Town defeat RFL South Reading

Woodley faced a potential banana skin in the Berks and Bucks Cup away to unbeaten Reading Football League Premier Division South Reading, but proved they were too strong running out 2 – 1 winners at Lower Whitley Recreation ground. Nick Edwards and Luke Williams got the goals early in the second half as Woodley dominated for long periods only to give South Reading a sniff at the end.

Woodley started in imposing fashion as they kept the ball and threatened particularly through Danny Isaiew, Luke Williams and Adam Jeffery. Luke Williams tested the home keeper Byron Dozier on three occasions in the first half from the edge of the area, but the stopper was equal to each of them.

Jeffery thought he had scored on twenty five minutes as his drive from the edge of the area flew through the crowd and beat Dozier, but was cleared from the goal line by Mark Kilbane.

Ten minutes later Dan Jewell, playing out of position at left back, made a marauding run and found himself with only the keeper to beat. The teenager delayed his shot and the covering tackle came and once again Kilbane scrambled off the goal line.

South Reading were holding on. Edwards should have done better when picked out by Isaiew, but his shot was straight at the Dozier. Isaiew should have been awarded a penalty as Kyle Roberts went through the Woodley man, but the official deemed it to be outside the penalty area. Imran Cooke-Chowdhary was rarely called into action in the first period as the scores remained level at half time and South Reading only real chance had been as early as the sixth minute when Anton Small fired wide when unmarked on the edge of Town’s penalty area.

Woodley broke through in the opening fifteen seconds of the second half with a superb move. Eliot Whitehouse, making his first start, picked out Tom Williams with a superb pass and when he found Isaiew, his shot was only parried and Edwards was on hand to finish from six yards. Woodley continued where they left off and it looked only a matter of time before the score would increase. Luke Williams got the second goal as his first shot was blocked, he made no mistake from the rebound and the ball trickled over the line on fifty five minutes.

Somehow Woodley failed to earn a second penalty as Luke Williams was wrestled off of the ball as Dozier misjudged the through ball and played the man. Tom Williams flashed a shot across goal and Whitehouse's shot from distance went over the bar.

South Reading were reeling but Injury forced the substitution of Richard Thomas who had kept Jamie Broadley quite all match and with Edwards asked to drop into defence South Reading started to regain the midfield initiative that encouraged them to push men forward. They were duly rewards with a goal with fifteen minutes remaining left as Edwards failed to protect Cooke-Chowdhary from the run of Ben Lyden the South Reading midfielder headed from close range.

The home side got their tails up and had their best spell of the game and the Woodley number one was called upon to smother at the feet of the onrushing Broadley. South Reading had two more opportunities blazed over from decent positions but Jim Nightingale and Dan Faherty defended well, in the latter's first first team appearance in three years, but Woodley deserved their victory after dominating for seventy five minutes.

The win gives the team a home second round tie to Old Challoners on 30 October.

Cooke - Chowdhary, Faherty, Jewell, Edwards, Nightingale, Whitehouse (Holloway), Jeffrey (Gordon), Thomas (Hiscock), Luke Williams, Isaiew, Tom Williams

Attendance: 64