Royals Reserves March on

Reading will be drawn in the 3rd round of the Carling Cup on Saturday after a close game at home to League Two`s Darlington.

An almost entirely changed starting 11 from the one which faced Sheffield Utd on Saturday were on the brink of crashing out of the League Cup at the first hurdle.

The visitors were never favourites – even against a Reading eleven that had never played together before including the international debutants, Andrey Bikey, Ulises de la Cruz, and Peter Maté – but none the less they went ahead thanks to a penalty kick.

Reading started slowly, and the ragtag team of fringe players and Leroy Lita showed teething problems to begin with, letting Darlington come at them.

With just over 15minutes played, Stephen Hunt deflected a shot which led to a Darlington corner. Brynar Gunnarsson was penalised for allegedly pulling Darlington`s David Rowson`s shirt and the referee pointed to the spot.
Simon Johnson stepped up to take it and although Reading keeper Graham Stack got his hand to it, he couldn`t stop the shot being converted into the top right corner.

Darlington continued to threaten the Reading goal, forcing errors from the new boys in defence and capitalising on their lack of experience together, Peter Maté in particular at times looked out of his depth.

Then Reading levelled the play taking advantage of a miscommunication between the Darlington players. A long ball was played over the top by Reading and under pressure from Shane Long, Darlington`s Holloway headed away from his oncoming goalkeeper and into the path of Leroy Lita to slot home the equaliser.

The Royals began to surge forward in numbers with a new found confidence from their equaliser, but it proved too soon. With Reading juts taken a corner, former Premiership player Julian Joachim led a counter attack and ran 60yards leaving Stephen Hunt and Ulises De La Cruz behind him. With just two on two in front of the Reading goal, Joachim poked home Carlos Logan`s deflected shot.

But Darlington didn`t even have time to enjoy their lead. Leroy Lita was threaded through by John Oster, and with the visitors appealing for offside Lita calmly placed the ball in the net to score the third of three goals in three minutes.

The Royals took more chances on goal and applied the pressure to visitors for the remainder of the half. Shane Long was unfortunate not to put the Royals in the lead, putting Oster`s neat pass over the bar from 18 yards out.

Little picked out De La Cruz from across the pitch and the Ecuadorian went on a tantalizing run beating two defenders and working his way into the Darlington penalty box. However he couldn`t finish and blasted a shot over the bar from 8 yards.

After the intermission, Reading came out looking fresh and invigorated, taking control of the match they had a stream of corners and threatened to take the lead over and over again.

De La Cruz and Hunt seemed to gain an understanding that was missing in the first half and linked up well on the left wing while Shane Long pulled some tricks out of the bag.

Reading took corner kick after corner kick against Darlington but couldn`t get the ball in the back of the net; the home crowd livened up to Reading newfound dominant presence on the field but it was too soon.

Against the run of play, Darlington won a corner on Darlington`s right wing. The ball was played low to Joachim on the right of the box who hit a thunderbolt to Stacks right leaving him for dead and leaving the players and the home crowd silent and shocked.

Oster played a great counter attacking ball to Lita who was bought down on the edge of the box for a free kick. Stephen Hunt stepped up and forced a magnificient save from Darlington`s rookie keeper, Stockdale. The kick was tipped in from Reading`s right and heading straight for the left corner of the goal but for Stockdale`s fingertips.

By this time Darlington looked happy to let Reading come at them and break with a few men whenever they could.

It was obvious a change was needed and it came at just the right time Kevin Doyle replacing Lita, who left the pitch to a standing ovation thanks to his brace.

Doyle made an immediate impact, running towards goal with nothing but Stockdale in his way. Darlington`s David Duke brought the Irish whiz kid near the edge of the box and earned himself an early bath.
Try as he might Hunt was not getting on the score sheet tonight, zipping the free kick marginally over the bar.

Reading pushed harder and harder for an equaliser but the determination of the northern side`s defence meant the Royals could not make a breakthrough. Glenn Little shot numerous crosses in form the right hand side but no one could finish them.

Finally with four minutes remaining the much needed equaliser came. The ball swung in from a corner on the left and inadvertently hit Mate on the arm finishing up in the back of the net, but it was good enough for Reading who pushed more and more to finish the game in 90minutes, Kevin Doyle curling a shot round the post. But the goal didn`t come and extra time looked imminent.

Throughout extra-time Reading continued their dominance of the game but Darlington refused to go down without a fight contesting every cross that came in the box and fighting back with a few near misses of their own. The extra man advantage was obvious and Reading controlled the play but the ten men of Darlington however tired hung on by the skins of their teeth. Long should have finished the game just before the end but somehow let the ball get away from him.

The inevitable penalty shoot-out seemed the fairest way to end the match in the end. Darlington were never going to beat Reading after the loss of their eleventh man but none the less they battled bravely.
A sigh of disapointment rang throughout the Madejski Stadium as Stephen Hunt stepped up to take the first penalty and placed it into the eager Stockdale`s hands diving to the right. This was soon followed by a huge cheer as the referee signalled that the penalty must be taken again and this time Hunt had no trouble finding the back of the net.
Darlington felt the pressure of the home sides advantage with the crowds jeers perhaps a bit too much for Darren Holloway as he put Darlington’s first over the bar.
Glen Little was next to convert for the Royals followed by Craig James scoring Darlington’s second to keep them in it.
Disaster struck for Reading as Kevin Doyle missed but fortunately so did Neil Wainwright leaving the blues still one ahead.
Long hit home from the spot as did Simon Johnson for the Quakers, leaving it to Bikey to finish the game. He did of course, sending the blue and white hoops through to the next round of the Carling Cup.

Match report by James Wade