Reading 1-0 Bolton Wanderers: Player Ratings
The Royals put in a solid all-round showing to see off playoff hopefuls Bolton at the SCL.
Joel Pereira: 7
Equal to everything Bolton Wanderers threw at him, making a couple of important saves and commanding his box well. Bolton put some of their better chances off target though - a close-range finish in the first half, a one-on-one in the second. Still, Pereira played an important part in securing a vital clean sheet.
Michael Craig: 7
My man of the match - it was another really bright performance from Craig, building on his showing and goal at Burton Albion in midweek.
He got forward really well today, particularly earlier on in the first half, and was a real asset in a lot of the Royals’ better moves, with Reading tending to attack down his side. Also made an excellent interception at the last minute to cut out a Bolton attack in the first half when they got in on goal.
Harlee Dean: 6
Not all that tested by a pretty uninventive Bolton side in truth. You know it’s a good day defensively when there’s nothing of note to say about your centre-backs.
Tyler Bindon: 6
Same thoughts as with Dean really - Bindon played his part well enough but didn’t have to put in one of his better performances. Composed in possession as per.
Andre Garcia: 5
A relatively quiet afternoon from Garcia, with the bulk of Reading’s attacks going down the other side. It could well have been that Noel Hunt specifically wanted Garcia to hold deeper while Craig pushed on more, but either way, Garcia didn’t add much creatively.
Lost the ball too easily around an hour in, giving Bolton a chance on goal. Pretty much fine defensively otherwise though, and was swapped out for Kelvin Abrefa with 20 minutes to go.
Harvey Knibbs: 7
Mr Composure came up with the goods just when Reading needed him to, sending Luke Southwood the wrong way with his penalty. That capped off a typically hard-working, committed showing from Knibbs, who also seems to be getting more involved in Reading’s attacks recently - a trend he continued today.
Lewis Wing: 6
Kept things ticking over nicely in midfield and did get some long-range shooting opportunities, but wasn’t able to trouble the ‘keeper with any. Put in some decent set pieces - including a clever short routine to Campbell that the winger fluffed and the delivery that led to the penalty.
Charlie Savage: 7
Put himself about really well in midfield and fashioned one of Reading’s best chances of the game, whipping in an excellent cross to the back post, only for Campbell to be unable to finish with the header. Put a volley from outside the area wide in the second half after Southwood was unable to gather.
Chem Campbell: 5
An ‘almost’ afternoon for Campbell, who was close to opening the scoring a couple of times, but things didn’t quite fall for him. Put a header straight at Southwood in the first half when he could have done better, and although he did so well to nip in and seize the ball at one point in the second half when Bolton were playing out, he couldn’t quite get a shot off to convert the chance. Withdrawn for Louie Holzman for the final five minutes after the penalty.
Jayden Wareham: 6
Wareham had big shoes to fill today in replacing Smith, and he did pretty well on the whole. While there’s still more to come from him in terms of properly having an impact on the game, he worked hard, his hold-up was decent (tending to keep things simple but effective), and he came close to making it 2-0 when he received a cut-back but his shot from close range was blocked for a corner.
Mamadi Camara: 5
Lost the ball cheaply near his own box in the build-up to a quality Bolton opportunity. Not bad otherwise, just not really impactful or productive going forwards. I’d have preferred him to start on the right wing, where he’d looked bright at Burton, but he was moved to the left for the first half. He and Campbell swapped flanks after the break but he couldn’t offer any more even then, so was taken off for the more productive Ehibhatiomhan.
Subs
Kelvin Ehibhatiomhan: 6
Looked that bit sharper than he has done in previous games, although he wasn’t a constant threat. Had a shot blocked shortly after coming on, and almost helped make it 2-0 when he got to the byline and pulled the ball back for Wareham - exactly the kind of move we want to see from Ehibhatiomhan. Hopefully he’ll soon be able to get back to full fitness.
Kelvin Abrefa: 5
Caught positionally at one point as Bolton played through Reading’s left-hand side before getting Aaron Collins in on goal. Little else of note though really in the 20 minutes he was on the pitch, and he couldn’t add any more going forwards than Garcia had from left-back.
Louie Holzman: N/A
Came on for the five or so minutes of injury time as Reading held on successfully to the win.
Average: 6/10
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