A young Reading FC exited the Carabao Cup at the first-round after Danny Rose’s late winner for League Two Stevenage.
Kelvin Ehibhatiomhan notched his first senior goal when he calmly finished to cancel out Saxon Earley’s first-half opener.
However, with the game headed for a penalty shootout, the Boro ensured that there would be no need for spot kicks when Rose snuck in at the back post and scored an 89th minute winner.
On the back of a home victory over Cardiff City in the Championship, Paul Ince opted to make seven changes for the Carabao Cup first-round tie against Stevenage.
There was a first competitive start for Dean Bouzanis in goal, while new signing Mamadou Loum came into the heart of midfield for his debut since signing on a one-year loan from FC Porto.
17-year-old forward Basil Tuma was handed a start, while 19-year-old Kelvin Ehibhatiomhan started up top in a youthful looking starting eleven.
The League Two outfit also chose to rotate their team, making seven changes from their weekend win over Stockport.
There was a former Royal in the Stevenage squad as Jake Taylor, who made 31 league appearances for Reading between 2009-2016 was on the Boro bench.
Tuma made a bright start when he raced down the right-wing and won his team a free-kick, but the delivery was overhit from Kian Leavy and comfortably caught.
Reading tried to exploit Stevenage’s back line with Tuma’s pace as Kelvin Ehibhationmhan threaded a ball into his path only for a defender to get a toe to the ball with a well timed sliding tackle.
The visitors took the lead in the 10th minute when they worked a slick move out wide and Saxon Earley arrived first to a drilled cross and neatly slotted the ball past Dean Bouzanis with a first timed finish.
Stevenage continued to look on top throughout the half and had another opening when Jake Reeves struck at goal from a tough angle and John Clarke managed to get a vital block in the way to turn it behind for a corner.
It was an uninspiring opening half from the young Royals side who struggled to maintain possession for any sustained period, while the away side looked much brighter.
Reading’s only shot of the half fell for Tyrese Fornah on the edge of the box but he got his technique all wrong as he sliced the ball well wide of the target.
Kane Smith sent a fierce effort a few inches wide of the post bear the close if the half as the visitors went in with a one goal advantage.
Ince made a change at the break as skipper on the night Tom Holmes, was replaced by Tom McIntyre.
Stevenage looked to trouble Reading early in the second-half with a number of corners in quick succession.
The Royals seemed reluctant to hold onto the ball and play from the back, opting to punt it direct into the channels, but they didn’t find much joy in their approach.
Ince made a double switch in the 55th minute as Jahmari Clarke and Mamadi Camara came on for Tuma and Leavy.
Loum charged upfield with a powerful burst but got the weight of his through ball wrong as it ran on through to the keeper.
After a frustrating opening hour, the Royals finally made their mark when substitute Camara slid a perfect through ball into the path of Kelvin Ehibhatiomhan who rolled the ball past the keeper to notch his first senior goal.
Camara continued to make his impact on the game when he put another excellent pass through this time for Jahmari Clarke, but Terence Vancooten did just enough to thwart the forward.
Ehibhatiomhan had a presentable opportunity when he rose above a defender to meet Nesta Guiness-Walker’s cross, but he couldn’t keep his header down.
A substitute in the 80th minute saw Fornah replaced by Michael Craig.
McIntyre went close in the 85th minute when he stooped low to get to a header that went a couple of inches wide.
With just a minute of the 90 to play, Steve Evans’ side restored their lead when the Royals allowed a cross to be fizzed into the box and left Danny Rose unmarked at the back post for a simple tap in.
Reading are on the road this weekend in the Championship against Rotherham United.
Reading: Bouzanis, Holzman, Holmes (c), John Clarke, Guinness-Walker, Abrefa, Loum, Fornah, Leavy, Tuma, Ehibhatiomhan
Subs: Andresson, Craig, Yiadom, McIntyre, Hendrick, Camara, Ince, Jahmari Clarke, Long
Stevenage: Chapman, Reeves, Sweeney, Campbell, Roberts, K Smith, Vancooten, Read, Reid, Earley, Rose
Subs: Ashby-Hammond, James-Wildin, Clark, Piergianna, Taylor, Morris, Bostwick
Goals: Earley 10’, Ehibhatiomhan 64’, Rose 89’
