A recap of our Academy side’s final month of the league season
The Royals’ Under-18 squad played their final six games of the Professional Development League (South) campaign in April – finishing fifth in the standing to go into the summer break. Many second-year scholars will graduate to the Under-21 side with their first professional contracts, while a new influx will also join from the Under-16s ahead of the 2023-24 campaign.
Below is a wrap-up of how the final fixtures panned out for our U18 side in 2022-23…
The Royals led within three minutes of kick-off through Tyler Field in their trip to Coventry; Jeremiah Okine-Peters netted a second before the break. A goal from Caylan Vickers, on the hour, and a second for Okine-Peters ten minutes later sealed the deal for the Royals in the second half.
Back at Bearwood the following weekend, Royals goalkeeper Tom Norcott and his defensive unit kept Millwall at bay – but the Reading team couldn’t break down the defence and grab a winner. Goalless it ended, and the points shared between the sides as they had been in their March meeting, but a number of U18 appearances for youngsters playing up from the Under-16 squad.
A week later: same venue, same result. For all of the Royals’ efforts, it ended goalless against visting Peterborough United as both sides added another point to their tally in the Professional Development League (South). Consecutive clean sheets, but another game without getting on the scoresheet.
The Royals fell to a first defeat in nine games when they made a midweek visit to Cardiff City. Tanatswa Nyakuhwa grabbed two first-half goals for the Bluebirds – the second from the penalty spot – to put the hosts in command. Reading got within one as Denim Nnamudi struck from a spot-kick of his own, after Jack Timberlake was fouled in the area, but they couldn’t complete the fightback.
A ding-dong encounter with the Tigers which got the Royals back to winning ways; Reading’s first came through Ajani Giscombe from the penalty spot, and Tyler Sackey grabbed a second on the stroke of half-time. Luca Fletcher’s goal, ten minutes from time, proved decisive in a 3-2 win against Hull City.
A classic example of Royals’ resilience, as our Under-18s’ ten men grabbed two late goals to earn a draw with Sheffield Wednesday at Bearwood. After Jacob Borgnis was dismissed for a second yellow within the final 15 minutes of the match, Caylan Vickers grabbed one back – before Jeremiah Okine-Peters struck in the fourth added minute to claim a draw.