September 5, 2026
Thame’s reward for their resounding 7-1 triumph over Brislington was a home draw in the FA Cup First Qualifying round against Reading. However, it was unfortunately against step 5 Reading City FC rather than the League One side !
With subsequent wins in the FA Trophy at step 4 Westbury United and the Bank Holiday victory at Marlow, Thame had now won three matches on the trot.
Reading City
Reading City were currently members of the step 5 Combined Counties Premier Division North, and were founded in 2001 following a merger between two Reading Senior League sides Highmoor and Ibis, and took the name Highmoor-Ibis.
Winning the 2010/11 Reading Senior League led to promotion to the step 6 Hellenic League Division One East and in their first season the club were promoted to step 5 after finishing as runners-up.
Highmoor Ibis were runners-up in the Hellenic League Premier Division in 2014-15 and the club changed their name to Reading City in 2018. For 2020/21 the club were level transferred to the Combined Counties Premier Division North, since when they had finished 9th, 3rd, 4th, 13th and 6th.
Their 4th place in 2023/24 saw Reading City qualify for the promotion play-offs where they were eliminated after a 2-5 loss at Bedfont Sports.
Last season Reading City had their best ever run in the FA Vase, reaching the 4th Round before losing 1-2 at home to Lymore Gardens, having eliminated Snodland Town ( 3-1 ), Erith & Belvedere ( 1- 0 ), Baffins Milton Rovers ( 4-0 ) and Mendip Broadwalk on penalties after 1-1 draw.
Highmoor-Ibis initially played at Scours Lane, but as the ground did not meet the requirements for step 6 due to a lack of floodlights and a covered stand, the club were forced to move to the Palmers Park Athletics Stadium in order to play at step 6 in 2011. However, the club returned to Scours Lane in 2016, which had subsequently been upgraded to meet the ground criteria requirements, but had now been renamed the Rivermoor Stadium.
Reading City’s home colours are all blue, and their nickname is The Cityzens. The average home attendance last season was 160.
Reading City This Season
Reading City came into today’s game with a 3-1-3 league record to sit in 7th place after 7 games. All three home league games had been won, Wokingham Town ( 1-0 ), North Leigh ( 4-0 ) and Holyport ( 4-0 ). However, away from home their record was 0-1-3, with just a 3-3 draw at Penn and Tyler’s Green, and losses at Harefield United ( 1-2 ), Hilltop ( 2-3 ) and Thatcham Town ( 0-2 )
Reading City had continued their excellent home form in the FA Cup, progressing past Tring Athletic ( 1-0 ) and Fairford Town ( 2-0 ). Would their poor form continue in their first away cup fixture ?
Reading City Squad
Riley Denny had scored 8 goals in all competitions coming into today’s game, with the next highest scorer being Shane Cooper-Clark, who scored the winning goal for Thatcham Town in the 2018 FA Vase final at Wembley, on two goals.
Ex-Thatcham and Flackwell Health forward Mo Cessay was last season’s top scorer with 18 goals, striker Henry Duxford joined in the summer from Eversley & California, and captain Stefan Brown had scored a 15-minute hat-trick in the First Round of the FA Cup for AFC Totton against Bradford Park Avenue in 2011, and had also played for Wealdstone, Maidenhead, Marlow and Oxford City.
Keeper Charlie York and defender Ellis Cowd had both made over 250 appearances for the Cityzens, whilst defender Luke Donville and midfielder Joel Valentin had made over 150 appearances.
Midfielder Lewis Hayden had previously played for Banbury United, Farnborough and Milton United.
Previous Meetings
The two sides had met 10 times in the Hellenic League between 2012/13 and 2016/17 when the clus was still called Highmoor-Ibis, with Thame winning 7 times, one draw and two wins for Highmoor-Ibis.
Thame had a 3-1-1 record at home and were 4-0-1 away from home. Highmoor-Ibis had won 2-0 at the ASM in 2013/14 and drew 2-2 there in 2012/13, but the only other time they had avoided defeat was a 1-0 home win in 2013/14.
Fatbear did not attend any of these matches, so this would be the first time watching Reading City.
Matchday Information
According to AA Route Planner the journey from Reading to Thame was 31 miles and should normally take 55 minutes via the A4074 and the A329.
The weather at 15.00 kick-off was sunny, with a temperature of 21 degrees.
Attendance was £10 for adults, £5 for concessions and £3 for Under 16s. The programme was online but no free team-sheets were available for today’s game. A cup of tea cost £1.50.
Thame made two changes from the side that won at Marlow with Curtis Brown and Ed Daffern coming into the side and Hayden Beadle and Greg Hackett dropped to the bench.
