Bristol Rovers 2-2 Reading FC (5-3): Young Royals impress

It took only four minutes for Reading to get off the mark. Jerae Jones made a run down the left channel and found Sean Patton in the box; the striker takes a deft touch and puts it through the legs of Charlie Binns.

The game was relatively quite for the proceeding quarter of an hour, but Bristol Rovers did force Jack Stevens into action. After winning a freekick on the edge of the box, Jack Sparkles tried his luck, but it was straight at Stevens who punched it over the bar.

The Gas tried to level the game a few minutes later through Bobby Kamwa. The winger was found through a cross and his header forced Stevens into a close range save which is then cleared by the defenders.

The hosts piled on the pressure for a good spell, with Philip Sanyaolu being found by Sparkles in the box but the ball was cleared. The Gas came back again through Sparkles who made a run down the box but his shot was wide.

The Royals absorbed the pressure and pushed to try and increase their advantage. At around the half an hour mark Jones found Patton again in the box, this time the striker couldn’t put the ball on target and it was just wide.

Patton had another chance only seconds later after the Royals press paid off. Jones ran down the line, put a ball into a crowded box and found Luke Howard whose effort was saved. Patton latched on to the rebound but wasn’t able to sort his footing, was under pressure from a defender and when he took his shot it was just wide of the mark.

Boyd Beacroft was shown the first yellow card of the game for taking time over a free-kick.

Reading pushed on for another as Callum Cliff took his chance from distance. He cut in and from the left-back position and his shot forced the goalkeeper to tip his effort over the crossbar.

There was one minute added on for injuries, but the half had come to a close.

It only took ten minutes into the restart for Reading to pick up where they left off and increase their advantage. Jones went from providing an assist to producing a moment of magic, the youngster drove down the left and used the defender to block the keeper's view and puts it straight into the top corner from distance.

But their 2-0 lead only lasted minutes.

Bristol Rovers responded almost immediately with a similar strike at the other end. Arvin Appiah cut inside from the right and whipped a powerful effort across the goal and past Stevens.

The Gas decided to make two substitutions just after the hour mark, with Kamwa and Stan Dunne coming off for Reiss Russell-Denny and Tommy Leigh.

A minute after the changes Bristol Rovers drew level with a carbon copy goal to their first. Philip Sanyaolu, who got the ball on the right, shifted it onto his left foot and bent his shot into the corner.

Reading’s hopes of qualifying for the next round of the EFL Trophy had all but vanished.

The Gas made three more substitutions with the goalscorers Sanyaolu and Appiah coming off for Jack Toogood and Kazim Salahi-Ali, whilst Richie Smallwood made way for Shaq Forde.

Leam Richardson made his first change of the night with Jerae Jones making way for Joe Barough.

Reading pushed for the winner as Cliff took another shot from distance and forced a save out of Binns. Whilst Leigh tried for The Gas, he chipped the ball over a defender before thumping his strike just off target.

With less than ten minutes to go the Royals made two more changes with Mfuamba and Howard coming off for Matteo Dashi and Schofield Lonmeni. Schofield became Academy Graduate number 94 for Reading while Dashi made his first-team debut.

Four minutes were added on for injury time, with Reading making their final change with Emmanuel Osho coming off for Torin Ntege before the penalty shootout.

Bristol Rovers were on the mark for all of their penalties, with only Matteo Dashi missing his penalty for the Royals.

Full time: Bristol Rovers 2-2 Reading FC (5-3)

Reading: Stevens ©; Beacroft; Duah; Ahmed; Sackey; Cliff; Mfuamba (Dashi 83’); Howard (Lonmeni 83’); Osho; Jones (Barough 75’); Patton

Subs: Rowley, Harrison, St Louis, Ntege

Goals: S. Patton (4’), J. Jones (56’), A. Appiah 58’), P. Sanyaolu (65’)