Reading FC went through the hard way in an enthralling FA Cup tie with non-league Harborough Town.
The Royals were given a scare, finding themselves 2-1 down at half-time. Having turned the game around to go 3-2 in front, Reading defender Abarham Kanu was sent off before Harborough forced the game to extra-time with a late equaliser.
A Chem Campbell brace in extra-time ensured Reading went through and avoided an upset.
David Button 3: A difficult day for the experienced stopper. May have a case for a foul on the first goal, but wasn’t commanding in his box and wasn’t able to help a very inexperienced back line.
Ashqar Ahmed 5: Would have liked to have done better with Harborough’s third goal as he failed to stop the cross which led to their late equaliser.
Louie Holzman 5: Had a tough afternoon having to battle against the physicality of Harborough. An experience that he’s bound to learn from.
Abraham Kanu 3: An afternoon to forget for the defender. Had great difficulty against the Harborough forwards and was sent off in the 75th minute after picking up a second yellow for a late tackle.
Andre Garcia 6: The pick of the bunch in defence. Showed good composure on the ball, battled against a physical side and was pushed further forward late in the game.
Lewis Wing 5: Not his finest game. Tried plenty of shots from long distance in the first-half, went close a couple of times but didn’t have his shooting boots on
Ben Elliott 5: Saw plenty of the ball throughout the first-half and was relatively patient despite Reading’s lack of cutting edge in the final third in the first-half. Taken off at half-time, a sensible decision with a league game to come on Tuesday.
Mamadi Camara 4: Looked lost at times and really struggled to have an impact in the final third. Did get on the scoresheet with Reading’s first goal of the game when his shot trickled in.
Adrian Akande 4: A mainly frustrating afternoon as he threw some crosses into the box but to no avail. Did get on the scoresheet to put Reading 3-2 ahead as he punished some slack defending at the back from Harborough.
Basil Tuma 4: He’s got plenty of pace, but wasn’t often able to hurt the Harborough defence due to their deep back line. Taken off for Dorsett when Reading were leading.
Jayden Wareham 4: Worked hard but didn’t get much change out of a Harborough back line that was resilient for much of the contest. Missed a massive chance in the second-half when he found space in the box from Akande’s cut back but scuffed wide.
SUBS
Charlie Savage 8: Reading’s best player and helped to change the nature of the tie. Drove Reading forward and scored an excellent goal with a curling effort from 20 yards which made it 2-2.
Michael Craig 5: Brought on at half-time with Savage and played further forward than we’re used to seeing him. Got through some unselfish work but wasn’t fluent in the final third.
Chem Campbell 8: Made a superb impact on the game with two quickfire goals in extra-time to finally take the tie away from Harborough. His first strike had enough power to squirm past the keeper before he netted Readings fifth with a precise finish.
Jeriel Dorsett 6, Harlee Dean 6
