Women set for Manchester United challenge

Kelly Chambers' side travel to Leigh Sports Village with aim of becoming the first team to topple United...

24 August 2018

Saturday sees Reading FC Women take on Manchester United (a) in a midday kick-off which could see the Royals become the first team to beat Manchester United in women's football.

Casey Stoney's newly established United side came out on top in a fiercely competitive curtain-raiser against local rivals Liverpool last weekend; United sealed their first ever victory in a 1-0 win in the FA Women’s Continental Tyres League Cup clash at Prenton Park, thanks to a late Lizzie Arnot goal.

The Royals, meanwhile, also won their opening game of the 2018-19 season - captain Kirsty Pearce struck first before Fara Williams registered a hat-trick in a 4-1 win over Durham in the same competition.

So, with Everton yet to play in the five-team pool, the Royals go into Saturday's game sitting top of the group after the first game.

Match Reports

Winning start for Women in Continental Cup

20 August 2018

United are a newly-formed side and join the Women’s Championship alongside Aston Villa, Charlton Athletic, Crystal Palace, Durham, Leicester City, Lewes, London Bees, Millwall, Sheffield United and Tottenham Hotspur this season. Their league campaign gets underway on Sunday 9th September away against Villa.

Reading, meanwhile, finished fourth in the FAWSL1 last season - behind only Chelsea, Manchester City and Arsenal. And the Royals will be looking pick up where they left off, opening their top tier campaign against Yeovil Town in two weeks' time.

Watch Reading FC Women in action this season!
Reading FC Women's home games are played at Wycombe Wanderers' Adams Park in High Wycombe.

To take a look at the Reading FC Women's fixture list for 2018-19 and to purchase your Season Ticket, click here.

However, if you are a Season Ticket holder for Reading Football Club in 2018-19, you can come along to any Reading FC Women home game (cup or league) free of charge this season! All you need to do is present your Season Ticket at the turnstiles and watch our women in action free of charge!

Match Reports

Royals become first team to topple Manchester United

Historic cup win for Royals at Leigh Sports Village at the weekend...

28 August 2018

A record attendance in the FA Women's Continental Tyres League Cup saw goals from Brooke Chaplen and Gemma Davison give Reading victory.

Both goals came in the second half and were enough to hand Reading a 2-0 victory in Group Two North in front of 4,835 fans at Leigh Sports Village.

Our previous cup round record was 2,110 when Reading met London Bees in 2017-18 while the competition’s best attendance was 4,214 in the 2016 final between Manchester City and Birmingham.

In United’s first home game of the new campaign, they had the better chances in the opening 45 minutes, with Jess Sigsworth going close to scoring early on but stabbing her effort wide.

United’s Kirsty Hanson was inches away from scoring, but her looping header hit the crossbar.

After the break, Reading’s Natasha Harding forced a smart near-post stop from Siobhan Chamberlain after she burst into the area.

Then Chaplen put Reading ahead - she was alert to the rebound from a saved Davidson strike and fired home from eight yards out. But shortly after defender Molly Bartrip was sent off for a second yellow card following a trip on Hanson.

And United almost stole a draw through Lauren James. But Davison had the final say, breaking from a United corner in added time, rounding goalkeeper Chamberlain and slotting past her to seal the win.

“The message at half time was that we needed to raise our level of performance, I don't think we started the game as brightly as we wanted to," said manager Kelly Chambers.

“At half time it was a case of reiterating that point and getting into the players to make sure they came out and delivered our game plan.

“In the second half, before the sending off we started to do that and that's why we've come away with this result today.

“The discipline and performance we showed to see the game out and hit them on the counter attack shows our experience and fitness levels.

“We have an international break now, and then Yeovil in our first league game of the season, and that gives us time to analyse this game.

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“It was not perfect and we will reassess and make sure we have a good fortnight to prepare and pick up where we left off last season."

Manchester United (4-3-3): Chamberlain; Smith, Turner, Turner, Greenwood; Green (Palmer 60), Zelem, James, Arnot (Toone 78), Sigsworth, Hanson (Galton 67).
Subs: Bentley, Harris, Devlin, Roberts
Yellow: James

Reading (4-4-2): Moloney; Bartrip, Pearce (Jane 73), Potter, Harding; Rowe (Woodham 90), Howard, Williams, Bruton; Davison, Chaplen (Allen 75).
Subs: Laws, Skeels.
Yellow: Bruton
Red: Bartrip

Attendance: 4,835

Referee: Anthony Tankard

Reading Football Club

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Standings

Women set for Manchester United challenge

Winning start for Women in Continental Cup

Royals become first team to topple Manchester United

Maz impresses for Mo Marley’s Under-20s