Reading City made four changes from the side that lost at Thatcham Town with keeper Kai Mussilhy, who is on loan from Chesham United, coming in for his first game of the season. Also selected were forward Lucas Taplin, left-back Liam Baker and Hayden, with Donville, Cooper-Clarke and Jenson Mansel amongst the substitutes, and keeper York was absent.
The visitors were in there normal all blue kit whilst Thame were in their usual red and black stripes, with black shorts and red socks.
Matchday Report
The game began with the first yellow card of the game with barely a minute on the clock. Thame forward Roger James spun away from Baker just inside the Reading City half and was cynically brought down, giving the referee probably his easiest decision of the match.
Thame started in a lively fashion and James won the first corner of the match with his low cross from the byline needing to be put out of play by Cowd. A scramble ensued from the corner, and Daffern saw his shot blocked.
Reading City were first seen as an attacking threat in the 8th minute but Denny’s shot from 20 yards went a few feet wide.
Thame opening the scoring shortly after. Jack Tutton played a ball down the right-hand channel for James to run onto, and his low cross was mis-hit by Harry Alexander. However, Tutton had continued his run into the Reading City penalty area and smacked the ball home from 10 yards. It was 1-0 after 13 minutes.
Thame were now dominating the match. From a short corner Tutton set off on a mazy run inside The Cityzens area but was eventually crowded out, then Daffern and Aydin Ulas combined to send Daffern running into the penalty area, but the shot lack power and Mussilhy made a regulation save.
In between, James and Baker both dived into a challenge for the ball and the Reading City defender was fouled. The visitors claimed the tackle was high and reckless when it didn’t appear to be either,although James was perhaps fortunate as his studs were showing. Thankfully there was no injury to Baker, who didn’t need any treatment and the referee decided the only sanction required was the free-kick.
Callum Hall, Alexander and Tutton exchanged first time passes to put James clear again on the right wing, and again the low cross was put out for a corner, which was confidently caught by Mussilhy.
Daffern won Thame’s fourth corner in the opening 23 minutes following a raking cross-field pass from Dan West, and shortly after the set-piece was cleared, Brown volleyed high and wide with his left-foot after a chip into the penalty area by James.
Thame won two more corners, and from the second West’s glancing header went a couple of feet wide of the far post. A long ball from Mark Riddick looked to have possibly put Brown clear but Cowd did well to cover and make an important tackle.
A rare foray by Reading City into the Thame half saw Valentin play in Denny, but the shot from a narrow angle was held above his head by keeper James Callan.
The play then became a little bit scrappy but the referee was keen to let the game flow despite the appeals from both sides for free-kicks, and Callan made another good catch, this time from a cross from the right wing.
Denny was starting to get into the game and made a strong run towards the Thame 18-yard line but his shot lacked power and Callan made an easy save. Denny then made a similar run from the half-way line but this time passed to Valentin whose shot from the edge of the area was blocked by the sliding Hall.
The Cityzens were enjoying a good spell and Taplin won their first corner in the 39th minute but the delivery was over-hit and went off for a throw-in to Thame near the opposite corner flag.
At the other end, Mussilhy needed to come out of his area to clear a long ball before James could reach it, then Daffern went on a strong run into the Reading City area until tackled by Cowd. The visitors quickly broke and Denny fired a low shot from the edge of the Thame area into the bottom corner giving Callan no chance. The score were now level at 1-1 with 42 minutes played.
Thame were stung into action and Tutton immediate played a pass for Brown to run onto, but his shot was partially blocked by Cowd and Mussilhy dived onto the ball as it rolled across the goalmouth.
Tutton was having an influential game for Thame and next he put James clear down the right, and his low cross was met by the onrushing Brown who slammed the ball into the net from a little over 6 yards. Mussilhy had no chance of stopping the shot and it was now 2-1 after 44 minutes.
In a copy of several Thame moves, Tutton played another pass down the right-hand channel for this time Hall to latch onto, but the drilled low ball across the Cityzens area went behind the two Thame attackers.
Thame centre-back West then appeared on the right-wing and his cross found Daffern, whose shot was blocked by a defender, and Tutton sent the rebound a couple of yards over the bar.
The first-half ended with Reading City appealing for handball when Fin Murray put the ball out for a corner, but the referee wasn’t interested in their claims. The corner bounced across the goalmouth and Thame attempted to break, but after it came to nothing the referee blew for half-time.
Thame deserved their half-time lead having had most of the possession but Reading City had looked dangerous on the occasions that had been able to attack, so it felt like there would be more goals in the second-half.
Both sides made one change at the start of the second period with Donville replacing Baker at left-back for the visitors, and Hackett came on for Daffern for Thame.
