Joel Pereira: 7
I wasn’t at fault for the first goal; in fact, I made a wonderful stop on the header. Generally handled well with what came his way after that, despite Lincoln City’s dismal finishing.
Came up trumps with a fantastic save to tip a goal-bound shot onto the post in the second half, but the hosts eventually broke through for the second time when Reeco Hackett was allowed the freedom of the city of Lincoln to convert a cross.
Michael Craig: 4
Struggled defensively all day and, in truth, appeared to be adrift without Amadou Mbengue’s experience and coverage abilities to assist him out. He lost his man for the second, with Hackett ghosting in behind him, but he wasn’t the only one to blame.
Craig’s lack of possession skills was highlighted in the second half when, with the ball heading out near him for a Reading throw, he booted it into touch for a Lincoln throw. Mbengue’s return is critical for the upcoming game.
Louie Holzman: 3
Looked wobbly at centre-back in the first half before being caught on the wrong side of the ball by Ben House, taking him down outside the area, and being sent off. It was simply a moment of switch-off, but he needed to be sharper there, and Reading’s already difficult situation was exacerbated by being down to 10.
Tyler Bindon: 6
Had a similar afternoon to the Blackpool game, looking like the only solid and composed defender in an otherwise erratic team. Put in some big blocks, especially in the second half, to keep the score low.
Andre Garcia: 4
Had a terrible defensive afternoon, beginning with being beaten at the back post for the header in the build-up to the opener. In the first half, Reading’s left-back added some talent going forward, more so than Craig on the opposite side, but this faded off when Reading was reduced to ten men.
He was beaten three times by his opponent winger in the second half, allowing him to enter dangerous crossing area around Reading’s box. Withdraw wisely for Abraham Kanu.
Harvey Knibbs: 4
He didn’t have much more creativity or influence than his teammates in central midfield, but he did a better job of positioning himself out of possession. We managed a feeble effort in the second half that didn’t trouble the goalkeeper, but it was our first shot of the game. Oh well, it’s something.
Lewis Wing: 3
His worst showing in a Reading shirt. Usually on a Wing off day you at least get some composure in possession and a nominal attacking/creative threat, but all of that was absent. Sloppy too and offered little protection for the defence.
Charlie Savage: 3
Sloppy, ineffective, didn’t bring any quality to the midfield. His afternoon was summed up by an odd moment in the second half when, with the ball on the left in his own half, Savage passed it backwards towards the corner into space… only there wasn’t a teammate there. As with Wing, even on an off day you expect him to bring his own threat – in this case long shots – but we didn’t get that from Savage today.
Chem Campbell: 4
While he didn’t get a lot of service from a poor midfield before or after the red card, Campbell didn’t do enough with the ball when he got it. Sloppy (there’s that same word again), uninventive and eventually withdrawn for Jayden Wareham.
Sam Smith: 5
‘Feeding off scraps’ would be putting it too kindly – Smith had almost literally nothing to work with today. Worked pretty hard throughout, with his job getting even harder when Reading went down to 10, and should have had a penalty when he got through on goal (at 0-0) and was barged over.
Mamadi Camara: 5
I’d have probably marked Camara down a bit more if he’d been on the pitch for longer, but to be fair, he was only poor for the 37 minutes before he had to be withdrawn for Dean when Holzman was sent off. At least he managed a decent moment of quality in that time, playing Smith through in a move that should have ended with a penalty.
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