Watch the best of the action from Wednesday’s victory in the U18 Premier League!
A brace from Taylor Richards and strikes from Lorenzo Gonzalez and Rabbi Matondo sealed a second win in the Merit Group stage for an inexperienced City side at a sunny City Football Academy.
City wasted no time asserting their authority on the match and a neat move down the right involving U16s winger Matondo ended with an emphatic finish from Gonzalez.
The Royals were back on level terms midway through the first half as winger Jack Nolan came in from the left and curled an unstoppable effort in to the top corner of Pawel Sokol’s goal.
A war of attrition followed until Matondo played Richards through and the midfielder fired his effort inside the far post just ahead of the interval.
City were in the ascendancy from the off in the second period and it told just after the hour mark when Matondo was on the end of a teasing Gonzalez cross.
A number of changes followed from that point - including the return of captain Joel Latibeaudiere after a long injury lay-off – and it momentarily gave Reading the upper hand.
Royals substitute Jazz Wallace found the bottom corner in the 75th minute to set up a tense finish but a 30-yard thunderbolt from Richards in the dying minutes sealed the victory for Carsley’s City.
