A late penalty from Harvey Knibbs gave Reading FC the Berks and Bucks bragging rights when they defeated Wycombe Wanderers 1-0.
Wycombe got off to a strong start in the first half, dominating the game but unable to complete any of their opportunities.Around the half-hour mark, the game became quite tiny, and both teams were unable to acquire a grip in the contest. This meant that going into the half, the score was still at zero.
In the 77th minute, the impasse was broken by a penalty. The final lunge from Cameron Humphreys was a stonewall spot-kick. The play-off chasers took the lead as Knibbs stepped up and sent Will Norris in the wrong direction.
As the Berkshire team defeated their neighbors 1-0 to increase their chances of qualifying for the playoffs, it would remain that way.
Wycombe Wanderers 1-0 against Reading FC
Adam Reach pounced on a stray ball that dropped awkwardly to him, giving the visitors a near-perfect start to the game. Joel Pereira made a great stop after the winger managed to direct a shot on target. Caleb Taylor headed in the subsequent corner, but the defender was clearly offside.
In the first twenty minutes, Wycombe dominated, forcing several corners and applying constant pressure to the Royals’ defense, which held firm. With ten minutes left in the first half, things looked like they might blow out of control when Amadou Mbengue scythed down Xavier Simons, but Richard Kone was through on goal, so the advantage was played. The Hull City loanee then squared up to his opposite number, forcing referee Thomas Kirk to pull it back. Both players were given yellow cards.
The consistency of the referee was brought into doubt by both sets of fans, with several fairly dubious decisions being made by Kirk. As a result, the half petered out and the game became fairly rough.
The teams began the halftime as they had after a highly erratic first half of play. Despite being superior in the first half, Wycombe once again failed to find the crucial finishing touch. Although they hadn’t posed much of a threat to Norris in the Chairboys’ net, the Royals started to gain ground in the second half.
With a bounce in their step, the Royals attempted to punish Wycombe with their speed as they entered the second half and knocked the ball around wonderfully.
Soon after, Kone broke away on the left side and had a fantastic opportunity to put Wanderers up. Garath McCleary created a shooting opportunity with a good exchange with the Ivorian, and Pereira was once again on par with him.The Reading hero nearly returned to haunt his old employers at the 60-minute mark, but the Portuguese goalkeeper in the home goal made a spectacular save to block McCleary’s header.
Reading was given a penalty with 10 minutes remaining, and it appeared that this was the right call. Humphreys did not get any of the ball because he lunged in late. As the game came to a close, Knibbs gave the home team the advantage by sending Norris the wrong way.
Like Tuesday night against Shrewsbury Town, Wycombe threw everyone forward in the final ten minutes, but Reading won 1-0 because the Blues produced nothing.Reading’s chances of qualifying for the playoffs were greatly increased by Wrexham’s victory over Burton Albion, while Wycombe fell even farther out of automatic promotion contention. The Berkshire team has had a terrible week off the field, so the win over their local rivals was a huge morale boost.
Reading FC player ratings
J. Pereira – 8
K. Abrefa – 6
A. Mbengue – 7
T. Bindon – 7
A. Garcia – 6 (T. Rushesha 62′(6))
L. Wing – 6
H. Knibbs – 7
C. Savage – 6
M. Camara – 6 (B. Bodin 83′(6))
K. Ehibhatiomhan – 6 (J. Wareham 62′(6))
C. Campbell – 5 (A. Yiadom 89′(6))
Unused substitutes:Â D. Button, T. Carroll, M. Stickland
Wycombe Wanderers player ratings
W. Norris – 6
J. Grimmer – 6
C. Taylor – 6
S. Bradley – 6
L. Leahy – 5 (F. Onyedinma 82′(5))
J. Scowen – 6
X. Simons – 5 (A. Lowry 67′(5))
G. McCleary – 6 (G. Kodua 67′(5))
C. Humphreys – 3
A. Reach – 6 (D. Udoh 67′(6))
R. Kone – 6
Unused substitutes:Â F. Ravizzoli, J. Pattenden, J. Berry
Match attendance
Noel Hunt reacts as Reading beat play-off rivals
“We were very pleased to limit them, with the quality they have, to one shot on target where Joel makes the save,” a jubilant Noel Hunt told The Bucks Free Press.
“These are never simple games. They’re close. A good football derby has never been witnessed by me. It was persistent; there were hits and tackles, groans, and counterattacks. Today it had it all. All I can say is that I’m glad we survived it.
It was bouncing just as it had in the past. As you can see, we are battling for every ball and currently sit sixth in the league. We must remain committed, and we hope they will follow us, attend the upcoming games, and lend us their entire support.”
