wilson grabbed one back for Sholing, with just 10 minutes remaining. That set up a nervy finish, which, up until that point, no one would have seen coming.

Rewind just over 12 months, when Reading Women were ‘voluntarily’ demoted to tier five, and it was yesterday’s visitors, Sholing, who were the first club the Royals faced in the new era. It was an away trip that required a quick Google search first to find out exactly where they were based (it’s close to Southampton, if you’re still wondering).

It was also at the start of Reading’s ‘rebuild and survival’ 2024/25 season, with just 12 players available for that inaugural Southern Region Premier League match, which Sholing won 3-0.

Sholing went on to inflict more woes on Reading later in the season too, when they added another five goals, without reply. The Royals suffered a 2-0 home league defeat and another 3-0 deficit in the League Cup.

But it’s all changed this season. None of those initial 12 players are still part of the new-look Reading squad and only Assia Fatri, Lucy Bolitho and Mollie Dench remain from the fixtures played against Sholing later in the season.

Although Reading started on the same number of points as Sholing (six), the visitors have played three more matches, winning just two: against Woodley United and Badshot Lea, who are both struggling at the foot of the table.

Reading manager Ed Jackson-Norris made only one change from Tuesday night’s match with Isabella (Belle) Rowden back in the starting XI in place of Emily Norfolk, who dropped to the bench.

With no Georgia Hayes, Millie Lamden or Tyra Wilson (who picked up an injury against Ascot), Bethan Poole, Assia Fatri and Lauren Knight returned to the squad and were named among the substitutes.

Team: Lilly Hadrava, Poppy Whitburn (Bethan Poole, 57), Sarah Thompson, Keziah Banduka (Emily Norfolk, 69), Belle Rowden, Jazz King (Lauren Knight, 69), Lucy Bolitho (Mia Parker, 88), Mia Parker, Captain (Assia Fatri, 69), Keren Banduka (Keziah Banduka, 87), Nat Cowell, Tia Johnson (Ellie Manners, 57)

Unused substitutes: None

Reading goalscorers: Keren Banduka, 26; Natalie Cowell, 56

Reading yellow cards: None

Sholing goalscorer: Ella Wilson, 80

Sholing yellow cards: None

First half

Sholing kicked off and, within the opening seconds, won the first corner and chance of the match. Fortunately for the Reading defenders, it ballooned high over the crossbar.

Before Reading grabbed the opening goal, the first 25 minutes was fairly even, with both teams enjoying action in each other’s penalty areas.

Cowell and Bolitho both fired efforts over the crossbar, from two early corners whipped in by Tia Johnson.

Before Reading could gain any sort of momentum and control on the game it was the Boatwomen who created a great opportunity when their striker found space within the penalty area to fire a shot. It looked destined for the bottom corner, but for the outstretched foot and goal-line clearance from Royals centre-back Sarah Thompson.

Stunned into action, the blue and white hoops won three corners in quick succession, with the best chance coming from a header by Rowden – just wide of the target.

On 18 minutes, the Royals created their best bit of open play. Jazz King, in the central defensive-midfield role, threaded a ball upfield to Cowell, who set Johnson free down the left, to cut inside and fire a shot which flew across the goal but wide of the back post.

As the half-hour mark approached it was Reading who broke the deadlock. Thompson’s delivery found Cowell in the penalty area – her turn and shot saved well by the Sholing goalkeeper – only to see the ball buried back past her with Reading striker Keren Banduka quickest to react, for her first league goal of the season. 1-0.

In a similar story to previous matches, the Royals created some good chances but just couldn’t find that clinical finish, ruthlessness or selfishness to double the lead before half-time. In another good move, Keren Banduka passed to Johnson, her cross from the left blazed over the crossbar by Cowell. Keren set up another chance for Bolitho, her shot saved well by Sholing goalkeeper Grace Jenman.

The visitors were most effective on the counter-attack and often attempted to use the pace of striker Sophie Lee, with long balls over the Reading defence. They came close on several occasions, denied by the quick thinking and similar pace of Reading’s central defender Rowden, and the recovery defensive work by midfielder King.

Half-time: 1-0

Whatever tactics were discussed at half-time appeared to work well, with the Royals in control and doubling their lead just 10 minutes after the restart.

A long-range shot from Johnson caught the Sholing goalkeeper out, her reaction save controlled by Keren Banduka, who returned the (earlier assist) favour to set up Cowell for her first open-play league goal of the season. 2-0.

Jackson-Norris took the opportunity to make the first of seven second-half changes, introducing Manners and Poole for Johnson and Whitburn.

With Reading on top, they continued to keep the pressure on, in search of that much-needed killer third goal.

Thompson whipped in a delightful cross to the far post, with a stretching Cowell just inches away from converting. The Royals’ tricky striker Keren Banduka skillfully danced her way into the penalty area, only to see her shot saved at close range by Jenman.

With 10 minutes of the match remaining, the Royals were stunned when – out of nowhere – Sholing equalised.

Reading’s goalkeeper (and midweek star player of the match) Hadrava had been largely a spectator for much of the second half until Sholing’s Ella Weston unleashed a speculative long-range shot, which bounced unkindly and off the Royals ‘keeper, falling to striker Wilson, who prodded the ball into the Reading net from close range to grant an unexpected late lifeline to the visitors. 2-1.

Reading substitute Knight’s second attempt at a free-kick struck the top of the crossbar, after clipping a defender, going out for a corner. At the other end, Sholing substitute Elizabeth Reid found herself in space, cutting in from the left but fired her shot wide.

With the match heading into time added on, Jackson-Norris made two more late changes, utilising the provision of rolling substitutes, to reintroduce both Parker and Keziah Banduka for the remaining minutes.

There was still time for one more chance each. Reading striker and player coach Cowell kept the ball in play to set up Manners, who fired her shot across the goal but wide of the far post.

There was some late drama when, four minutes into time added on, it looked like Sholing were about to grab an unexpected equaliser. However, Reading goalkeeper Hadrava came to the rescue and pulled off a match-winning fantastic save to deny Wilson her second of the afternoon.

It was a nervy end to a match which Reading dominated, winning 17 corners (compared to Sholing’s three, all in the first half) but just couldn’t find that clinical, ruthless, third goal to put the game beyond reach.

Full-time: 2-1

With four of the league’s teams in FA Cup action there were only two other league fixtures played. Southampton Women defeating Beaconsfield Town meant the Royals have leapfrogged the Rams into fourth place and are now also just two points behind the Sirens, who sit in second place – with Reading having two games in hand over both of these teams.

It’s a frustrating fixture schedule for players, managers and fans alike, with the Royals only set to play two more competitive matches in the next four weeks.

First up is a knock-out League Cup fixture against Kidlington Youth, at Arbour Park, on Sunday November 9.

There’s another two-week gap before what should be the Royals’ next exciting league match, away to Winchester City Flyers on November 23.

City sit third in the league, one place above the Royals and currently on the same number of points and matches played. The caveat here is that, by the time that match comes round, the Flyers will have played two further league matches!

See you there!