Wanderers let two points slip as a dominant display against Reading failed to yield a second home win of the season, writes Pete Oliver.
The Whites should have added to Mason Burstow’s goal early in the second half as they barely gave the Royals a sniff.
But a succession of chances and promising positions didn’t put the visitors completely out the contest and having not had a shot on target until 20 minutes from time, Reading made the most of their reprieve to snatch a first point of the season with a deflected leveller six minutes from the end.
Teenager Andre Garcia’s first league goal left a bitter taste for Wanderers who will feel they should have more than five points to show for their first four league games.
But Steven Schumacher’s new-look side again continued to look full of promise and with a more ruthless streak will be determined to finish the job back at home against Lincoln on Saturday to quickly start climbing the League One table.
Wanderers made four changes to their starting line-up following Saturday’s draw with Barnsley with full EFL debuts for Ethan Erhahon and recent arrival Ibrahim Cissoko.
The pair saw plenty of the ball in a first half bossed by Wanderers and their combination led to the best chance of the opening half hour.
It might have worked out better had the roles been reversed but it was Erhahon – forging an impressive new central midfield partnership with Xavier Simons – who did the crossing for winger Cissoko, whose far-post header failed to hit the target.
Cissoko himself had peppered the Reading penalty on an eye-catching first start and also saw a couple of shots blocked as the Whites looked to turn the screw against the winless opposition.
That early-season record may have contributed to the Royals’ conservative approach as they got plenty of men behind the ball and limited the number of clear openings until Amario Cozier-Duberry took it on himself to go alone five minutes before half-time and curled a shot against the post as the Whites pressed for the breakthrough.
Cozier-Duberry again looked Wanderers’ most likely route to goal as he continued his impressive start to his Whites’ career and having stretched the Reading defence again aftyer the re-start he was inevitably involved in the opening goal.
His run had the Royals on the back foot and when the winger pulled the ball back to Burstow, the striker took aim and thanks to a deflection off defender Derrick Williams found the back of the net for the second home game running with 51 minutes gone.
It was nearly two moments later when Erhahon picked out Cozier-Duberry with a fine pass the on-loan Brighton man took in his stride before firing wide and Burstow then curled a free-kick just past a post after Cissoko had again caused havoc and been fouled on the edge of the penalty area.
Joel Randall was next to try his luck as Wanderers went for the kill and it felt only a matter of time before the second would come as Joel Pereira’s goal led a charmed life, the keeper glad another Cozier-Duberry effort went straight at him and cannoned off his chest.
Inevitably, perhaps, Wanderers couldn’t maintain that pace and with 15 minutes to go and Reading having their best spell, Schumacher made a first change as fit-again striker Sam Dalby made a first appearance off the bench since his summer signing.
The move was designed to give Wanderers’ attack fresh impetus in the closing stages but instead it was Reading who sensed a possible escape and it came when Garcia’s shot looped in off luckless stand-in skipper George Johnston to leave the Whites ruing their missed moments.
Wanderers: Sharman-Lowe; Osei-Tutu, Forino, Simons, Johnston, Conway; Simons, Erhahon (Sheehan 83); Cozier-Duberry, Randall (McAtee 83), Cissoko (Gayle 71); Burstow (Dalby 76). Substitutes: Miller, Toal.
Booked:
Reading: Pereira; Abrefa, Burns, Williams, Dorsett (Jacob 80); Wing; Kyerewaa (Garcia 81), Fraser (Elliott, 59), Savage, Doyle (Camara 66); O’Mahony. Substitutes: Stevens, Strickland, Ahmed.
Booked: O’Mahony, Savage, Kyerewaa, Williams.
Attendance: 19,625 (358 away)
Referee: Tom Reeves