Beaconsfield Town 2-1 Reading Women: Match Report

Reading’s second league match of the season ended in a narrow 2-1 defeat, with a late Royals controversial penalty shout denied, away to Beaconsfield Town yesterday.

After a tight first half, which ended goalless, it was the Rams’ Henna Hussain who put the home side ahead, with Royals captain Mia Parker equalising. Striker Katie Riddington scored a late goal to secure all three points for the home side.

Although it was only the second league match of the season, it felt like a big match for both sides.

Reading were looking to build momentum after their opening league victory against Badshot Lea, while Beaconsfield Town wanted to regain a bit of composure after their ‘Welcome to the Premier League’ opener and 7-1 home defeat to Wycombe Wanderers last weekend.

Beaconsfield Town were promoted as undefeated champions from the tier six Southern Region, Division One North league, finishing nine points ahead of Penn & Tylers Green, who Reading played in a pre-season friendly a few weeks ago.

There were two changes from last week’s XI. Keren Banduka (twin sister of Keziah) and Lauren Knight both made their first starts of the league season, with Georgia Hayes an option on the bench and Jazz King not in the squad.

Team: Lilly Hadrava (GK), Poppy Whitburn (Mollie Dench, 61), Sarah Thompson, Keziah Banduka, Bethan Poole, Mia Parker (Captain), Lauren Knight (Keren Banduka, 86), Lucy Bolitho (Assia Fatri, 61), Natalie Cowell (Georgia Hayes, 59), Tyra Wilson (Ellie Manners, 59), Keren Banduka (Tia Johnson, 59)

Reading goalscorer: Mia Parker, 69

Beaconsfield Town goalscorers: Henna Hussain, 60; Katie Riddington, 85

Reading yellow card: Lucy Bolitho, 50

Beaconsfield Town yellow cards: Unknown, 55; Lydia Vittesse, 86; Katie Hudson 90+1; Bonnie Messit 90+8

First half

It took nearly 10 minutes from kick-off for the match to really spring into action, but from there, it was a real surprise that it then remained goalless at half-time – with both sides unable to find that clinical finish and capitalise on the chances they created.

The first opportunity fell to the Royals when Tyra Wilson, Reading’s talented left-sided striker, danced into the box to deliver a cross which flashed across the goal. Nat Cowell’s stretching effort was just unable to connect enough – her effort stabbed wide of the post.

The threat that Wilson posed down the left for Reading was reciprocated equally down the Beaconsfield’s left wing, with Freya Harris just minutes later also finding space in the Royals’ penalty area. She forced a good save from Hadrava, the Reading goalkeeper diving to her left for the Rams’ first corner of the match.

The impetus, for the next 10 minutes, remained with the team in red. First defender Mia Thompson came close, luckily being unable to connect from a corner whipped in, and it was Hadrava who was – once again – called into action, pulling off a brilliant save to push a goal-bound free-kick around the post to keep the scores level.

As the clock ticked down to halftime, it was Reading who finished with more of the momentum. Keren Banduka and Parker drove the Royals forward at every opportunity, winning countless fouls and free-kicks which, inevitably, led to the home side picking up four yellow cards throughout the match.

Sarah Thompson went close from a Wilson free-kick, the tall Reading defender’s header just wide of the post. Wilson had a chance of her own, getting on the end of a superb cross from Parker, only to see her effort saved by Sophie Cheadle, in her debut for Beaconsfield in goal. A header from Bolitho, just wide of the post, took us into the break, following an attempted punched clearance from the Rams goalkeeper.

Half time: 0-0

The teams kicked off the second half to the sound of the referee’s whistle, quickly followed by the cacophony of mobile phone sirens in unison, with perhaps a hidden warning of what was to come for the Royals.

In a similar style to the first half, the second sprung into action 15 minutes after the restart when Beaconsfield’s number nine, Hussain, was allowed time in the Reading penalty area to control and slot the ball home to put the Rams ahead. 1-0.

Reading manager Ed Jackson-Norris will not only have been disappointed with the defending but, just minutes before, he’d made a triple substitution (Hayes, Manners and Johnson on for Cowell, Keren Banduka and Wilson) in an attempt to make a positive impact.

Undeterred, Jackson-Norris immediately took the opportunity to make two further changes, with Denton and Fatri both entering the field of play in place of Whitburn and Bolitho.

The Reading manager’s alterations paid off when, similar to last weekend’s match against Badshot Lea, the team responded well and grabbed the equaliser, after some confusion within the Beaconsfield box from a Reading corner. It was the Royals captain who battled and reacted quickest to control and slot home, from pretty much on the penalty spot. 1-1.

Reading had two more chances to take the lead, before the killer blow from the home team. Manners will still be thinking of the one that got away, her side-foot effort at the back post just inches away from giving the Royals the lead, after a terrific cross from substitute Johnson. And Keziah Banduka came close too, her outstretched foot unable to connect after Thompson had flicked on a Knight corner.

With five minutes of normal time to go, Beaconsfield got the decisive goal after Reading failed to clear a free-kick and Riddington made no mistake, slamming home a shot on the second attempt. 2-1.

Once again, the Royals pushed on to try and get something out of the match.

There was still time for some late drama and controversy when, with one minute of normal timing remaining, there was a huge penalty shout from the Reading bench, players and fans alike, only for the referee to continue play and wave away the noisy protestations.

Keren Banduka (back on for Knight) had burst into the Beaconsfield penalty area and poked the ball past the Reds goalkeeper, only to be floored in the follow-through with the ball goal-bound.

With eight minutes of time added on, the home side hung on, Thompson heading over from a later Reading corner and through a combination of disruptive injury and substitutions and three late yellow cards. And who can blame them really?

Final score: 2-1

Although unlucky to lose in a pretty even match (a draw would have been a fair result), I’m sure the Reading manager and players will believe it was an opportunity missed, with the team just not doing the basics well enough and just not clinical enough when the chances arose.

There’s a bit of a gap now before the next league fixture. With a league of 11 teams there’s always one side missing out each weekend and it’s Reading’s turn next weekend – meaning there’s no match on Sunday September 14 – with the players having a media day instead.

Reading will be back in action on Sunday September 21 in the second qualifying round of the FA Cup, the first qualifying round being this weekend, the Royals waiting to find out who they will play, with the draw yet to be made.

So see you there (wherever there may be)!