READING 1 (Kozluk OG 90)
BARNSLEY 2 (Bogdanovic 57, 90 P)

Carling Cup First Round

IT'S been a difficult few days for striker Daniel Bogdanovic after he had to rush home to Malta to be with his mother after she suffered a heart attack. The front man marked his return to the first team in the best possible way by rifling a stoppage time penalty to send the Reds into the Third Round.

Manager Simon Davey finally had chance to change things around as six new faces came into the starting eleven following the defeat at Leicester. Hugo Colace made his first start of the season while Luke Potter, Rob Kozluk, Kayode Odejayi, Jon Macken and Bogdanovic also came into the side. Darren Moore and Bobby Hassell missed out through injury while Anderson de Silva, Iain Hume and Martin Devaney dropped to the bench. Andy Gray missed the game after featuring for Charlton in the first round.

Despite Reading's bright start it was the Reds who really should have been in front on six minutes as Emil Hallfredsson sent Bogdanovic away down the right. The Maltese striker did well to find the pass and sent Macken clean through on goal but his effort flew a foot over the bar.

Again Reading prodded and probed with David Mooney springing the offside trap on ten minutes to race clear but Luke Steele was quickly out to hack away the danger. Mooney again was the dangerman for Reading on 13 minutes as his cross from the right flank caused the Reds all sorts of problems but Steele was again in the right place to claw the ball away.

Macken again caused Reading problems on 18 minutes as he battled his way into a shooting position before testing Ben Hamer with a drive from the edge of the box.

Odejayi went close to the opener on 23 minutes as he rose highest to meet Macken's right-wing cross and got enough power on his header to beat Hamer but the ball just bounced wide of the post.

Hallfredsson had the chance to test his shooting boots on the half hour as he broke through the middle of midfield but saw his well-struck shot smash into countryman Brynar Gunnarsson. Barnsley were in again just moments later when Macken's flick sent Odejayi in on goal and the striker did well to hold off Ryan Bertrand but blasted his shot high over from 12 yards or so.

Reading's speed up front was causing the Reds problems and Scott Davies got in behind Stephen Foster and Potter again on 35 minutes but was denied by a brave dive by Steele. Steele saved the Reds again two minutes later when Marek Matejovsky's pass put Mooney clean through on goal but the Barnsley keeper stood up well to make a fine save.

There was a very worrying moment late in the half when Kozluk limped off the field for treatment. Barnsley's defensive resources are a little stretched at the moment with Hassell and Moore missing while O'Neil Thompson's work permit shows no signs of arriving. Thankfully Kozluk was able to continue.

Another decent chance fell to Odejayi on 43 minutes as he rose effortlessly above the Reading defence to meet Colace's free kick but his header flew well wide of the mark. A foul by Nicholas Bignall on Odejayi 30 yards from goal gave the Reds another shooting chance a minute later and it was Hallfredsson who let fly but his effort crashed high into the empty seats behind Hamer's goal.

Reading, inspired by the half time introduction of livewire midfielder Jay Tabb, were straight on the front foot and Steele had a worrying moment on 46 minutes when James Harper let fly but Potter put his head in the way to stop the ball arrowing into the top corner. Tabb then gave Steele a work out on 51 minutes with a low drive from the edge of the box but the Reds keeper was in the right place again to make a decent stop. Mooney then fired another warning shot from distance as he crashed one a foot over the crossbar on 54 minutes.

Barnsley's first chance of the second half came on 56 minutes when Colace's corner gave Foster a chance to attack the ball but the ball fizzed wide of the post.

The opening goal came just a minute later as Jamal Campbell-Ryce picked the right pass through the heart of the Reading defence to put Bogdanovic in the clear and the striker beat Hamer at the second attempt to net his second goal of the season.

It would have been two on 64 minutes when Campbell-Ryce again beat the Reading defence to curl in a fine cross from the left which looked to give Macken and Hallfredsson a tap in but Hamer dove to save well.

Mounir El Haimour picked up a 'professional' caution on 65 minutes as his tug prevented Harper from bursting into the area. Mooney's free kick came to nothing. Campbell-Ryce then let one go from 25 yards on 68 minutes but his rising shot was never going to trouble Hamer. The Jamaican again had a chance to put his boot through the ball seconds later after cutting in from the right flank but this time he found Hamer in fine form as the keeper turned the ball away. Bogdanovic then thought he had scored a second as he glanced Colace's corner goalward but Tabb was in the right place to head away off the post.

Reading should have been back on level terms on 71 minutes when Michail Antonio cut inside before teeing up Mooney but the midfielder shot straight at Steele from 16 yards out.

Barnsley almost made it safe on 72 minutes when Odejayi met El Haimour's cross and nodded the ball down to Macken but an offside flag denied the striker. Steele again had to save from Noel Hunt on 79 minutes.

Foster picked up another booking on 80 minutes after scything down substitute Hunt. James Henry smacked the free kick goalward but Steele was again in the right place to save.

Steele once more had to be at his very, very best to turn away Hunt's shot on the volley two minutes later as the striker looked odds on to find the bottom corner as he met Mooney's cross.

The Barnsley keeper was in unbelievable form and he again denied Reading on 89 minutes with another wonder save to parry away Hunt's shot.

Steele's luck finally ran out a minute later as he was embarrassingly beaten by Kozluk's catastrophic header. The full back never looked up as he nodded Henry's deep cross towards his own goal and could only watch as the ball flew past a helpless Steele and into the far corner.

It needed something to lift the gloom that had suddenly descended and when Odejayi broke into the area deep into stoppage time it looked as though the striker would knock home the winner. Odejayi was hauled down by Gunnarsson and Bogdanovic kept his cool to smash home the penalty kick.

READING: Hamer, Kelly (Hunt 70), Gunnarsson, Pearce, Bertrand (Tabb 45), Matejovsky, Harper, Henry, Mooney, Davies, Bignall (Antonio 56).
Subs: Mills, Robson-Kanu, Sigurdsson, Andersen.

BARNSLEY: Steele, Kozluk, Foster, Potter, El Haimour, Campbell-Ryce (Anderson 77), Colace, Hallfredsson, Bogdanovic, Macken, Odejayi.
Subs: Preece, Butterfield, Hammill, Hume, Devaney, Noble-Lazarus.

Referee
Graham Horwood (Bedfordshire)
Assistant Referees
David Buck (Kent) and Neil Radford (Worcestershire)
Fourth Official
Michael Rowley (Berkshire)

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