A first-half goal from Charlie Kelman was enough to hand Leyton Orient all three points, as Reading suffered their first home defeat of the season in a tightly contested 1-0 loss at the Select Car Leasing Stadium.
After a brief delay due to technical issues for the officials, the match kicked off with Kelvin Ehibhatiomhan leading the attack for the Royals. Both teams approached the opening stages with patience, probing each other’s defenses. The first notable chance came when Ehibhatiomhan stretched to meet a cross with a close-range header, but his effort was comfortably saved by Lawrence Vigouroux, the Orient goalkeeper.
Just after the 13-minute mark, Ben Elliott made a surging run, drawing a foul 25 yards from goal. Reading captain Lewis Wing stepped up to take the free kick, curling it towards the top corner, but Vigouroux was equal to it, tipping the ball around the post. From the resulting corner, the Orient keeper rose above the crowd to claim Wing’s cross.
Leyton Orient began to grow into the game as the half wore on. The visitors had their first sight on goal in the 22nd minute when Ethan Galbraith fired over from the edge of the box after Reading failed to clear. Shortly after, Orient’s Dan Happe had a half-chance with a header inside the six-yard box, but it sailed over the bar.
The best chance of the first quarter fell to Orient’s Kelman, whose effort inside the box forced Reading’s Coniah Boyce-Clarke into an acrobatic save to tip the ball over the bar. However, the deadlock was broken soon after. In the 27th minute, Kelman found himself with space outside the box and unleashed a low drive that squirmed under Boyce-Clarke’s dive, giving Leyton Orient a 1-0 lead.
Orient continued to apply pressure for the remainder of the half, but Reading’s defense held firm, preventing any further damage. The teams went into the break with the visitors leading.
Half-time: Reading 0-1 Leyton Orient
The Royals emerged from the dressing room for the second half hoping to turn the game around. However, the opening stages saw neither side able to assert dominance. Leyton Orient had the first opportunity of the half when Galbraith fired narrowly wide from the edge of the box.
This sparked some life into Reading, with Kelvin Ehibhatiomhan going on a jinking run down the left before having his shot blocked by an Orient defender. The Royals’ best chance came shortly after when debutant Chem Campbell was played through by Ben Elliott. Campbell expertly beat his defender with a feint, leaving only the goalkeeper to beat, but Vigouroux denied him with a strong save. The rebound fell to Charlie Savage, but his follow-up effort was blocked by the rushing Orient defense.
Reading continued to press for an equalizer, and in the 59th minute, Michael Craig unleashed a powerful shot from the corner of the box, but his effort clipped the outside of the post. Rubén Sellés made a double substitution shortly after, introducing Adrian Akande and Harvey Knibbs, who was returning from injury. Knibbs was quickly involved, nearly forcing a scramble in the Orient box, but the referee blew for a foul.
The match remained evenly poised for much of the second half. In the 83rd minute, Jeriel Dorsett rose to meet a cross with a powerful header, but once again, Vigouroux was there to make the save. As the game entered its final stages, Reading pushed forward in search of an equalizer. Wing’s looping pass found Sam Smith, who attempted an acrobatic shot, but his effort was saved, and the flag went up for offside.
Despite piling on the pressure in the final minutes, including seven minutes of injury time, Reading could not break through Leyton Orient’s resilient defense. The final whistle blew, confirming a frustrating 1-0 defeat for the Royals.
Full-time: Reading 0-1 Leyton Orient
Kelman’s goal proved decisive, and while the Royals created several chances, they were unable to find the back of the net, marking their first home loss of the campaign.
Team line-ups
Reading: Boyce-Clarke, Dorsett (Garcia 87’), Elliott, Craig (Abrefa 82’), Savage (Knibbs 61’), Ehibhatiomhan (Wareham 82’), Smith, Campbell (Akande 61’), Bindon, Mbengue, Wing
Subs: Button, Dean
Leyton Orient: Hemming, James, Happe (Simpson 69’), Agyei (Perkins 66’), Brown (Ball 73’), Currie, Beckles, O’Neil (Graham 74’), Galbraith, Kelman, Clare
Unused subs: Howes, Donley, Pratley
Goals: Kelman (27’)
Yellows: James (8’), Galbraith (41’), Hemming (45+1’), Happe (47’), O’Neil (64’)
