Reading 2-0 Wigan Athletic: Out With The Old, In With The Cou

It was a jubilant afternoon in Berkshire as Rob Couhig and Todd Trosclair were in attendance to witness a comfortable win over Wigan, thanks to goals from Charlie Savage and Kelvin Ehibhatiomhan.

Today we got a glimpse into the future, a glimpse into just how much brighter things could be for this club. Reading returned to competitive action at the SCL with an excellent performance and convincing 2-0 win over Wigan Athletic and, even better, there were new owners in attendance - Rob Couhig and Todd Trosclair - to see it happen.

You couldn’t really have asked for a day with better vibes than this. Well, short of the takeover being announced at the game itself of course, perhaps with Couhig and Trosclair parachuting onto the centre circle, but you can’t have everything.

We did however have glorious weather, a couple of teasing tweets from Couhig and Trosclair before the game to whet the appetite (both changing their Twitter profile pictures to ones featuring the club badge), and the kind of display on the pitch that was not only remarkable, but doubly so.

Not only were Reading eye-catchingly entertaining and authoritative in how they saw off Wigan, but the fact that such a performance didn’t feel unfamiliar for this side was a real sweetener. We’ve known for a while now that this team is on the right track. After all, Reading showed plenty of promise in the back half of last season, expanded on that in the summer months, and then impressed at St Andrew’s last weekend.

Today was another step in a journey we’re well acquainted with.

But Reading took that step in style. They were fantastic across the pitch and throughout the game: not always perfect, but constantly sure of what to do, well drilled, clearly enjoying their football and thoroughly outclassing a Wigan side that never really laid a glove on them.

The afternoon started with Ruben Selles naming one change to the side that was deployed at St Andrews, and it was an enforced one. Harvey Knibbs is out for four weeks (as we learned after the game) so came out for Charlie Savage, although Femi Azeez and Tivonge Rushesha were fit enough to make the bench for the first time this season.

Reading (4-3-3): Pereira; Craig, Mbengue, Bindon, Dorsett; Elliott, Wing, Savage; Camara, Smith, Ehibhatiomhan

Subs: Boyce-Clarke, Abrefa, Kanu, Garcia, Rushesha, Azeez, Wareham

Reading came out of the traps quickly, putting on one of the best opening-15-minute performances I’ve seen from this team in ages. Charlie Savage got the opener after just seven minutes, stabbing home from close range, but it was the man who set him up with a low cross that was really catching the eye.

Kelvin Ehibhatiomhan was fantastic in the first half, particularly the first quarter of an hour. Besides that classy assist for Savage, receiving a long ball from Amadou Mbengue at the back post elegantly before quickly sliding in the pass, he was a frequent goal threat too. With one shot he forced a save out of Sam Tickle in the Latics net, while another was pulled wide of the near post.

This was a forward full of confidence and hell bent on giving the defender going up against him the most difficult time possible. Last season it often felt as if he wasn’t comfortable playing out wide on the left, effectively a striker shoehorned into a new role, but no more. Ehibhatiomhan can take his man on, going either way, injecting fear into the opposition defence.

The only thing lacking from him in the first half was a goal. More on that later.

Reading capped off that opening spell by getting desperately close to making it 2-0. A Lewis Wing outswinging corner was headed goalwards by Tyler Bindon and well saved by Tickle. Cue pinball in the area, including Jeriel Dorsett having a shot blocked on the line, as the ball just wouldn’t go in the net.

Wigan recovered after that early siege to an extent and gained some territory and possession for a while, but couldn’t do much with either. Joel Pereira was only tested once before the break, in the 27th minute, when a ball over the top found Joe Hugill, but the effort from a pretty tight angle was easily stopped. Wigan fans’ sarcastic celebratory chant of “we’ve had a shot!” told its own story about the game until that point.

Soon it was time for Reading to reestablish their authority. Although not quite matching the opening intensity, the Royals’ end to the first half was strong, including some quality chances that should have been converted.

