Reading Women 0-0 Southampton Women’s FC: Match Report
· Yahoo Sports
Reading Women’s first league match in exactly a month finished all square on Sunday, with the points shared in a goalless draw against an in-form Southampton Women’s team at Arbour Park, Slough.
Before yesterday, the Royals’ last three games had all been postponed due to waterlogged pitches. This meant the team hadn’t played a competitive match for three weeks: since their 5-1 victory over Larkspur Rovers, to reach the semi-finals of the League Cup.
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Reading were in great form before the weather-enforced break, winning their last four, in the process scoring 14 goals and conceding just three. It therefore, perhaps, didn’t come as a surprise that Reading looked a little ring-rusty and just couldn’t find their rhythm against opponents in good form.
It was a close-fought match, with nudges and tackles flying in, but neither team managed to find that extra bit of quality to break the deadlock. It was Southampton who came closest, with a few long-range efforts, but for the agility of young Reading goalkeeper Sophie Butler.
“It was the second attempt at this fixture, after the initial scheduled match in December was abandoned”
Both sets of defenders could return to the dressing room and say “we did our job”.
Southampton and Reading are both among the contenders for the top three places, so it could be viewed as a glass-half-full ‘valuable point for both teams’ or, rather more likely, a glass-half-empty ‘two points dropped’ (especially with the Royals winning the reverse fixture 3-1, back in September, in only their third league match of the season).
The Sirens arrived at Arbour Park in confident form, undefeated in their last four league matches, after holding the league leaders, including an impressive 2-2 draw at Wycombe Wanderers last weekend. They would also consider themselves very much among a small group of teams looking to get out of a difficult and competitive Southern Region tier five league, after their relegation last season.
It was the second attempt at this fixture, after the initial scheduled match in December was abandoned when Keren Banduka required medical treatment following a nasty collision 30 minutes in. The Reading striker, thankfully, has since made a full recovery and was named among the starting XI for this encounter.
Reading manager Ed Jackson-Norris’ line-up showed four changes from the cup match played three weeks ago. Butler was back in goal (in place of Eliska Simpson – the dual-registered Bristol City player) for her seventh start of the season. Tyra Wilson, Poppy Whitburn and Bethan Poole were all named among the starters, with Ellie Manners, Belle Rowden and Lauren Knight missing from the squad.
Team: Sophie Butler (GK), Poppy Whitburn, Sarah Thompson, Keziah Banduka, Bethan Poole, Jazz King, Mia Parker (captain) (Ellie Szekeres, 74) , Emmi Tong (Lucy Bolitho, 59), Keren Banduka (Tia Johnson, 64), Nat Cowell (Georgia Hayes, 74), Tyra Wilson (Assia Fatri, 90)
Reading goalscorer(s): None
Southampton Women goalscorer(s): None
Reading yellow cards: None
Southampton Women yellow cards: None
Reading red cards: None
Southampton Women red cards: None
First half
In the opening couple of minutes, Southampton strikers Liv Glover and Emily Wilson both danced into the Royals penalty area, only to be closed down, with the chances quickly snuffed by the Reading defence – in what was to become a theme throughout the first half (and the remainder of the match too, really).
After a foul on Wilson, King’s inswinging free-kick was delivered to the back post, narrowly avoiding the incoming Reading attack and going out of play for a goal kick.
Both sides continued to deliver balls into the danger zone, with neither able to get that decisive attempt on goal, amid some robust defending from each team.
Southampton attempted to pile pressure on Reading through a series of corners, with Reading’s stalwart defender Thompson commanding and able to head away most threats.
The Sirens did come close when, from only their second corner, a near-post effort from captain Lucy Mear was blocked on the goal line by Keziah Banduka.
With the first half drawing to a close, Keziah Banduka looked to have played the pass of the first half with a beautiful ball to release her sister Keren through on goal – only for an equally great bit defending and recovery from Southampton’s number six, Ash Mills, to close down the chance.
It was Southampton’s Mills again who nearly had the final say, into time added on. Her ferocious free-kick strike was tipped onto the crossbar in the first of three super saves by Reading goalkeeper Butler.
Half-time: 0-0
There was a busy start to the second half with a flurry of chances in the opening 10 minutes.
The Reading goalkeeper was called into action again, with Butler alert, positioned well and agile enough to tip over what was a great strike – and unexpected long-range effort – from the Sirens’ Dani Kjaer.
Shortly after, Southampton won a couple of corners, with another dangerous set-piece flashed across the Reading penalty area and – fortunately – out to safety.
Reading composed themselves and created a chance of their own. Whitburn released Wilson down the Royals’ right (Wilson and Keren Banduka swapping flanks for the second half), and her strike was saved at the near post by Grace Jenman in the Southampton goal.
Butler was alert again, diving to her left, to block and save a shot from Kaur from the edge of the area.
On the hour mark, both managers started to make changes to see if their ‘finishers’ could not only change the dynamics but also the scoreline. Jackson-Norris made the first and second of five (eventual) changes throughout the second half, bringing on Bolitho and Johnson for Tong and Keren Banduka.
Even with the changes, Reading still struggled to get into their stride and rhythm, with Southampton continuing to battle. However, the visitors only really looked dangerous from their numerous set-pieces: their seventh inswinging corner of the match bounced off the crossbar, to the relief of Reading players and fans alike.
With the match drawing to a close, the final chance fell to Reading. Substitute Fatri tried her luck from a tight angle, her shot looking like it might squirm under the Southampton goalkeeper, who did just enough to recover and hold the ball.
Full-time: 0-0
It’s the second 0-0 of the season for the Royals (the first coming against Wycombe, in Burnham, at the beginning of December), in contrast to their recent goalscoring form.
Reading are also the lowest-scorers in the division, both home and away (outside of the bottom two teams), but with an extremely stingy defence, only rivalled by league leaders Wycombe.
Although this result means Reading have fallen one place to fifth (Beaconsfield Town having leapfrogged the Royals with their victory over bottom-of-the-league Badshot Lea), it’s an artificial position, with some teams having played more or fewer matches.
AFC Porchester are the dark horses, and potential disrupters, with three to six matches in hand over other sides. They’re also a team Reading are still to face, including the tantalising semi-final in the League Cup later this month.
Next up for the Royals is an away league fixture against Sholing on Sunday March 8, kicking off at 2pm. With metrological spring upon us, the sun shining and a 3G pitch, there’s a very good chance this match will be on. See you there!
Other results
- Beaconsfield 2-1 Badshot Lea
- Fleet Town 2-7 Oxford City
- Woodley United 0-4 AFC Porchester
- Wycombe Wanderers 2-0 Winchester City Flyers
League standings
- Wycombe Wanderers: 38 points from 15 matches
- Southampton Women: 25 points from 13 matches
- Winchester City Flyers: 25 points from 12 matches
- Beaconsfield Town: 25 points from 16 matches
- Reading: 23 points from 12 matches
- AFC Porchester: 20 points from nine matches