Barnsley 2-2 Reading: Player Ratings
The Royals put on a solid team display to pick up another point on the road.
Joel Pereira: 7
Left out to sea for the first goal when the ball was struck hard and low across his goal. Reacted well to make a double save from Tyler Bindon’s two deflections towards the net after a Barnsley shot.
Did well to get down and save when Reading allowed a free header at their back post late in the second half. Made an important stop shortly after Reading’s equaliser from a powerful effort on the angle.
Made a fantastic save as the game began to swing back and forth around the hour mark, diving low to clear the ball away from goal with his legs when Barnsley were in behind.
Found himself surrounded at nearly every corner and free kick delivery for Barnsley. That finally told for the second Barnsley goal: Pereira decided to come for the ball fairly late and got as much of the defender as the ball, leaving Barnsley free to deliver again and eventually finish.
Michael Craig: 6
Unfortunate to make the mistake that led to Barnsley’s opener, mishitting a ball he had allowed to bounce. There had been a warning shot a few minutes earlier, when he sliced a similar ball out of play while aiming for Chem Campbell. It looked as though Craig attempted to overcorrect with the unfortunate next opportunity.
Didn’t look out of confidence for long, and found it in particular in the period of play just before the half-hour mark when Reading got hold of possession. Skipped around one challenge and threaded the ball into a seam to earn Reading a free-kick.
Generally OK for the rest of the evening on defence though his height does hold him back aerially.
Withdrawn for Ahmed late in the second half with the game tied.
Tyler Bindon: 7
Made a few impressively calm defensive actions in the opening 20 minutes of the game, culminating in a calm and composed chested block of a cross that led to Reading regaining possession.
Remained Reading’s security blanket throughout the match and was often the last Reading player back, clearing away twice as many balls as Holzman.
Often forced to deliver long by a determined Barnsley mid block in the first half that marked Reading’s midfield players well, and struggled to find targets downfield with regularity.
Louie Holzman: 6
Despite making his first league appearance for the Royals tonight, Holzman was not the younger partner. Ruben Selles opted to leave Bindon on his preferred left side, putting Holzman on the right side next to Craig.
Had a shaky moment early in the second half but he recovered really well, moving the presser aside before retaining possession. Showed similar nerves at times but got through the game without making any glaring errors.
Showed good calmness in possession late in the game with the score tied to step away from an onrushing attacker and delivered a long ball towards the box that lead to Reading moving 40 yards down the field. Overall would have liked to connect on more of those, but showed promise.
Jeriel Dorsett: 5
Reasonably solid without being spectacular today. Made one decent drive towards the box with an under-lapping run past Knibbs and got a header off, but couldn’t consistently help Reading attack.
Withdrawn at halftime when Selles wanted more creative energy out of his full-backs.
Lewis Wing: 6
Stepped a little too aggressively out of midfield a few times leading to Barnsley having rushes against Reading’s back four. That perhaps speaks more to the amount of ground Wing can be asked to cover defensively, especially in transition, with Elliott and Savage often caught just outside the box.
Played the game seriously reserved on the pitch today, taking 75 touches and not a single one in the Barnsley box. Still contributed hugely to build-up though, with 11 balls into the final third and by far the best success rate when delivering over the top. Helps Reading cut out a pass when cycling from one side to another with his quality.
Ben Elliott: 7
Given a good amount of attention in the first half, and often had to check back towards his own penalty box. Protected possession and drove Reading up the pitch well a few times when Reading came into the game more as the first half went on.
Earned Phillips a yellow card early in the second half with his speed on the turn. Was unfortunate the ref blew up for a free-kick instead of advantage because he admirably got to his feet and squared well to Savage in space.
Showed good strength on the ball at times and was improved defensively, with good dueling and defensive numbers.
Charlie Savage: 6
Whipped in a few nice crosses that curled high in the air and gave Reading’s attackers time to reach the box.
Went the closest of any Reading player so far late in the first half when he put a dangerous looking shot just wide: impressively whipping a bouncing ball low and hard.
Came close to finding Campbell with a searching ball across the ground when Reading were on the break, with Chem just unable to catch up.
Withdrawn for Camara late on.
Chem Campbell: 7
Couldn’t quite get hold of his first real chance to shoot in the game, with the ball lifted to him by Smith requiring a volley over his shoulder: not particularly easy.
Cut inside and drove the ball into the box for Smith’s first, picking up another goal involvement for the season.
Played some lovely passing sequences with Elliott and Smith along the right sideline, pulling off a gorgeous L cut to start an attack before driving ahead and earning a corner.
Unlucky not to score from that corner when his header was flicked onto the crossbar, but luckily Smith was there to clean up the rebound.
Ran tirelessly for the team today, getting involved in challenges at both ends of the pitch as late as the 90th minute.
Sam Smith: 8
Held the ball up well when it did come his way in the first half, and helped Reading to get back into the game around the half-hour mark.
Created a half chance for Reading midway through the first half when he brought the ball down well and lifted it into a spot for Campbell to hit on the volley.
Difficult to say how much he knew about his first goal given it hit his thigh, but did the hard work to get his run in across the front of the defender and deserved a goal for his hard work.
Was the first of three players to react to a rebound off the crossbar for his second goal, stabbing home into an empty net from no more than a few yards away.
Ran hard today and was rewarded for his tough play in this and previous games.
Harvey Knibbs: 6
Buzzed around well in the opening half hour, winning the ball back multiple times as well as winning free-kicks. Starting to get the hang of the left-wing position in terms of when he was licence to roam and look for opportunities to steal the ball.
A little over-eager at times though and struggled to win a high percentage of his duels. Found himself pulled up by a whistle twice in the first half and was in the referee’s ear as the teams went down the tunnel.
Started the second half in more typical action for a left-winger, getting onto a ball into the channel and whipping the ball across the box, requiring a clearance. Helped the corner that led to Smith’s second goal across the box with his back-post header and continued to stay active into the closing stages.
Had a chance to shoot in the final 10 minutes as Elliott worked space on the outside of the box but miskicked it limply wide.
Subs
Andre Garcia: 6
Came on at half-time to try to give Reading more creativity in possession and provided it in droves, driving Reading forward in the build-up for the first Royals goal, and generally helping move the ball down the wing or into the left half space with speed.
Looked fired up for it defensively, running all over the field to get close to attackers, and winning some physical challenges that he struggled with in his early appearances.
Mamadi Camara: 5
Found himself all of a sudden free with the ball in the box when Wing’s delivery into the box eluded everyone late in the game, but couldn’t settle the spinning ball. Played a few nice balls down the field for Reading.
Ashqar Ahmed: 6
Called upon defensively as soon as he entered the field, and helped delay Barnsley enough to convince them to turn back. Helped Reading clear the ball out from a free kick delivered into the box late on, and is an imposing presence at set plays.
Won Reading a free-kick in stoppage time to help Reading keep the ball moving in the right direction late in the game.
Average: 6.28/10
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