Reading lined up in a 3-4-1-2 formation. We had a back three of John Ryan, Michael Stickland and Tyler Sackey – this was interesting as Peter Scott could have played Philip Duah but opted for Ryan, with Jeremiah Okine-Peters as a left-wing-back instead of Ryan.
Sackey, thanks to his physicality and ball-playing ability as a number 10, did not look out of place one bit. Ryan was however making attacking runs from centre-back, underlapping and overlapping Okine-Peters. Sackey was so good on the ball that,
despite taking risks as a last man on more than one occasion, he dribbled himself out of danger with ease.
When Ryan was unfortunately stretchered off in the second half, Duah did replace him.
With Okine-Peters on one wing, we had Ashqar Ahmed on the other, looking by far the player most ready for men’s football. Reading were winning the ball so high up the pitch thanks to the high positioning of the wing-backs, in addition to the front two, meaning Birmingham City’s back four essentially had a first wave of four opposition players to play through.
Just behind this was our number 10, David Hicks and behind him two central midfielders in Shay Spencer and Tivonge Rushesha. It was refreshing watching central midfielders who could knock the ball around under pressure, a far cry from what we’ve seen in the first team, being consistently out-passed and outplayed by more technical short-passing midfielders.
This high press earned Reading many chances, including their second goal, Sean Patton dispossessing a defender and squaring for Hicks to finish into an open net.
Patton also won and scored the penalty for the first goal, looking like an under-21 Jack Marriott: a player with an edge (albeit slightly taller) and just a proper number nine. Patton was playing off Reece Evans – who, along with Ahmed, were winning aerial duels for fun, these flick-ons causing trouble for the Blues’ defence.
Patton was a nuisance for the opposition and should’ve had his second of the game when he ran down and dispossessed a Birmingham centre-back trying to nod the ball back to his ‘keeper, before muscling him out, spinning, but dragging his shot wide, with the ‘keeper looking helpless.
Hicks played some fantastic through balls to our front two in the second half as the game opened up more. He also wriggled out of situations with two or three men around him that he had no right to, John Swift-style.
The second half involved a lot of these attacks from Reading, with space opening up behind the Blues backline.
Okine-Peters on the left, Ahmed on the right, Evans up top and Hicks all had good attempts saved or blocked as Reading manoeuvred the ball to the man in space, always having an option open on one side as Birmingham struggled to contains Reading’s attacking shape and sheer number of men pushing forwards, including Duah’s driving runs from centre-back.
Basil Tuma replaced Patton late on to add some electric pace and energy up top with the impressive Evans, after Patton had done his damage. As Evans was replaced by Emmanuel Osho, Okine-Peters moved into the middle with Osho becoming the left-wing-back.
