Though Will Evans’ goal had the visitors level at the break, following Mamadi Camara’s opener, Tyler Bindon ensured a happy new year for the Royals with his second-half winner.
What a way for Reading to sign off a challenging, bizarre and sometimes enjoyable 2024, and what a way for Tyler Bindon to - perhaps - sign off his time in Berkshire. It’s been long rumoured that he’ll be off in January, given that he’s shown so much potential and is probably our most sellable asset, and today only underlined his quality.
He was the centre piece in an excellent defensive showing, which was absolutely required in a challenging game against a determined Mansfield Town side, and the scorer of a sublime overhead kick in the second half that ultimately sealed the points. Boy can this kid play, boy will he go far.
Then again, focusing too much just on Bindon wouldn’t be quite right. While his individual contribution was vital, Reading ultimately got over the line today because of a collective effort. This wasn’t a vintage Royals performance in possession or offensively, but it was a throwback to all the loveably stubborn defensive shifts that have come up with the goods regardless.
Mansfield were impressive opponents who dominated the first half, despite Reading taking the lead through Mamadi Camara, and kept plugging away after the break. On another day they would have got a deserved point, perhaps more, but on this day Reading were triumphant. On this day the Royals rose to the challenge, made it back-to-back wins and wrote the perfect conclusion to 2024.
It was an outstanding reaction to one of the trickiest periods in Reading’s season. The loss of Ruben Selles, followed by worryingly poor performances against Blackpool and Lincoln City, had morale at a concerningly low level. But Noel Hunt has done a fantastic job in the last week, reenergising the Royals, and we’ve been rewarded with six points that could well prove crucial come the end of the season.
Hunt unsurprisingly made no changes to the team that beat Northampton Town 4-1, with Louie Holzman replacing Ashqar Ahmed on the bench the only alteration.
Reading (4-3-3): Pereira; Craig, Mbengue, Bindon, Kanu; Knibbs, Wing, Savage; Campbell, Smith, Camara
Subs: Button, Holzman, Dean, Garcia, Sackey, Rushesha, Wareham
The game was well contested but pretty even in the first quarter of an hour or so, with neither ‘keeper forced into a save. Wing went closest of anyone however, poking an effort from outside the box wide of the post. He went one better in the 17th minute though, playing Camara clean through on goal for a glorious one-on-one chance. Perhaps buoyed by his goal against the Cobblers on Boxing Day, composed Camara slotted home to give the Royals a 1-0 lead.
The hosts struggled to build on that lead though. Instead it was the visitors who rose in prominence, with their 3-4-1-2 stifling the Royals’ 4-3-3: that block of five in the middle of the park outnumbered Reading’s trio, with the front three struggling to get into the game.
Reading held firm defensively though, not letting Mansfield’s control of the flow of the game translate into quality chances. Until the stroke of half-time that is, when a cross from the Stags’ right wing landed for top scorer Evans, who guided his header well past Pereira for 1-1.
It was the worst time to concede from a Royals perspective, and it had me worried about how morale would fare after the restart. After all, Reading had played too passively for the bulk of the first half, looking too sloppy individually as well, and the concern was that Mansfield’s goal would only compound our struggles.
Instead, the Royals were rejuvenated after the restart. Not outstanding, but noticeably more effective all round: keeping the ball better and using it more intelligently, and finally starting to ask questions of the Mansfield defence.
That was rewarded in the 55th minute by a beautiful bit of technique from Bindon. Wing lofted a free-kick into the area, the ball was kept alive and fell to Bindon, who expertly pulled off a bicycle kick at close range to smash it past the ‘keeper for 2-1.
Unlike with the first-half opener, Reading did build on this goal. Chem Campbell and Wing both had goes from range, neither of which caused the ‘keeper any real stress, but the pick of the bunch was a well hit volley from Charle Savage which dropped just the wrong side of the post.
Harvey Knibbs, who’d been putting in a vintage Harvey Knibbs performance with his work rate and harrying in the middle of the park, had a penalty shout waved away when he was (possibly) shoved to the ground. It looked soft though, with Reading not really protesting all that fiercely, and regardless we don’t get awarded penalties. Maybe we’re saving them up for the playoffs?
Reading were managing the game fairly well and Hunt sought to reinforce that with a double change in the 80th minute. Off went Abraham Kanu and Camara for Andre Garcia and Jayden Wareham, meaning a complete freshening-up of the Royals’ left-hand side.
Mansfield weren’t done there though and kept pushing in the closing stages, bolstered by the 75th-minute introduction of Stephen Quinn, who is somehow still playing professional football. He was already a veteran of the game when he joined Reading in 2015, but is still going strong at the ripe old age of 38. Viva Quinniesta!
The Royals were equal to everything thrown at them though, with Pereira not required for any heroics in goal. Hunt also threw on Harlee Dean for the final few minutes, putting Reading into a back three to see the game out, just as he’d done on Boxing Day.
That win means Reading end the year in sixth, which is a quite incredible achievement when you consider that, at times, it didn’t even seem a given that we’d see the year out as a football club. From the relegation places at the start of the year, which we moved out of on January 1, to the playoff places on December 29. What a year it’s been!
Short of any great news on the ownership front, the priority though is still to get points on the board as quickly as possible to stay in the league. January could see a swathe of exits from the squad, none of whom are replaced, so there’s every possibility that Reading’s already difficult situation only gets harder.
Until then though, we deserve to enjoy things while we can. Reading have won two on the bounce, are in the playoff places, and are there deservedly.
Enjoy your evenings, and a very happy new year from all of us at TTE. Up the ‘Ding!
