Non-League and Academy football writer

Hilltop were looking to return to winning ways in the league when they welcomed Reading City to Silver Jubilee Park on Friday night, for this Combined Counties Football League Premier Division North fixture. Hilltop started this league fixture in fifth place in the league table, after 25 league matches played. Reading City started this game in 11th place in the league table, after 14 league matches played. This step 5 match was won 2-1 by Reading City.

Early on in this contest Hilltop’s captain, Kamaal Nur, would progress the ball forward for a short distance before curling a decent effort wide of the Reading City goal, from 25 yards out. Despite a decent start to the game from Hilltop, Reading City, who themselves had started the game quite well, would take the lead in the 18th minute of this contest. Ellis Cowd would get to a low ball across from the right-hand side of the Hillltop box, and in space at the opposite end of the box, he would curl a low effort into the bottom right-hand corner of the goal, 0-1.

Shortly after having taken the lead in this game, Reading City would create a fine chance on the counter, which almost resulted in them making it 2-0. However, in the 30th minute of the game Hilltop managed to draw level. As from around 23 yards out from the Reading City goal, Michael Panford would curl a deftly accurate low free-kick effort into the bottom right-hand corner of the Reading City goal, 1-1.

Hilltop would start to really play their game well, after having got an equalising goal, having gone 1-0 down early on in the game. After Hilltop’s current top goalscorer this season, Hussein Mahdi, had got the ball out his feet well (around 25 yards out from goal) he would hit a really good, moving effort which was heading for the top left-hand corner of the away team’s goal. However, Reading City’s goalkeeper Anton Robinson would make a really smart outstretched save to turn the ball behind for a corner-kick. Soon after, and Michael Panford would meet a lofted ball to the back post of the Reading City goal, before heading an effort over their goal.

Just before half-time and Reading City would have a penalty appeal waved away by the referee, with Hilltop continuing to finish the first half of the game strongly.  During the opening stages of the second half of Friday’s game, Hilltop defender Rayyan Adam would make a brilliant block following a Reading City effort from inside the Hilltop penalty area. However, the opening stages of the second half were quite cagey.

In my opinion Reading City were looking the more likely side to get the next goal of this contest. And the visiting team came very close to retaking the lead, after James Clark had played a quick through-ball pass towards the run of Joe Pilling, who managed to get in behind the Hilltop defence and to the right-hand side of their penalty area. Outrushing Hilltop goalkeeper Sukhraj Dulai would do really well to keep out and then gather Joe Pilling’s low effort on his goal. 

Hilltop did go on to create a great chance to potentially win the game, fairly late on. As Areeig Yakinya’s first time effort from close range following a great, whipped cross (I believe that it was Jibril Mahdi who had crossed the ball into the box) in front of the Reading City goal, would go over the goal. Five minutes later and Hilltop player Rayyan Adam would glance a header just wide of the Reading City goal, following a corner-kick delivery to the centre of their box. 

Not long at all before we entered second half stoppage time, and Reading City would get a late winning goal. Following a lofted ball to a Reading City player on the right-hand side of the Hilltop box, he would play a short pass across to Reading City substitute Emil Mursalov whose emphatic finish into the roof of Sukhraj Dulai’s goal, left the Hilltop goalkeeper with no chance of saving it, 1-2.

This was a game that Hilltop will be very disappointed not to have got any points from, because of the good chances in which they created against Reading City on Friday. However, it was a great win and a fine performance from Reading City, who importantly picked up all three points. For Hilltop, I thought that Rayyan Adam was their player of the match, from defence. But, honourable mentions must also go to Michael Panford and Bruno Dos Santos for their performances, in my opinion. My overall player of the match award goes to Reading City’s impressive striker, James Clark. With Hamish Thomson and Ellis Cowd just some of the other players for Reading City, who impressed me.