Penn & Tylers Green 1-4 Reading Women: Match Report

Reading Women progressed through to the next round of the League Cup after a 4-1 victory in Buckinghamshire against Penn & Tylers Green on Sunday.

An explosive start from the Royals, scoring three goals in the opening 20 minutes, left the home side with an uphill battle from which they just couldn’t recover.

Two from Reading captain Mia Parker and another from Keren Banduka gave the Royals a 3-1 lead at half-time, after Tara Woodward had pulled one back for the hosts.

A second-half goal from Georgia Hayes, rocketed in from the edge of the penalty area, completed a very comfortable performance and another convincing League Cup win, after the 11-1 demolition of Kidlington Youth in the previous round.

After the midweek Combined Counties cup match was postponed, with Windsor & Eton unable to field a team, the Royals were keen to bounce back to winning ways after their 3-1 league defeat at the hands of Winchester City Flyers last weekend.

Since their 3-1 penalty shoot-out victory over Bournemouth Sports Reserves in the last round, Penn & Tylers Green have struggled, going into this match without a win in their previous four.

Although the home side play in the league below Reading, they were keen to show their credentials after beating the Royals 2-1 in a pre-season friendly (back in the warmer August spectator weather), and after a good 2024/25 which saw them finish second to Beaconsfield Town, who were promoted to tier five and are now league rivals of Reading.

Penn & Tylers Green, similar to Reading, have struggled to get a run of league games going and, to date, have only played four. They’ve won three, with their last home match ending in defeat to Slough Town.

Reading manager Ed Jackson-Norris made three changes. Sophie Butler played in goal for only the second time: since the FA Cup second-round qualifying 5-0 victory over Manorcroft United in September.

Recent signing Emmi Tong made her first start of the season, alongside Ellie Manners, taking the places of Tia Johnson and Lucy Bolitho, who were both on the bench.

Team: Sophie Butler (GK), Poppy Whitburn (Belle Rowden, 60), Sarah Thompson, Keziah Banduka, Bethan Poole,  Jazz King (Lauren Knight, 72), Mia Parker, Emmi Tong (Lucy Bolitho, 60), Keren Banduka (Tia Johnson, 72), Nat Cowell (Georgia Hayes, 60), Ellie Manners

Unused substitutes: None

Reading goalscorers: Mia Parker, 5’, 21’; Keren Banduka, 17’; Georgia Hayes 73’

Penn & Tylers Green goalscorers: Tara Woodward, 30’

Reading yellow cards: None

Reading red cards: None

Penn & Tylers Green yellow cards: Amalise Scott-Green and Rachel Southby: both with 10-minute sin bin on 24’

Penn & Tylers Green red cards: Rachel Southby after match had finished

First half

Similar to last weekend it was Reading who came out of the blocks fastest, a teasing cross from Cowell and a shot from Keren Banduka both going close to opening the scoring within the first two minutes.

In contrast to the Winchester game though, they made that pressure tell early on, and had the contest pretty well wrapped up after just 20 minutes of play.

King latched on to a loose goal-kick to set up Parker, who calmly slotted the ball past Penn goalkeeper Hannah Jones and into the corner of the goal, just five minutes into the game. 0-1.

Cowell, in her trademark target-figure style, came close to doubling the lead. From an angle, she used her strength to hold off the defender, turn and unleash a fearsome shot, which hit the side netting.

Whitburn, last weekend’s ‘players’ player of the match’, dashed up the right wing to deliver a cross to Parker, her volleyed attempt going just over the crossbar.

On 17 minutes, Reading doubled their lead. Cowell’s low cross provided Keren Banduka with the simplest of finishes to tap in for her fifth goal of the season – and Cowell’s fifth assist too. 0-2.

Just a few minutes later, Parker grabbed her second of the afternoon after getting something on the ball to divert it goal-bound from a corner whipped in by Bethan Poole. 0-3.

Frustrations from the home side were clearly visible and boiled over shortly after the restart, with both Annalise Scott-Green and Rachel Southby shown yellow cards for dissent, banished to the sin-bin touchline for 10 minutes.

With Penn down to nine players, the Reading team and fans alike were hungry for more goals during the home side’s numerical disadvantage. So it was a surprise and hopefully a lesson learnt when Reading – in full-out gung-ho mode – got caught on the counter-attack, with Penn’s striker Tara Woodward allowed to rush through on goal and finish neatly past Butler. 1-3.

With Penn back to full numbers and Reading’s game-management back in full concentration, the last 10 minutes were about stumbling to the break, the Royals’ goalkeeper dealing comfortably with two long-range efforts from the home side.

Half-time: 1-3

The second half continued from where the first half ended with Reading in control, protecting their lead on a heavy pitch, with more divots than a golf course’s first tee.

Managers seem to like the hour mark for substitutions and Jackson-Norris duly obliged. Tong, Cowell and Whitburn made way for Bolitho, Hayes and Belle Rowden, meaning a slight change in positions: Keziah Banduka moving to right-back and Rowden going to centre-back.

Hayes immediately got into the action and fired a shot just wide of the near post.

Keren Banduka set up a chance for Poole, her goal-bound effort spectacularly blocked by a lunging Penn defender for Reading’s six corner of the game.

It was to be the winger’s last bit of action, with Keren Banduka substituted, along with King, to complete the last of the Reading changes. Knight and Johnson came on for the remaining 15 minutes.

Jackson-Norris worked hard during the summer to put together a competitive squad of players and this is clearly starting to develop, shown by the strength in depth within both the starting XI and substitutes.

Knight took over the corner and set-piece deliveries, Bolitho firing her effort just wide of the post. That was before Hayes rocketed an unstoppable strike from the edge of the penalty area into the top left-hand corner, completing the scoreline and securing progression through to the next round. 1-4.

Full-time: 1-4

Away from the cup there was only one league fixture, with Oxford City beating Badshot Lea 7-3. This result means the Royals remain seventh, with Oxford now equal on nine points but one place below Reading, having a worse goal difference and also having played one more match.

Next weekend Reading arguably face their biggest test of the league season, with a tantalising trip to The 1878 Burnham Stadium against current league leaders Wycombe Wanderers (Sunday December 7, 1.30pm kick-off).

With Wycombe not in action this weekend (instead awarded a ‘win’ and automatic progress through to the next round after AFC Varsity cancelled the match), it was interesting to see some of their coaching team take the opportunity to check out Reading’s performance against Penn & Tylers Green.

They’re clearly worried, and so they should be. See you there!