The Royals were handed a tough defeat by Bolton, who put five goals past them, in what was a repeat of last season’s outcome. The game started with Reading’s Campbell going down injured within minutes, which wasn’t a great sign. Luckily, he recovered quickly, and the match resumed with Bolton looking sharper from the get-go. Reading’s goalkeeper, David Button, was called into action early, making a great save to keep Bolton out. Reading’s first real chance came from a Lewis Wing free kick, but Bolton were quick to take control.
In the 15th minute, a free kick given away by Wing was all Bolton needed to break the deadlock. Josh Sheehan curled in a perfect shot into the bottom corner, leaving Button stranded. It was 1-0, and things got worse from there. Another mistake from Reading led to a penalty after Mbengue fouled in the box, and Dion Charles made no mistake from the spot. With 20 minutes gone, Reading were already 2-0 down.
Reading struggled to get any real momentum, with misplaced passes and shaky defending giving Bolton even more chances. The pressure mounted when Bolton’s Charles got his second, sliding the ball through Button’s legs to make it 3-0. Reading looked out of ideas, but there was a small glimmer of hope before half-time. Kelvin Abrefa, who came on for the injured Dorsett, raced forward and delivered a cross to Ben Elliott, who managed to pull one back for Reading. At 3-1, there was still some hope. But in the final moments of the half, disaster struck again. Bindon was judged to have fouled in the box, and Charles completed his hat-trick with another penalty, sending Reading into the break down 4-1.
Half-time: Bolton 4-1 Reading
The second half began much like the first, with Bolton pushing for more. Jay Matete came close to adding a fifth for Bolton, but Reading started to respond. Kelvin Abrefa delivered another great ball across the box, but Sam Smith couldn’t finish it off. Reading kept pressing, and finally, they got some reward. Ben Elliott slipped a clever pass to Smith, who was brought down in the box. Smith stepped up and coolly slotted home the penalty to make it 4-2. It felt like there was a chance for a comeback.
Reading began to dominate possession, and Abrefa almost scored a wonder goal, his shot smashing against the crossbar. It was so close to being 4-3, and Reading looked the better team in the second half. Akande came on for Ehibhatiomhan, and the young winger showed some good touches as Reading kept pushing forward. But Bolton’s defence held firm, and Reading couldn’t convert their chances.
Bolton put the game to bed late on when Kyle Dempsey headed in from a corner, making it 5-2. Despite Button’s good save later in the match, the game was over. Bolton took all three points, leaving Reading with another harsh defeat in Lancashire.
Full-time: Bolton 5-2 Reading
Bolton were clinical, taking advantage of every mistake Reading made, while the Royals struggled defensively in the first half. Although Reading improved in the second half and showed some fight, especially through Ben Elliott and Sam Smith, it wasn’t enough to make a comeback. The game ended 5-2, and Reading will need to bounce back quickly before their next match against Huddersfield.
Bolton: Baxter, Thomason, Almeida Santos, Johnston, Sheehan (Dempsey 71′), Adeboyejo (Collins 76′), Charles (McAtee 76′), Dacres-Cogley, Toal, Schon (Williams 71′), Matete (Arfield 62′)
Unused subs: Southwood, Forino
Goals: Sheehan (11′), Charles (21′ pen, 34′, 45+4 pen), Dempsey (87′)
Yellows: Almeida Santos (15′), Baxter (80′)
Reading: Button, Dorsett (Abrefa (38′), Elliott, Craig, Knibbs, Ehibhatiomhan (Akande 70′), Smith, Campbell, Bindon, Mbengue, Wing
Unused subs: Boyce-Clarke, Dean, Savage, Wareham, Garcia
Goals: Elliott (41′), Smith (56′ pen)
Yellows: Wing (11′), Knibbs (70′)
