Reading attacker Femi Azeez netted a hattrick for Noel Hunt's Under-21s in a stunning 8-1 win over Aldershot Town.

Held behind-closed-doors, the Shots actually took an early lead, before Azeez blew the National League outfit away.

Rashawn Scott, David Nyarko and Nahum Melvin-Lambert also got among the goals, with 'Rivaldo' Scott scoring "one of his best goals."

Discussing the match was manager and former Championship winner Noel Hunt.

"Femi scored a hat-trick but we went 1-0 down in the first 15 minutes before winning 8-1," he stated. "It was great because it gave our boys a bit of a kick up the backside and a real lesson in not standing off and not being aggressive enough. Aldershot to be fair to them scored a really good goal, but once we figured out how to solve the problems they were posing, we stopped treating it like a friendly and started treating it like a game.

Reading Chronicle:

"Rashawn scored and it was one of his best goals he’s scored for us, even though it was actually from about 3 yards out. He scored it from a rebound. We tell him all the time it’s about being first in both boxes and anticipating where things are going to drop. He’s got a really really good talent, he’s a great boy with all the things you’d want. We just tell him to do the basics and tidy those up consistently to make him a complete player.

"When you have a Rashawn that’s in the right frame of mind he’s a phenomenal talent. One of the best I’ve seen to be honest. He’s a game changer at any level. He has that ability to turn the game on its head when he wants to by making things happen and scoring goals. It’s about finding that consistency."

Azeez returned to first team action last week after missing the first half of the season through injury.