13th August 2024
Colchester United vs Reading @ Colchester Community Stadium
Carabao Cup (League Cup) Round One (Tier 4 vs Tier 3)
19:45 KO
£12 entry
Attendance - 3,123 (639 away fans)
Half-time score: Colchester United 1-0 Reading
Goals:
Colchester United: Hopper - 3'
Colchester United: Payne - 55'(P)
Reading: C. Savage - 65'
Reading: Wing - 73'
Brief match highlights are on YouTube, see link below:
Final Score: Colchester United 2-2 Reading (Colchester United win 4-3 on penalties)
With the Carabao Cup, better known as the League Cup, the poor relation to the FA Cup, with the mid-week games it is not often one I bother with. However, having seen the draw, I had to be there tonight! For those that know me, although I have strong family ties to North Essex, I actually grew up in the Berkshire town of Reading, with The Royals my boyhood club. Indeed, I was there during our last stint in League One, but I also saw Steve Coppell take the boys to the Premiership in a still record breaking season, those were some incredible times and memories. But since moving away, my ties to Reading have dwindled, and I now class Col U as my main team, I mean they are close enough to watch regularly unlike Reading. I still support Reading of course, but tonight saw me head straight for S1 in the home end, making this the first ever game in my life watching Reading and being in the opposite end, surreal to say the least! Reading went into the game favourites, being in the league above, but despite Col U's opening day defeat, I was confident The U's would put up a good fight.
Due to the reduced ticket price, programmes were not complimentary today, but I still picked up one for £2, after all it is the first home game of the 24/25 season.
It had been a sweltering day, however, the clouds had come in off the North Sea, and much of the game was played under a light drizzle. Out onto the pitch under a darkened sky lined up Colchester United in their home blue and white stripes, with Reading having to play in their away scarlet red shirts.
KEY MOMENTS
CU = Colchester United
RDG = Reading
3' - CU - GOAL (1-0) - Early pressure from Col U results in a corner. Payne delivers a brilliant ball with his wand of a left-foot and Hopper, at the near post, flashes his header across the keeper and into the goal, what a start!!!
5' - CU - Strong penalty shout for Col U as the winger Owura Edwards is taken out as he sprinted with the ball inside the box, but only a goal-kick is given.
37' - CU - Col U nearly get their second, a cross field ball is deflected but kept alive by Edwards who hooks it back into the danger area, Egbo sprints in and gets a good connection with his head, but the effort is driven just over the goal.
55' - CU - PENALTY & GOAL (2-0) - Payne pings a perfect cross field ball out to the left, Edwards picks up and drives into the box where he is taken down by Abrefa, the referee pointing straight to the spot. Jack Payne steps up and calmly slots the ball home, straight down the middle, giving The U's an unexpected 2-0 lead!
65' - RDG - GOAL (2-1) - Charlie Savage picks up a loose ball and fires in a half-volley from 25 yrds out, it is hit with such venom and accuracy that there is nothing that Matt Macey can do and the ball almost bursts through the net, jaw dropping. Must be the week of the Savage's for me!
66' - CU - Col U respond fast and attack down the right through Egbo. He works his way into the box and squares the ball in, it is deflected to Read on the edge of the area, and as the ball falls he fires in towards goal, but Boyce-Clarke makes a spectacular stop to prevent a sure fire goal.
71' - RDG - Knibbs goes steaming in from the right, through on goal he hits a bullet of a strike at the near post, but Macey is equal to it to bat it away for a corner.
73' - RDG - GOAL (2-2) - The equaliser eventually comes. Col U concede a foul in a dangerous position as captain Lewis Wing is fouled. He steps up to take the free-kick that he earned, and finds a gap in the defensive wall and sends the ball into the bottom right corner from 20 yrds out, pin-point precision to bring The Royals level in less than 10 minutes.
