Didcot Town 1 (Bartley 71)
Reading 5 (Sigurdsson 23, Bignall 27, Henry 52, Harper 65, Church 80 pen)
Brendan Rodgers was victorious in his first game as Royals manager at Didcot Town's Loop Meadow on Wednesday evening.
First half goals from Gylfi Sigurdsson and Nicholas Bignall earned the visitors a comfortable half time lead in front of a healthy crowd.
After the break, a completely different eleven emerged from the tunnel and James Henry latched onto Jimmy Kebe's low cross to make it 3-0 with a tap in.
James Harper then added a fourth with a well-struck effort from 20 yards that found the bottom left corner, before Michael Bartley toed a consolation past Adam Federici from a tight angle.
Simon Church stroked home a penalty near the end after Jimmy Kebe had been clumsily scythed down inside the box and the Royals were well worthy of their big win.
Reading first half (4-4-2): Hamer, Davies, S Hunt, Bikey, Gunnarsson (c), Tabb, Robson-Kanu, Sigurdsson, Bozanic, Bignall, Long.
Subs: Antonio, Bryant
Reading second half (4-3-3): Federici, Rosenior, Armstrong, Cisse, Pearce (c), Karacan, Harper, Henry, Kebe, Matejovsky, Church.
Ref: G Scott
Attendance: 2,100
Full report
First half
The first shot on goal came from the left foot of Scott Davies. Back from his season-long loan stint with Aldershot, the versatile midfielder followed up on a corner he had taken to drive a low effort in at goal. Didcot goalkeeper Michael Watkins saved well at his near post.
Four minutes later and Andre Bikey tried his luck...from forty yards, but the ball sailed just over the crossbar without troubling Watkins.
Nicholas Bignall was next to go close, firing just over the top left corner after being released by Hal Robson-Kanu, and then with ten minutes gone Gylfi Sigurdsson drew a very good save out of Watkins when his sidefooted effort was sharply tipped around the right post.
Two minutes later, Didcot enjoyed their one and only shot of the half on target, but it deflected off Brynjar Gunnarsson and missed Ben Hamer's right upright.
Twenty minutes had passed and the one-way traffic hadn't produced a goal. Oliver Bozanic forced a strong-wristed save from Watkins next with a powerful 20-yard drive that was pushed over. From the resultant corner Shane Long came even closer, nodding against the crossbar at the near post.
And finally the deadlock was broken three minutes later. Davies broke down the right and fed Sigurdsson who had time to pick his spot, sweeping the ball past Watkins with his right foot, unchallenged from 15 yards out.
Soon after it was 2-0. Long broke the offside trap this time, racing into acres of space. Unselfishly he slid it inside to the untracked Nicholas Bignall and the youngster stroked it home into an empty net.
With a quarter of an hour to go before the break, Davies hooked the ball back to Robson-Kanu on the edge of the area. The midfielder turned inside one challenge and unleashed a good right-footed strike that Watkins brilliantly tipped it onto the base of his left post and wide.
Watkins had to make one more impressive save, low to his left this time as Shane Long looked to get off the mark for the season with a first time shot with the outside of his boot - but again the keeper was equal to it and pushed it wide for a corner.
Second half
Again Reading were in the ascendancy and soon a third was scored. Jimmy Kebe was allowed space to run into down the left and he picked out James Henry with a pass across the box. Henry patiently waited for the ball and then tapped into a empty net from close range.
The fourth was the pick of the goals so far. James Harper struck a powerful low drive from 20 yards out and it crept inside the bottom left corner with Town's replacement stopper unable to stop it.
The rain began to fall and a rainbow appeared but for the home fans a ray of sunlight shone through in the form of a goal. Michael Bartley raced onto a throughball and managed to turn it past Adam Federici from a very tight angle. Kalifa Cisse slid in to try to clear it off his line but the ball trickled over the line to deny the Royals a clean sheet.
Reading almost responded immediately when Henry shot just over from the right side of the box.
With ten minutes left, Reading were awarded a penalty. Church's good break down the right saw him centre it to Henry, but the home goalkeeper produced a good reaction save to deny the winger. It ricocheted out to Kebe, whose first touch was too canny for his Didcot marker, who clumsily brought Kebe down. Church stepped up and sent the keeper the wrong way to stroke home inside the left post.
Kebe almost got one himself moments later but a fantastic reaction save denied him before the offside flag was raised to bring the attack to an end.
Didcot struck the crossbar with a fearsome left-footed effort near the end, but Church whistled a left-footed effort inches over the crossbar at the other end too as Reading ended the game as positively as they has started it.