Hackett was instantly in the game, being bundled over by Dan Williamson and the referee took his time before deciding to award a free-kick to Thame just outside the penalty area. Tutton’s effort went under the wall as they jumped, but the shot lacked the power to trouble Mussilhy.
Shortly after, Thame increased their lead. Hackett lumped the ball forward to clear the Thame defensive lines and Denny was surprising the last defender back for The Cityzens, and the top scorer made a complete hash of trying to control the ball, which ran past him. James took advantage to run clear and slotted the ball past the keeper. 3-1 after 52 minutes.
The response from the visitors was for right-back Williamson to go on a 60-yard lung-bursting run down the right wing until Murray put the out for a throw-in near the corner flag. Denny then got to the byline but keeper Callan dived onto his low cross.
Hackett then got past Williamson and crashed to the floor inside the Reading City area, and the referee pointed to the penalty spot. It looked to be a soft penalty. Alexander had the chance to put the game to bed, but unlike Bank Holiday Monday where he slotted an almost perfect penalty into the top corner, this time his low effort lacked power and Mussilhy dived to his right to make the block. Alexander attempted to slide on to the loose ball but the keeper got there first and it was an obvious foul by the Thame player, who was perhaps fortunate not to receive a yellow card.
After having seemingly been heading out of the competition, The Cityzens had new belief and now looked a different side as they took the game to Thame.
Thame failed to deal with a free-kick and as the ball bounced around inside their area Hayden reacted the quickest and produced a tidy finish to stab the ball with the outside of his foot into the opposite corner from 8 yards. 3-2 with 62 minutes played.
Thame were now rocking as Reading City surged forward and Taplin fell to the floor after getting past West and the referee awarded the penalty. Just like the penalty awarded to Thame, it looked very soft, and to add salt to his wounds West was shown a yellow card for his “foul”. Taplin got up to take the spot kick and just like the Thame penalty it was poorly struck to the keeper’s right, and Callan dived to make the save. Reading City had squandered the chance to level the scores !
The Cityzens then rolled the dice by making four substitutions and started to leave gaps at the back as they took risks as they chased the game. The game became end-to-end, and both sides created plenty of chances to score the next goal.
Mussilhy produced an important punch under pressure from a cross from Alexander, then Hackett was unable to bring down a ball over the Reading City backline when clear. Shortly after, substitute Charlie Bacon cut inside from the left but his shot was blocked.
Oliver Bourne then made an important block to deny Bacon, and from the following corner West and Tutton had efforts blocked.
In the 82nd minute it looked like Denny must level the scores after Nofal Jama had crossed from the byline, but Callan made a block from close range, and the loose ball was prodded wide.
Connor Mattimore set off on a run from half-way then across the face of the Thame 18-yard line but Hall was covering and made a great tackle to end the danger.
Thame counter-attacked through Bacon, but after getting into the Cityzen’s area his square pass went behind two attackers and the chance had gone.
With 5 minutes remaining, Hayden took possession and sent a 25-yard effort that hit the outside of the post and went off for a goal-kick. So close to the equaliser !
Thame substitute Joshua Stranks played a ball down the left-hand channel that put Hackett clear. The Thame winger cut inside into the Reading City, but a nudge in the back put him off balance when about to shoot, and as he was falling his pass failed to reach Jamie Davies. The referee waved for play to continue.
As the game moved into added time Thame keeper Callan punched away a cross from the right-wing, then Donville had a long-range effort blocked.
The end-to-end nature of the game continued as Hackett and Davies combined to set up Bacon but Mussilhy produced a top save, diving to his left to push the shot from 12 yards. After the corner was cleared to edge of the area, Tutton’s effort hit the top of the cross bar and went over.
As the match moved into its 6th minute of added time, Reading City won a corner, but the delivery was poor and cleared by the first Thame defender. Reading City regained possession and a cross was sent towards the far post but under pressure Jama could only head a couple of yards wide.
The referee blew for full time and Thame breathed a huge sigh of relief to hang onto the win and to enter Monday’s draw for the next round. Reading City would probably be wishing they could have played as well as they did in the final 30 minutes for the most of the first half.
Thame United : Callan – Hall, West, Murray, Ulas ( Stranks ) – Alexander ( Davies ), Tutton, Riddick, Daffern ( Hackett ) – James ( Beadle ), Brown ( Bacon )
Reading City : Mussilhy – Williamson ( Mansel ), Bourne, Cowd, Baker ( Donville ) – Harris ( Cooper-Clarke ), Hayden, Valentin, Paxford ( Mattimore )– Denny, Taplin ( Jama )
No comments:
Post a Comment