Ehibhatiomhan turned provider in the 33rd minute, whipping a glorious cross to the back post for Sam Smith, who couldn’t provide the finish. The centre-forward soon after set up Mamadi Camara in space on the edge of the box after a high turnover, but the young right-winger never really looked confident with the opening as he dragged his effort wide of the post. Seven or so minutes later Ehibhatiomhan had another go from the edge of the box, this time slamming the ball just over the bar.

Reading went into the break 1-0 up, but in reality the game could have been done as a contest at that point with some more clinical finishing.

They didn’t take their first-half level into the second, at least not at first. The Royals did have some threatening openings shortly after the break, but they failed to do anything with them... until the 57th minute anyway.

Ben Elliott, who’d dazzled in the midfield up to that point and would continue to do so all afternoon, made it look easy as he drove upfield and slid an inch-perfect pass through for Smith. Normally he gobbles up one-on-one chances like this one, but this time he dawdled and allowed Tickle to recover - but the save fell for Ehibhatiomhan to knock the ball home from six yards out.

Poacher’s instinct to follow the ball in, cool as you like to stick it in the net. That was his last action of the game, shortly being replaced by Azeez for the final half an hour.

The rest of the game was pretty plain sailing for Reading who started to take their foot off the gas. With the sun beating down and a two-goal cushion to fall back on, understandably the intensity dropped, and the visitors enjoyed more of the ball. Again though, as in the first half, they didn’t do much with it.

Selles turned to his bench three more times. Andre Garcia got 15 minutes at left-back after Dorsett seemed to take a knock, while Jayden Wareham and Kelvin Abrefa replaced Smith and Camara in straight swaps up top and wide on the left (yes, really, Kelvin Abrefa got a run-out as a winger).

He should have scored too. In one of a number of good chances in a late flurry from Reading, Abrefa found himself in behind and then in space in the area, only to fluff the chance a bit and hit it straight at the ‘keeper. Azeez had a couple of efforts too, scooping one wide of the post and forcing a save out of Tickle after driving through Wigan and into the area.

2-0 it ended though, and it was pleasing to see Reading secure the clean sheet as well as the two goals scored. This is a team that knows how to manage games and see out leads, despite the relative inexperience of its defence.

Reading certainly need fresh faces to bolster this team, but on the basis of today’s evidence, new signings won’t necessarily find it easy to break into this team and stay there. This is a well-drilled, cohesive unit that’s firing on all cylinders. I can’t wait to watch it play again.

Stray observations

• This was my first time back in my normal seat since last season and it was really clear the stadium needs a proper clean. It’s been overdue since Covid and was particularly apparent to me today, so hopefully the new administration have it fairly high up their list of priorities
• Camara’s work rate and technical ability are both very good, but he doesn’t seem confident in his end product. Some more decisiveness and/or arrogance would do him good in the final third
• Elliott’s sharpened up massively since last season, so much so that he seems to be playing the game a half-second quicker than anyone else around him
• The “stand up if you love Reading” chant in the 18th minute, which went around the ground, was a lovely touch, taking the place of last season’s Dai-related chants at the same point in the game
• The team made a (seemingly deliberate) point of starting their post-mach applause at the north end of the SCL before walking along the Sir John Madejski Stand and then finishing at Club 1871. Previously they’ve sometimes neglected other parts of the ground a touch (understandable when Club 1871 make most of the noise), so this was a nice change
• You can tell a manager really rates a youngster when he goes out of his way to give him minutes. Selles could have swapped Abrefa on for Dorsett, but he opted for Garcia instead, who’s now played three times in a row
• Couhig and Trossclair being so visible at the game, meeting fans before and after the match, shows they know how important it is to get the relationship with supporters off to a strong start
• This was the first time Reading have won a league game without Knibbs playing since February 2023, the 3-1 victory over Blackpool under Paul Ince in the Championship