Richardson’s Reading notched their first win in the league to start off his tenure.
Here’s how the Royals rated after winning 1-0 against Stevenage.
Joel Pereira – ‘El Gato’ came back to the starting line-up in style, his command of his penalty box helped the Royals secure the victory against Stevenage. Catching balls from corners with ease and making two great saves. Only thing the number one keeper needs to improve on is his distribution. 9
Kelvin Abrefa – The young right-back had one of his best games of the season. His front-footed approach to the first-half helped in the build-up to Savage’s goal. In defence Abrefa was unbeatable and kept former Royal Chem Campbell at bay, winning seven ground duels on the night. A wayward pass to Wing in the second-half nearly gave away a goal to Stevenage, but he found his defensive composure after the scary moment. 8
Derrick Williams – Another player that returned to the starting line-up after an injury setback. A clean-sheet and great defensive play alongside O’Connor. 8
Paudie O’Connor – Also returning to the starting line-up after being side-lined due to injury, strong, authoritative and works well alongside Williams. 8
Jeriel Dorsett – The left-back played a solid game coming into the starting line-up ahead of Matty Jacob (Who is currently an injury doubt). He picked up a booking early on, and was nearly sent-off after a mistaken identity moment from the referee at the end of the first half. However he kept his defensive discipline to keep himself in the game. 7
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Lewis Wing – As usual the skipper put in a good shift, defensively solid whilst also getting the ball forward to Kyerewaa and Ehibhatiomhan. 8
Charlie Savage – The man of the moment, putting the Royals in the lead in the first five minutes of the game. Apart from the wonder strike Savage was an engine in midfield, taking a few shots when the opportunity arose but also coming back to help defend and keep a clean sheet. 9
Kamari Doyle – The Brighton loanee started off the game, constantly pressing and making runs off the ball into space. Had a moment in the 20th minute when he made a driving run that could well have been a goal if the right pass was made. Did nothing of note in the second-half and was taken off to make way for fellow loanee Mark O’Mahony. 7
Daniel Kyerewaa – The winger was an absolute live wire the entire time he was on the pitch. Constantly make runs in-behind the Stevenage defence, tracking back and helping Dorsett keep the counter-attack at bay. Had a few chances to make it 2-0 but it never materialised. Was booked at the end of the first-half after double-teaming a Stavenage midfielder with Dorsett. 8
Kelvin Ehibhatiomhan – The young forward played as a lone striker in place of the injured Jack Marriott. He looked solid throughout the game, making runs, dropping deep to let the wingers make runs in behind, improved hold-up play too. Had a few chances at goal, but nothing too dangerous. 7
Paddy Lane – Lane’s start at Reading has not been the strongest and that streak continues. He didn’t cause much trouble for Stevenage, but helped defensively with Abrefa. 5
Substitutes:
Matt Ritchie – The winger came on for Paddy Lane in the 63rd minute and provided further defensive coverage for Reading. He picked up a booking seven minutes after coming on. 5
Randell Williams – The highly-anticipated wide-man made his debut for the Royals as he came on for Kyerewaa in the 79th minute. Only being announced the day before Thursday nights fixture, he made himself known. He was front-footed making runs in-behind and showcasing what he could potentially bring to the Royals with more minutes. 7
Mark O’Mahony – The striker came on for fellow Brighton loanee Doyle in the 79th minute. Didn’t really make an impact on the game, but was subject to a heavy tackle from Stevenage’s Harvey White. 5
Andy Yiadom – The right-back came on for Ehibhatiomhan in the 90th minutes as Richardson switched the 4-2-3-1 formation to a 5-3-2 to see out the last few minutes of extra time. N/A
Not Used: Jack Stevens, Andre Garcia and Michael Stickland.
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source uk.sports.yahoo.com ’