77' - RDG - A cross field ball finds Ehibhatiomhan on the left, he goes on a jinking run along the by-line, into the box and lays it back to Wareham, whose stabbed effort forces a good reaction save from Macey at the near post.
84' - RDG - Harlee Dean dinks a neat ball over the defence, Ehibhatiomhan beats the offside trap and headers the ball first time, his effort skipping narrowly wide of the post, much to my relief.
PENALTY SHOOT-OUT
RDG - GOAL (0-1) - Wareham. Smashed home.
CU - GOAL (1-1) - Ihionvien. Tucked into bottom left corner.
RDG - SAVE (1-1) - Ehibhatiomhan. Macey dives across goal to make a fine stop.
CU - GOAL (2-1) - Read. Straight down the middle.
RDG - GOAL (2-2) - Bindon. Sends keeper the wrong way.
CU - GOAL (3-2) - Oni. Also sends keeper the wrong way.
RDG - GOAL (3-3) - Wing. Captain blasts it in, no mistake.
CU - GOAL (4-3) - Gordon. The diving Boyce-Clarke gets to the ball, but not enough contact and the ball crashes into the inside of the side-netting, limbs in the home end.
RDG - SAVE (4-3) - Mbengue. Macey again with a brilliant diving save, sending Col U through to the next round - jubilant scenes in the ground.
Wow, what a game, I'm so glad I made the long evening journey for that one! With Reading blending youth with experience, Col U took the upper-hand and dominated the first half, unlucky to be going in to the break only 1-0 up. They began the second half how they left off and eventually secured a 2nd. In a hope to turn things around, Reading threw on more first team players, with Col U opting to bring on plenty of substitutions themselves. The pendulum began to swing towards Reading, and a worldie from Charlie Savage lit the torch paper and Reading began to pepper the Col U box, and they inevitably equalised though another spectacular effort, although Read had a brilliant chance to make it 3-1 to The U's. Reading looked the more likely team to bag the winner, but last gasp defending and a couple of fine Matt Macey saves saw the hosts take their higher league rivals to penalties. The excitement of the penalty shoot-out created brilliant scenes at Col U, as they expertly dispatched all their penalties, with Matt Macey making two incredible diving saves to seal the win, being 6ft7 surely helps in this situation! Surely Matt Macey man-of-the-match for the U's, but I was also really impressed with Owura Edwards, such a classy player down the left and Jack Payne looks to be a great signing. For Reading, Lewis Wing pulled the strings as they played themselves back into the game and looked a class above. From a personal perspective, I did not find it unusual backing the U's, but I think the fact Reading played in red certainly helped. Reading have a threadbare squad and are not cut out for a cup run, they have bigger things to focus on, so this will not affect their season. The scalp will hopefully build some spirit and momentum for Col U, fingers crossed they draw a big team in the next round and put in a big performance against the much fancied MK Dons. If they play like they did in the first half it should be a good contest, UP THE U'S, UP THE U'S, UP THE GOOD OL' WHITE & BLUES!!!
Line-Ups:
COLCHESTER UNITED: Matt Macey, Rob Hunt, Fiacre Kelleher, Ellis Iandolo (C), Alex Woodyard, Mandela Egbo, Owura Edwards, Jack Payne, Teddy Bishop, Tom Hopper, Samson Tovide. SUBS: John-Kymani Gordon, Arthur Read, Frankie Terry, Milton Oni, Bradley Ihionvien, Tom Smith, Alfie Bendle, Will Greenidge, Oscar Thorn.
READING: Coniah Boyce-Clarke, Kelvin Abrefa, Abraham Kanu, Harlee Dean, Emmanuel Osho, Charlie Savage, Lewis Wing (C), Harvey Knibbs, Adrian Akande, Jayden Wareham, Andre Garcia. SUBS: Ben Elliott, Kelvin Ehibhatiomhan, Tyler Bindon, Amadou Mbengue, Mamadi Camara, Joel Pereira, Basil Tuma, Ashqar Ahmed, Tyler Sackey.
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