Another game, another ‘that’ll do’ performance from Reading. On the face of it, this afternoon’s 2-1 win over Barnsley is largely similar to Wednesday’s 1-0 win against Leyton Orient: two deeply flawed displays which, ultimately, were good enough for the points we needed.
You and I both know the cliche about what good teams can do, so I won’t repeat it here.
Beneath the surface there are important differences between the last two games, however. While Reading were better earlier on in the Orient game, went ahead in the 52nd minute and then faded but held on, today the Royals conceded in the seventh minute and put in an abject first-half performance before improving after the break, coming from behind to win.
That last bit shouldn’t be underplayed. Reading aren’t typically all that good at turning games around to get all three points, not doing it ourselves this season before today, but having it done to us twice (Luton Town, Cambridge United). Our previous turnaround win came in mid-March, away to Burton Albion.
While the Royals shouldn’t have been in a position where they were trailing from the seventh minute to a team struggling for form in the first place, the vital thing is to put things right, by hook or by crook – as distinctly did not happen at Wigan Athletic a week ago.
Today’s hero of the hour was again a winger, Kyreece Lisbie, who went one better than Wednesday’s match-winner, Paddy Lane, by netting a brace.
It feels somewhat apt that two wingers have been the difference-makers this week, a week when the theme has been ‘finding different ways to win’. Though Jack Marriott and George Earthy have been big misses from the Royals’ attack, Lane and now Lisbie getting on the scoresheet underlines the fact that Reading have different threats for different occasions.
Indeed, Lisbie’s now up to five league goals for the season, meaning he’s found the net as many times in League One as Reading’s highest-scoring winger in 2025/26 (Daniel Kyerewaa). At this rate, Lisbie’ll surely beat Femi Azeez’ tally of eight goals in his breakout 2023/24 season and get into double figures.
Having a winger with that kind of goal threat is worth its weight in gold. Lisbie was invaluable today, surely will be on a fair few other occasions this season too, and lit up an otherwise gloomy afternoon in Berkshire.
Leam Richardson made one change to Wednesday’s side, swapping Jacob Brown in for Jamie Reid, who was moved to the bench.
Reading (4-2-3-1): Pereira; Godwin-Malife, O’Connor, Dorsett, Roberts; Wing, Rinomhota; Lisbie, Stokes, Lane; Brown
Subs: Stevens, Knight, Fraser, Savage, Williams, Kyerewaa, Reid
Though Reading created the first threat, Josh Stokes getting in behind and putting in a dangerous low cross, Barnsley struck first on the scoresheet.
With seven minutes on the clock, Joel Pereira palmed a long shot away to his right, Barnsley recycled the danger through Reyes Cleary, who eventually put a cross into the back post. Haydon Roberts and then Jeriel Dorsett failed to deal with the danger, allowing Vimal Yoganathan to poke home from close range. 0-1.
I’ve seen some criticism of Pereira online relating to the goal. For me, the save was fine (it didn’t directly create the chance as the Royals had ample opportunity to defend it properly afterwards) and it’s (again) squarely about Reading’s inability to deal with a cross to the back post.
Either way, it was on Reading at this point to react to the goal and get into the game… which just didn’t happen in the first half. At all. Two shots before the break, with the first coming after 35 minutes, demonstrates just how lifeless the Royals’ attack was.
To be blunt (but fair), this was an abysmal first half. Reading struggled to get going at all as an attacking force, barely getting into Barnsley’s half for the first 30 minutes or so and far too frequently getting bogged down in their own third in build-up.
The visitors set out to stifle the Royals, which they did effectively, but there was seemingly no urgency or individual responsibility being taken by any players in blue and white to rectify the situation. Joel Pereira was the source of particular discontent from home fans, on numerous occasions slowing the game down when he had the ball at his feet (apparently trying to bait a press that wasn’t coming) rather than attempting to be proactive and get us up the pitch.
Look, sometimes a game will go against you and the opposition will have a good idea of how to nullify your strengths. It happens (last weekend at Wigan for example). But this is when players need to problem-solve: to be positive, increase the tempo, try things and give the crowd something to latch onto.
All of that was conspicuous by its absence before the break. Reading did improve significantly on much of that after the interval (spoiler alert), but it took way too long to happen. This isn’t a team lacking in experience, especially in build-up areas, but in the first half today there was a worrying dearth of initiative.
Fortunately, Barnsley didn’t look at that much like making things worse from a scoreline perspective. The closest they came to doubling their advantage was a giveaway from Paudie O’Connor that led to a long-range shot which Pereira saved.
Unfortunately, things did get worse in another way. Wednesday’s winner Lane managed just 34 minutes before going down, getting treatment and having to be replaced by Randell Williams. Though there’s some ready-made cover in theory, it’s still a huge shame to see someone who was getting into form be taken off, so hopefully he won’t be out for long.
Half time: 0-1
Reading improved in the second half. Though it was hardly an electric restart, the hosts upped the tempo and moved up the pitch better than earlier on in the match, with Williams given a couple of opportunities to launch long throws into the box.
He set up Reading’s equaliser with a very different kind of delivery, however. In the 54th minute he swung in a cross from deep on the left, a cross that somehow bounced its way through to Lisbie on the right, who duly prodded home into the far corner for 1-1.
Their lead taken away, Barnsley started to come out more and take the game to us, looking the stronger side for much of the next 15 minutes or so. Reading had to ride out a fair amount of pressure in this spell of the game, with O’Connor on hand at one point to head away a shot bound for the back of the net.
Lisbie wasn’t done for goals though. In the 68th minute, Stokes threaded through a neat pass for him to run onto – afforded the kind of space in behind which simply wasn’t there in the first half – with Lisbie doing the honours, slotting home for 2-1.
That goal dented the visitors’ efforts and Reading were in the ascendancy from there on in. Reid and Charlie Savage both contributed towards that, having replaced Brown and Stokes respectively in the 77th minute.
The Welshman was involved in two of the Royals’ better chances at 2-1. He had a long-range effort blocked, which went not too far wide, and played Lisbie in one-on-one for an attempt at his hat-trick in injury time, but the ‘keeper was equal to the chance on this occasion.
Barnsley had their moments in the closing stages too, giving a couple of ominous reminders about how often this fixture has finished 2-2 in recent years.
One threat was Reading-made, Lewis Wing giving the ball away to allow the Tykes in, although he then blocked the resulting low cross. Barnsley also had Royal hearts in mouths when a low cross was fizzed agonisingly across goal, just out of a forward’s reach at the back post.
After one final Reading change, Lisbie being taken off for Kyerewaa in the 93rd minute, finally the relief of the referee’s whistle.
Full time: 2-1
I’m wary of sugar-coating this game too much: Reading were (for the third league game in a row) well off their best.
While getting a few first-teamers (Marriott, Earthy and Benn Ward) back from injury will help alleviate that drop-off, those still in the XI simply have to be doing better. There’s no other option if we want to get anything from a tough run of league fixtures coming up: trips to Plymouth Argyle, Oxford United and Stockport County.
Still, we’ve responded to a gutting defeat a week ago by getting six points from two games, and shown we can win games in an uglier, grittier way. Let’s just hope we don’t need to do that too often from here on in.