Tyrese Fornah’s stoppage time winner was enough for Reading to earn a first win of 2023, coming from behind to squeeze past Rotherham United 2-1.

Lee Peltier put the Yorkshire outfit in the lead during a disappointing first half for the hosts, but cameos from Femi Azeez and Fornah flipped the game on its head as the Royals recovered to claim a vital win.

For the first eight minutes of the encounter, it was all Reading. Thomas Ince was being fouled left, right and centre while Andy Carroll was getting some joy in the air. Andy Yiadom had a fierce effort deflected behind for a corner and Amadou Mbengue tried his luck from the edge of the box from a similar scenario. However, for the most part it was all Rotherham, with the Millers cleverly recycling possession. A series of head injuries killed any flow to the match, but it was the visitors who saw the first real effort as Cameron Humphreys saw a header flick off the top of the crossbar from a corner. You would hope that it would be a wake-up call for the Royals, but five minutes later they took the lead from a similar situation. This time it was Lee Peltier who connected with the free kick, flicking the ball deftly past Joe Lumley in goal. The boos rung around the SCL Stadium and the hosts looked lost, running into tackles and giving away soft fouls. The half-time whistle, and a chorus of boos, met them as they trapsed off for the interval.

Freshening things up after the break with two changes, it did not take too long for the hosts to get back on top. Nesta Guinness-Walker, a first half replacement for the injured Baba, won a free-kick deep in the Rotherham half and Femi Azeez’s drilled cross was met powerfully by Carroll past Viktor Johansson. 10 minutes later and the roles were revered as Carroll hooked a pass over the defence for Azeez to chase. The Academy graduate ran through and forced a save out of Johansson. The Millers’ best chance came after the Royals lost possession on the end of the visitors’ box. A long ball over the top cut out the chasing Naby Sarr and Mbengue, only for Connor Washington to skew an effort wide of the upright.

Ince could have been a late winner when he latched onto Lumley’s powerful drop kick, only for a combination of Cohen Bramall and Johansson to deny the top scorer and clear their lines. With the seconds ticking into stoppage time, Azeez won a late corner, and his fizzed effort was diverted home by fellow half-time substitute Tyrese Fornah, sending the SCL Stadium into raptures.

With no time to savour the win, Paul Ince takes his men to Cardiff City on Friday- with the Bluebirds picking up their first win under new boss Sabri Lamouchi.