Reading secured a point on the road and their fourth overall this week as they battled to a 2-2 draw against Barnsley in midweek League One action.
Both sides came into the clash level on points and within the cusp of the top six with The Royals looking to extend their three-game unbeaten run following a solid showing to beat Peterborough United. Darrell Clarke’s side however were looking for a response from their loss to Wigan Athletic after failing to crack one of the third tier’s best defences down in the later stages.
And it would be The Tykes that got off to a brilliant start with former Mansfield Town man Davis Keillor-Dunn opening the scoring less than ten minutes into the tie with his effort nestling into the far side of the goal after capitalising on a clearance gone astray.
The Yorkshire side were the much more controlled side throughout the first half, with Royals keeper Joel Pereira firmly kept on his toes but hardly troubled by anything Barnsley sent his way. Reading did have their fair share of opportunities, with Sam Smith shanking a volley wide of the posts.
Ruben Selles’ squad firmly caught their hosts out when the game restarted with that man Smith equalising the game five minutes after the resumption, poking home a ball from Chem Campbell to get his side on the board. He would double his – and Reading’s – tally after the hour mark after putting a Campbell header that came off the bar into Ben Killip’s net.
But their enjoyment would not last long as The Tykes found a leveller through Josh Earl with nearly a quarter of an hour remaining and neither side could find a winning goal despite the continued attacks from the Oakwell club.
A win for Huddersfield Town did mean that both sides slipped down a place but thanks to a late leveller from Cambridge United against Bolton Wanderers meant that The Trotters stayed below Reading and Barnsley, with the latter occupying the final play-off place ahead of FA Cup action next weekend.
Writer’s View
It felt like an expected result for these two play-off contenders to draw but Barnsley may be kicking themselves that they couldn’t have made more of their dominance throughout the game. Their 21 shots dwarfed what their opponents could muster up but ultimately the match came down to how clinical their forwards could be and Sam Smith proved he could deliver.
Football journalist with The Real EFL since 2023. A 2024 Multimedia Journalism graduate from the University of Salford, Lewis specialises in Salford City FC and EFL coverage.
