Academy graduate marks special season with another milestone as she helps Royals into fifth round draw.
Reading takes great pride in giving youngsters from their academy the opportunity to show they have what it takes, to make it in the senior squad, and this has been a season to remember for Tia Primmer.
Having made her first start back in November against Crystal Palace in the Conti Cup, Primmer has regularly featured in the squad from being in the starting 11 to coming off from the bench. On Sunday, Primmer ticked off another huge milestone in her career scoring her first senior goal, nodding home a winner against Brighton booking the Royals’ spot in the Vitality FA Cup fifth round.
“I’m absolutely buzzing with my first goal, and can’t believe it came as a header,” expressed Primmer who could not hide the grin on her face.
“It’s something you dream about when you’re growing up, it’s what keeps you motivated through the trials, training, and to finally get here today it’s a really proud moment.
“When I saw [Deanne] Rose charging forward with the ball, I was just thinking about making sure I offer a good option if she needs it and if she shoots to be in a position for any rebounds. It’s tough to keep up with D, as we all know the unreal pace she has, but in my head, I was just saying ‘run!’, and luckily today it fell my way.
“The whole attack from back to front happened so fast, I didn’t have time to think about what it meant for my personal accolades, it was purely just making sure I’m in the right position, if it comes to me don’t panic, and get it on target as that’s all that matters.
The Royals played out a consecutive 3-2 win, following last weekend’s match against Birmingham City where they showed fantastic mental strength to battle back from 2-0 down.
“I think as a team we made a much better start to last week. Our attacking play today was so much quicker, whereas last week perhaps we held onto the ball a little bit longer which allowed Birmingham to get back and intercept.
“Today, I thought the runs up front were brilliant, exploiting the space, and crucially we took the chance right at the end to see the game out.
“We of course endured a bit of a difficult spell in the second half, but full credit to the girls to carry on fighting out there, and we come away with the right result for us.”