Vital Reading verdict: Reading U21 3-0 Norwich U21

Vital Reading was at the Madejski Stadium yesterday to watch the Royals under 21s defeat Norwich 3-0 and we give our verdict on the players from the game.

Goalkeeper Adam Federici made his first appearance after being dropped from the side a month ago and had a relatively quiet evening. He made the odd, routine save, but made a hash of a Norwich free kick in the second period which was luckily headed onto the bar by Steven Whittaker, after the Australian punched thin air.

Right-back Nick Arnold put in a solid performance, getting forward well whenever possible. The duo of Pearce and Morrison looked a very impressive one, which the Norwich front line struggled to bypass. Dominant in the air as you would expect, would not surprise me if they are the first choice partnership in 2 or 3 seasons. Ian Harte contributed with some dangerous set pieces and good cross-field passes.

Welsh under 21 international Jake Taylor did a good job on the right flank, despite primarily favoring a central attacking position, which was evident during the match. Young Aaron Tshibola was very impressive, sitting in the middle of the park and portrayed some good tackling and upper body strength.

Young attacking midfielder Lawson D’Ath also had a solid game, showing glimpses of his notable passing range. Would probably like to have got forward more and had more attempts at goal. Jordan Obita certainly man of the match, showed good anticipation for his first goal and excellent end product to set up Samuel for the second.

Striker Simon Church unfortunately did not have a massive impact on the game and looked quite uninterested, despite coming close in the opening minutes. However, Dominic Samuel had a superb game up top. Very composed finishes for both of his goals and showed glimpses of good link up play with the midfield.