All the action from a visit to St Andrew’s
Reading’s Under-21s came from behind to claim a share of the points on a Bank Holiday Monday trip to Birmingham City, as Rashawn Scott’s stoppage-time penalty earned a draw at St Andrew’s.
Blues had led through Josh Williams after enduring a heap of Royals pressure; Reading responded when Scott won a spot-kick late on and dusted himself down to convert from 12 yards.
After a decent start from the Royals, the hosts were first to go close; Williams found space on the right to send in a low cross, but Kieran Wakefield’s first-time effort on the far side was kept out by the legs of Harvey Collins.
David Nyarko looked to be clean through on goal midway through the first half; Scott received from centre-back Nelson Abbey, turned, and played a slide-rule ball. Goalkeeper Oliver Basey was out quickly though to clear on the edge of his area. A minute later, Scott had a chance of his own as he danced in off the left – Rico Browne got the last touch to send the ball wide.
Blues had an opportunity to take a lead into the interval; a ball played into O’Shea Ellis was headed clear by Abbey, allowing Rico Patterson to rush onto it with a volley from the edge of the area, but his first hit flashed wide.
Half-time: Birmingham City U21 0-0 Reading U21
Matty Carson, on at the break, chanced his arm from a free-kick from distance but the Birmingham wall stood strong. Soon after he had another chance from a dead ball, and opted to curl one in… Royals skipper Louie Holzman’s header was tame and saved by Basey.
Carson’s set-pieces were causing issues; his dangerous corner from the left was scrambled away as far as the edge of the area, where Hamid Abdel Salam was arriving, but he got under his effort. And Scott again showed excellent tenacity and skill to pick off a pass from goalkeeper Basey but slipped at the vital time and saw his shot sail harmlessly wide.
And after some sustained Reading pressure, Birmingham snatched a lead. It was Williams who instigated the move with a driving run forward, linked up with Keyendrah Simmonds, and lashed past Collins with little hesitation to put the hosts ahead, with 15 to play.
That put the wind in the Blues’ sails and they quickly created a number of chances to double their lead. Abbey did just enough to deny Andrews as he tried to latch onto Ellis’s chipped pass, Nico Gordon headed over from a Simmonds cross, and Andrews looked to be in on goal before a recovery challenge by Kelvin Abrefa arrived in the nick of time.
Reading stayed in the game and had a couple of chances to level before the 90… Akande’s deflected cross from the byline was met by an outstretched leg of Scott, only to be blocked away. Then Scott looked to turn provider as he picked our Jay Senga with a pinpoint cross – headed high and wide.
But persistence paid. Holzman, pushing upfield, nodded a loose ball over the Blues’ defence and skipper Browne hauled Scott to ground as he looked to take aim. A spot-kick was awarded – Scott himself stepped up and tucked in confidently from the penalty spot in stoppage time to take a point from the Midlands.
Full-time: Birmingham City U21 1-1 Reading U21
Birmingham City U21: Basey, Williams, Browne, Gordon, Pendleton, Home, Ellis, Dance (Fogarty HT), Patterson, Simmonds, Wakefield (Andrews 77).
Unused subs: Mayo, Willis, Thorndike.
Reading: Collins, Abrefa, Maragh (Paul 77), Senga, Holzman, Abbey, Akande, Abdel-Salam, Nyarko (Okine-Peters 77), Scott, Craig (Carson HT).
Unused subs: Purcell, Rowley.