Reading 1-1 Stevenage: Stop-Start Frustration
Carl Piergianni’s brace (at both ends of the pitch) handed the Royals a 1-1 draw in a frustrating afternoon against Stevenage.
This was pretty much the definition of a frustrating day for Reading, who got bogged down in an irritating, scrappy and stop-start affair against Stevenage. The Royals were coming into this game on the back of one of their best of the season - an excellent performance and 2-0 win over Wrexham - and had high hopes of building on it. Stevenage however were adamant that they wouldn’t let that happen.
We’ve seen better all-round displays from away sides at the SCL this season (Stockport County is my standout), but as the epitome of a professional away performance - slowing the game down, making themselves hard to beat and upsetting our plan - Stevenage got it pretty much spot on. With some better finishing they’d have taken all the points too.
Stevenage’s approach was the crucial difference between the last two home games. Wrexham, for all their quality on paper, wanted to impose their approach on proceedings but couldn’t do so, with Reading the stubborn insurgents. Today it was the visitors’ turn to be the spoiler, the spanner in the Royals’ works, a part that Stevenage played effectively throughout.
Accordingly, Reading had the challenge of overcoming that - of rising above a team happy to focus on frustrating us - but simply didn’t have the answers. The Royals looked tired fatigue-wise after their immense efforts against Wrexham, but also tired tactically, with Stevenage adeptly stifling the hosts’ attempts to play out from the back and gladly mopping up long balls sent downfield.
We’ve had games like this before and we’ll likely have them again before the season’s out. Before players recuperate over the international break and others return from injury to add some variety in possession (hi Ben Elliott), Reading will struggle to convincingly overcome this kind of challenge on a regular basis.
Noel Hunt made one change to the side that beat Wrexham. Michael Strickland’s bizarre suspension meant Andy Yiadom was required for centre-half duties, while Louie Holzman was among those who returned to the bench.
Reading (4-3-3): Pereira; Abrefa, Yiadom, Bindon, Garcia; Knibbs, Wing, Savage; Campbell, Wareham, Ehibhatiomhan
Subs: Button, Rushesha, Holzman, Carroll, Camara, Akande, Bodin
You could tell from the first 10 minutes that this was going to be a very different game to Tuesday. It was a slower, scrappier affair, whereas Reading had come out of the blocks quickly in midweek.
The Royals took their time to settle but had their first chance of the afternoon 18 minutes in, and it was a clear-cut one. In one of the few cases all afternoon of Reading being truly positive, brave and fluid in possession, the play ran through Andre Garcia and Kelvin Ehibhatiomhan down the left, then into Harvey Knibbs, who set up Chem Campbell running into the space on the far side. His finish was good - powerful and hit into the bottom corner - but the ‘keeper was equal to it.
That was about as good as it got for Reading going forwards in the first half, bar a Lewis Wing effort that went well off target from the edge of the box, with Stevenage conjuring up a couple of quality chances to take the lead.
A long ball took Tyler Bindon out of the game in the 23rd minute, allowing Brandon Hanlan into a golden shooting area with only Joel Pereira to beat, but fortunately he sliced the shot wide of the near post. Shortly after the half-hour mark, a clever ball to the back post found Dan Kemp, but Pereira denied him at close range.
Any serious attempts from Reading at building up some momentum going forwards were frustrated before the interval. It felt though that, with the visitors showing some real threat going forwards, just getting into half-time at 0-0 was good enough, with Reading always having the opportunity to regroup afterwards and go again.
Half time: 0-0
Reading managed to take a second-half lead soon after the restart. A dangerous inswinging corner from Charlie Savage appeared at first glance to have been nodded in by Tyler Bindon at the near post, but had actually come off Stevenage defender Carl Piergianni for 1-0.
That should have been the moment to really kick Reading into gear, to move the ball quickly and press for a second, but Stevenage reacted the better of the two sides to the opening goal.
Somewhat aptly for the theme of the afternoon, the Royals were pegged back by a particularly frustrating goal to concede. At the end of a hefty period of pressure since the opener, Kemp did well to get to the byline and swing in a cross. Piergianni was the man on the end of it, unmarked, and powered a header across Pereira agonisingly just out of his reach and into the net for 1-1.
The reaction to that goal from Reading wasn’t any better, with Stevenage looking far likelier to grab the third of the afternoon. They were causing the Royals real problems with balls into the box, a threat that kept on coming.
Hunt looked to alter the flow by making a triple change. Off went Yiadom (tired after playing a big chunk of the game following return from long-term injury), Garcia (who’d started to struggle defensively) and Jayden Wareham (who’d had little impact up top against an imposing pair of centre-backs, albeit with little service). On came Louie Holzman, Tivonge Rushesha (at right-back, with Kelvin Abrefa going to the left) and Mamadi Camara (to the left wing, with Ehibhatiomhan going through the middle).
Reading did have a penalty shout after that, with Ehibhatiomhan seemingly caught in the area in his attempt to get at a poor pass from Camara, but otherwise the subs made little positive impact. If anything the Royals got worse later on in the game - individually and collectively - looking sloppy and ragged in the closing stages.
Hunt had two more throws of the dice - Adrian Akande came on for Campbell, while Tom Carroll replaced Savage in injury time - but neither change injected any spark into a scrappy game that ebbed away late on. Reading could have looked much more convincing in attempting to win the game, but then again we could quite conceivably have lost it too.
Full time: 1-1
Reading can’t always get what they want, but today they did at least get what they needed. A point at home to a mid-table side isn’t all that exciting, but it’s enough to maintain the unbeaten run and keep the points tally ticking up. Plus, thanks to Stockport County’s win over Bolton Wanderers, it also means we remain in arm’s reach of the playoffs - still just two points adrift.
And on another positive note, the international break has come at a very good time. Reading now have the opportunity to send most players off for a well earned break, although some will get game time with their countries.
All things being well, Reading will return from that international break well rested, boosted by some returning players, and reinvigorated by some good news on the takeover front. We live in hope!