On a cold and windy afternoon, Reading City Reserves were once again on the road as they travelled to The Cauldron to face local rivals Reading YMCA in the Thames Valley Premier League.
Manager Jake Keegan made a few changes to the side, coming into the starting XI himself in place of Elliot Goode, while Kai Stubbs returned as Luke Chidgey was unavailable. The bench featured Patryk Sopata, Oluwaloseyi Akinola, and Wesley Dowe.
First Half
As the clock struck two, both sides lined up for what promised to be an intense local derby. YMCA started strongly, pressing high and finding an early breakthrough within minutes. City had a scare soon after as YMCA found the net again, but the flag was up for offside.
That close call seemed to wake City up. From a well-delivered Mo Davies set piece, Kai Stubbs rose highest to flick the ball into the bottom corner, bringing the score level at 1–1.
The game became an entertaining, end-to-end battle. Stubbs came close again, shooting narrowly wide, while at the other end, goalkeeper Leo Wilkinson pulled off a superb one-on-one save to deny YMCA and spark a City counter-attack.
As the first half drew to a close, City took the lead. A long ball forward from Williamson was flicked on by Stubbs into the path of Eade, whose low strike was tapped home by Reiss Baker to make it 2–1 to Reading City at the break.
Half Time: Reading YMCA 1–2 Reading City
Second Half
YMCA restarted the match quickly, but City looked sharp after the interval. Baker forced an early save from the home goalkeeper, shooting powerfully but too centrally.
Keegan made the first substitution, bringing on Patryk Sopata for Jay Wiltshire. Carrington soon picked up a yellow card for a late challenge, before Keegan made way for Wesley Dowe ten minutes later.
Then came the turning point, a strong tackle from Graham saw the referee brandish a straight red card, a decision hotly contested by the City players. Down to ten men, City were forced to defend deeper.
YMCA capitalised, earning a penalty which they converted to make it 2–2. Moments later, another cross found its way into the City box and was finished neatly to give YMCA the lead.
Keegan re-entered the action late on as City chased an equaliser. Dowe made an impact down the wing, delivering a high cross that Stubbs met brilliantly with a towering header to level the score at 3–3, his second goal of the afternoon.
But just when City looked set to earn a hard-fought point, YMCA struck again with a stunning long-range effort into the top corner to make it 4–3. Stubbs received a late booking for dissent before the referee brought an action-packed match to a close.
Full Time: Reading YMCA 4–3 Reading City
Despite the defeat, City showed great character and determination after going down to ten men. They’ll look to bounce back next weekend as they travel to Finchampstead in the Thames Valley Premier League — aiming to return to winning ways and bring home three points.
