Reading U21s 2-1 Ajax U21s: Dutch Courage

09/24/2024 06:45 PM

A Tyler Sackey strike and Ajax own goal hand the Royals a win in their first Premier League International Cup game of the season.

Let's be honest, we've all needed a bit of cheering up recently. Rob Couhig's takeover falling through last week left so many of us feeling dejected and anxious. Optimism about any aspect of Reading Football Club has been in short supply.

What better way to restore some of that optimism though than for the under-21s to beat their counterparts from Ajax, one of the most famed academies in world football? Yep, that'll do nicely. And for Reading to do so deservedly, showing a heap of quality and grit in the process? Very nicely indeed.

It's a bizarre quirk of this sport really that this fixture existed in the first place. Reading's under-21s naturally play most of their games against other English academy teams, although we've had outings against non-league first-team opposition thanks to the Berks & Bucks Cup, which we won last season. The Royals were actually due for more of that this season, via the newly created (and widely derided) National League Cup (a bit like the Pizza Trophy), only to reportedly pull out this week in order to cut down on costs.

However, a particularly strong finish in Premier League 2 last season (Reading finishing sixth in the regular league season before making it to the semi-finals of the playoffs) handed the Royals European football via the Premier League International Cup. Reading will also face Dinamo Zagreb, Monaco and Valencia (the Selles family's hometown club) later on.

So this was set up to be quite the special occasion at the Select Car Leasing Stadium. It's also the kind of match that's impossible to predict from a Reading perspective: while I know a decent but not extensive amount about our under-21s, I can't tell you anything more about Ajax's youngsters than the fact that former Royals Pelle Clement, Darren Sidoel and Darren Gravenberch used to play for them. Thanks to TalkReading on Twitter for the trivia earlier today.

Noel Hunt set his side up in a 4-2-3-1, so a touch more defensive than the 4-3-3 we associate with the first team. The XI was however entirely constituted of players who've appeared for the first team at some point, with a few more of those on the bench.

Reading (4-2-3-1): Boyce-Clarke; Ahmed, Dean, Holzman, Garcia; Rushesha, Spencer; Akande, Sackey, Tuma; Wareham

Subs: Norcott (GK), Stickland, Beacroft, Osho, Senga, Okine-Peters, Barough

If Reading were nervous going into this game, they didn't show it. Not one bit. From the early stages it was clear that the Royals were well up for the challenge, working hard and showing plenty of confidence. The opening 20 minutes or so were especially dominant from Reading's perspective.

The midfield trio of Tivonge Rushesha, Shay Spencer and Tyler Sackey ran their socks off and barely gave the visitors any peace, but also showed quality in possession too. Although none of seem to be technicians in the mould of a Ben Elliott or Lewis Wing, their close control and ability to drive upfield with the ball were positive attacking traits - particularly true of Sackey, who was given the number 10 role behind lone striker Jayden Wareham.

Hunt also instructed his side to press high, aggressively and in numbers. Although Reading were in a 4-2-3-1 on paper, that became more of a 4-1-3-2 when Ajax were looking to play out from a goal kick: Sackey and Spencer being shunted one place higher while Rushesha sat deeper.

The result of all that was a remarkable level of control and authority before the break. Reading barely had any deep defending to do, such was their ability to restrict Ajax higher up the pitch.

Clear chances at either end were fairly light however. Wareham had a golden opportunity to open the scoring at one point when he won the ball high, rounded the 'keeper and almost squared the ball for a teammate, only for an Ajax defender to get across and clear the danger.

Sackey went one better though, around halfway into the first 45. Typical of the flow of the game to that point, the chance originated with Reading winning the ball in Ajax's half, in this case through Rushesha. Although the Royals didn't immediately capitalise on the turnover, Rushesha eventually managed to sneak to the byline after some nice interplay down the right before pulling the ball back to Sackey, who converted from close range.

Frustratingly, Ajax found an equaliser around 10 minutes later, pretty much their only real chance before the break. Vink sent a low cross into the box from the right and Konadu, unmarked in the middle, popped up to make it 1-1 from close range.

Reading had half-chances to restore their lead before the the break, but they weren't much more than that. Sackey tried to lob the 'keeper from outside the area but couldn't quite get his technique right, while Andre Garcia - who'd looked classy in possession at left-back - put a long-range effort straight at the goalie.

The second half was overall a more even affair, with Reading unable to quite replicate the level of dominance with and without the ball that they'd enjoyed early on in the first half and at later points before the break too. Still, despite Ajax looking more assured in possession and getting into more of a rhythm than they were able to in the first half, Reading more than matched them.

That increasingly meant defending deeply: something the Royals hadn't been required to do much of earlier in the game. But Reading proved themselves just as capable of doing that as of pressing high. I can't really remember much in the way of clear danger to our goal in the second half, bar Ajax getting space down our left a couple of times and Coniah Boyce-Clarke having to rush out quickly to smother a one-on-one chance.

Although Reading didn't threaten the Ajax goal too much, one opportunity was all it took, in this case an opportunity converted by... Ajax's Bouwman. The Royals capped off a counter with Adrian Akande, who'd been pretty quiet until that point in the evening, swinging in a cross from the right, which Bouwman met with a bizarrely judged header, powering it home for 2-1.

A lucky goal sure, but not an unwarranted lead. Reading deserved to be a goal ahead at that point, regardless of how the advantage came.

From then on in, it was largely a case of Reading seeing the game out for the final 20 minutes. With the hosts tiring, Hunt turned to his bench in the 75th minute. Off went Garcia, Sackey and Spencer, with Boyd Beacroft, Joe Barough and Jay Senga coming into the left-back, number 10 and holding midfield roles respectively in straight swaps.

With a few minutes left, Hunt switched to a 5-4-1. Off went Basil Tuma and Ashqar Ahmed: the former had had a pretty quiet evening on the left wing but the latter impressed at right-back, getting forward well and often getting stuck in, although he was cheaply booked for kicking the ball away in the first half. On came Emmanuel Osho and Michael Stickland, going to right-wing-back and right-centre-back respectively, with Akande (left) and Barough (right) moved out wide.

Reading saw the game out without much difficulty from there. This wasn't a case of the Royals having to just about hold on - far from it - they knew how to keep Ajax at arm's length and did so efficiently.

Ruben Selles, in attendance alongside some of his coaches, Michael Gilkes and Brian Carey in the West Stand, will surely have been impressed - yet again - by this young side. Hunt's done a fine job in drilling them as a hard-working pressing unit, but one that can also grind out a result when the opposition are pushing higher themselves.

Sackey was my standout from the evening and I'd be shocked if he doesn't get more first-team opportunities this season, even if he isn't quite ready to be starting week in, week out. He's remarkably strong for someone still only 18, but he's smooth in possession too. Spencer and Ahmed are also ones to watch, and could get minutes in midfield and at right-back respectively.

Someone who seems to be going under the radar a little bit though is Rushesha, who had another good game this evening - I thought he also did well against West Ham United's under-21s in the Bristol Street Vase Trophy Shield Vase Tournament last month.

He's like a Duracell bunny in the midfield, such is his sheer level of energy, but he darts forward really well too, whether in driving with the ball or making a run without it - as he did for Sackey's goal. Given his versatility, being able to also play at full-back, I reckon he could come into the first-team squad at the weekend.

Although those were some of my standouts, even the quieter performers this evening still put in a real shift. This is an impressive group collectively, as I've said before and I'm sure will say again in the future.

The result and performance should not only be a source of pride for those currently at the club, but also a 'come get me' plea to anyone with the funds to buy it. There's a real gem of an academy here, if only we had an owner to match.