Report | Reading 1-2 Millwall

A NARROW DEFEAT

Kelvin Ehibhatiomhan was on target, but the visitors emerged victorious at Bearwood this afternoon.

An evenly contested affair, saw us go in at the break behind thanks to a thunderous strike from outside the box.

Ehibhatiomhan levelled the scoring, but a double save from Coniah Boyce-Clarke wasn't enough to keep Millwall out late on.

We started brighlty and Jayden Wareham had the ball in the net inside the first minute, a lovely one-two set him away to cooly dink it over the 'keeper, but the linesman's flag went up.

Millwall tried to create the next chance, but Abraham Kanu was alert, the ball was headed down but he did well to beat his man and clear the danger.

Ehibhatiomhan was lively and his pressing nearly paid off as he robbed the 'keeper of possession in his own area, the ball rolled to Femi Azeez, whose effort was deflected over, and Kelvin's header from the subsequent corner was high and wide.

Just over a quarter of an hour in and Lewis Wing played a beautiful ball to set Azeez away down the right, he cut inside his man and fired it across the goalkeeper, but his effort hit the crossbar.

Ehibhatiomhan was then involved again, down the left, this time, out pacing his man on the flank before cutting in, but his shot was just the wrong side of the near post.

Wareham then forced the Millwall 'keeper into more action, a ball was fizzed in from the right and Jayden flicked it goalwards on the six-yard box, provoking a reaction save to keep it out.

The visitors took the lead 24 minutes in, with their first chance of the game, a stunning strike from 20 yards out flew across Joel Pereira and into his top left corner.

Amadou Mbengue was then called into action after the half hour mark, a ball over the top put him one-on-one against his man, with the centre-back doing well to battle and out muscle his opponent, before calmly playing the ball back to Pereira.

The final chance of the half fell our way, Femi went down the right again and pulled the ball back to an arriving Ehibhatiomhan, but his effort again went over.

Half Time: Reading 0-1 Millwall

We started the second half in the same way we finished the first, taking just three minutes to create our first chance, Wingy recycled a corner and floated it into the far post, Wareham got his head on the end of it, but his effort was just the wrong side of the post.

Wing was involved again a couple of minutes later, when he played another beautiful cross-field ball to Azeez who carried it forward down the right, his ball across the edge of the box found John Ryan, who neatly laid it off to Ehibhatiomhan to his left inside the penalty area, who fired it high and into the top left corner of the net to level the game up.

Charlie Savage then set Femi to find more joy on the right flank, the winger took it around the keeper and fired it across the face of goal, it eventually found Ehibhatiomhan, but his follow up effort was blocked.

Both sides made mass changes around the hour mark, and Boyce-Clarke was called into action not long after, quickly getting out to his right and down low to block the shot from a one-on-one .

In the closing stages of the game he then pulled off an impressive double save, but it wasn't enough to keep the Lions out, with the third effort eventually slotted into the bottom right corner to give the visitors the lead once more.

The final chances went our way, as Camara won the ball back deep inside the opponents' half and played it to Smith, who forced a strong save at close range. The resulting corner found it's way to Stickland at the back post, but his header went wide of the upright.

Full Time: Reading 1-2 Millwall

Reading: Pereira (Boyce-Clarke 60'), Rushesha (Osho 60'), Ryan (Garcia 60'), Kanu (Dean 60'), Mbengue (Stickland 60'), Wing (Craig 60'), Elliott (Senga 60'), Savage (Sackey 60'), Ehibhatiomhan (Akande 60') Wareham (Smith 60'), Azeez (Camara 60')

Goals: Ehibhatiomhan (51')