Late Ehibhatiomhan Goal Puts Reading Top 6

When : Tuesday March 17, 2026, 7.45pm

Where : Pirelli Stadium, Princess Way, Burton upon Trent, DE13 0BH

Capacity 6,912
At this level a trip to this part of Staffordshire has always turned out to be a nightmare with zero points returned from two attempts.
And success won’t get any more likely this time round either because Burton are your proverbial difficult, awkward and “one to avoid” opponent as despite their seasonal struggles they produce the results they need year in year out. None more so than this season as they’ve managed to win at Cardiff and Bradford plus get a point at Huddersfield. At home they’ve drawn with Cardiff and done both Stockport and Bolton by 3-0, so if you think this is going to be a simple points grab, you’ll likely be extremely disappointed.
Form is mixed for the Brewers with 2 wins and 2 draws earning 8 points from the the last 18 played for however if Reading can hit the form shown in the 1st half against Plymouth it should be enough to grab some points, plus Burton begins with B so plenty to be hopeful for on the night.
Burton’s threat comes in the form of 13 goal Jake Beesley and his 8 goal partner Tyrese Shade, really not gentlemen you want to leave to their own devices. In addition there’s are the standard contingent of two ex Reading players (George Evans & Terence Vancooten) who will be only too ready to help make this visit a miserable experience again.
Reading draw too many games and concede too many silly goals to probably be promoted this season but if they can keep scrapping away there’s always a chance to buck a trend and at least extend the season by 2 or 3 games.
Ward was omitted from the Plymouth game simply to give him a rest as he’s been involved regularly and been feeling a couple of minor niggles recently, Stevens apparently has a head injury which is why Rhone has been on the bench. Marriott etc. all still injured. However there should still be sufficient options and permutations available from which to find a team that can win at the Pirelli.
Getting into the play off positions continues to be a real struggle and now we’re entering the nightmare run of games with Stevenage, Huddersfield, Lincoln & Cardiff starting to hove into view. Reading could sneak into 5th or 6th off the back of three points from this one, but that would also be dependent on other results going the club’s way in the following:
Huddersfield v Lincoln

Plymouth v Stevenage

Stockport v Northampton
Referee
Ed Duckworth Lewis Method
Previously
18 Dec 25 > Reading 3-2 Luton Town

11 Mar 25 > Reading 2-0 Wrexham

19 Oct 24 > Reading 4-1 Crawley Town
History
This is fifth trip to the Pirelli and while Reading won on their first two excursions things have changed. First Reading got themselves relegated and since then the club has been back twice and lost twice, both games by 3-2. Also of interest is that neither club has ever kept a clean sheet in this particular fixture. So 0-0 then.
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If our record in 2026 so far us anything to go off, this is a bigger hazard than upcoming games against Cardiff and Lincoln.

Need to win really to stop the play-off hopes drifting, play like we did against Plymouth and we should do just that.
Kiss of death but Burton have only managed back to back wins once this season and that was back in November!

I wish we had a decent fit LB.
Likely a bit mre rotation... I wonder if Dorsett for Ward was tactical or just manging Benn's fitness. Yids may well sub back in for Nyambe. Otherwise I'd think much the same from Leam.
Team is playing ok, but I don't think the defence is right. Personally I would be moving towards the following line up with who we have fit.
......................Pereira

Abrefa, Williams, Ward, Yiadom

................Wing, Savage

Williams.......Doyle............Lane

.............Ehibhatiomhan
Subs: Rhone, O'Connor, Nyambe, Rinomhota, Ritchie, Young, Patton.
Or maybe:

.......................Pereira

....Williams, O'Connor, Ward

Yiadom, Wing, Savage, Williams

.......................Doyle

...........Patton, Ehibhatiomhan

Ward is carrying a couple of minor niggles and was rested yesterday following advice from the medical team.

Ward is carrying a couple of minor niggles and was rested yesterday following advice from the medical team.
Ahh that explains that then... so may be back or given another few days, but we can expect to see him at LB by the weekend...

Looks like one of our biggest potential banana skins left this season given our record against sides in the lower mid-table area. We've only won one of twelve against sides currently between twelfth and eighteenth (six draws; five defeats). The only win did come against Burton though, and they were probably the worst side I've seen this season when the played them at our place.

Yiadom, Ward and Patton all start

Wow, ok, resting Kelvin. Patton straight in. Dorsett dropped completely. Keane in, Doyle back out wide to accommodate it.
It's a bold strategy Cotton

WiFi ditched for a youngster :o

Good

Frankly he deserves to be dropped, he's not been good enough, even with his hat-trick he was basically handed 2 of those goals on a plate.

I think we have to try to use the squad tbh
No doubts he’ll get pelters if we lose but it seems broadly sensible to me

Names with too many N's is catching - first we signed Benn Ward now the graphic has O'Connnor

I think we have to try to use the squad tbh
No doubts he’ll get pelters if we lose but it seems broadly sensible to me
I agree we have to use the squad. Rotating Ward-Dorsett makes sense, as has Yids-Nyambe. Quite happy to see Patton get a chance, and resting Kelvin isn't crazy by any means.
Lane obviously took a nasty knock at one point on Saturday so can also see resting him.
It just seems quite a lot at once. And having actually played quite well and made some good chances, with Doyle playing well particularly, it seems a bit bizarre to me to shove Doyle back out wide to accommodate bringing in Keane, who has done bugger all and looks nothing like a 10 in his appearances. It seems like there's some pretty obvious and easy criticism if we don't create or score much with a front line of:
Doyle, Keane, Williams

............Patton
When we could have gone quite easily with:

Ritchie, Lane or Young out wide to keep Doyle in the middle or instead of him to bring Keane in. Or if you're bringing Keane in keep Kelvin up top to minimise changes.

I'm glad that Patton is getting a start. Nothing against Kelvin but with a Marriott's injury, seems pointless recalling him from what was shaping up to be a productive loan if you're just going to give him 15 minutes a game.

Saying that, if its a shape change to 3 at the back and Keane is playing up front with Patton it's a bit different. But that seems pretty unlikely I don't see Yids as wing back these days.

Oh god, Pereira is on one again.

Wtaf is JP doing?..

Well it certainly hit his hand, but he's flat on the pitch and the player has kicked it into his hand, Pereira has his back to it. I think that's a good call from the officials.

Wtf is going on with JP :lol:

What has happened to him?

I think you’re right on replay but live I thought that was a red card.

Pereira's spent the season watching strikers go 1v1 with him because our defenders are so slow or unaware.

Nailed on handball, I would be fuming if the other way around

that's not given

I was in the Dolan on Saturday and noticed the back line (particularly O’Connor) giving him the beans throughout the first half. Something doesn’t seem happy.

Which of these do you think it qualifies under?

There were covering defenders, so yellow only anyway?

Probably, it's simply not an offence. Two officials with a view clear as day. It's not like they've missed anything.