Reading beat Lincoln City 2-1 in a match that shifted decisively in the second half after the visitors had spent much of the afternoon looking the more composed side.
Lincoln made the better start. Ryan Oné put them ahead inside five minutes, and Paddy Lane doubled the advantage on 28 minutes to give the away side a commanding position at the interval. Reading had offered little to suggest they would find a way back into it.
The picture changed after the break. Robert Street pulled one back on 59 minutes, and Reading pushed on with purpose. Dom Jefferies came on as a substitute on 66 minutes, and within two minutes D. Elerewe had levelled the score. The momentum was firmly with the home side by this point, and Lincoln struggled to reassert the control they had shown in the first half.
A flurry of substitutions around the 70-minute mark brought on Will Keane and Haydon Roberts for Reading, and the changes added fresh energy. Kadan Young entered the contest on 82 minutes, and Finley Burns completed the turnaround on 84 minutes, putting Reading ahead for the first time.
Lincoln pressed for an equaliser and Jack Moylan twice featured in the closing stages, while Alfie Lloyd and Lewis Wing were also introduced, but Reading held on. Three points gained from a position that, at half-time, had looked beyond them.
Recap generated from the event timeline. Editorial team review by request. How we use AI.