Reading Thrash Peterborough as Non-League Kidderminster and Exeter Cause Upsets
Reading beat Peterborough 5-0 on Saturday to reach the second round of the FA Cup, and one of their scorers, Charlie Savage, did it against a side managed by his own father, Robbie Savage. The FA Cup is a knockout competition, so a single match, called a tie, decides who goes through and who goes home.
The match was played at the Weston Homes Stadium, and both clubs play in League One, the third tier of English football. Daniel Kyerewaa, Jack Marriott and Savage scored for Reading, and Jamie Reid scored twice. The Guardian reported the result as the day's most one-sided scoreline in the early rounds. Before this tie, Reading had lost none of their last four away games against Peterborough in all competitions, a run that goes back to a 6-0 defeat in August 2013.
The bigger shock came in Worcestershire. Kidderminster, a National League club, which sits in the fifth tier, beat League One side Doncaster 3-0. Lewis Walker, Maz Kouhyar and David Davis scored the goals, and Kidderminster's manager, Paul Wotton, will now take his team into the second round.
Exeter also pulled off a win that will be talked about in their city. League Two side Exeter, who play in the fourth tier, travelled to face League One leaders Huddersfield and won 2-1. Jack Taylor and Charlie Cummins scored for Exeter. Ibane Bowat replied for Huddersfield, but it was not enough. Leaders in the league do not always carry that status into the cup, and this was a reminder of it.
There was late drama too. Blackpool beat Hornchurch 2-1 at Hornchurch Stadium, and the winner came in the 118th minute, deep into extra time, when Josh Bowler scored. Extra time is the 30 minutes added after a 90-minute game ends level in a knockout tie.
Elsewhere on Friday night, Leicester City beat Oxford City 4-2 and Bristol Rovers beat Cambridge United 2-0. Notts County also won, beating Altrincham in the first round despite thick fog that made the match hard to follow from the stands and from the screen. The first round was drawn in October, with 40 ties in total, and it has now produced plenty of stories for the next round.
For the clubs at the lower end of the draw, a cup run brings money, media attention and a chance to play teams they would rarely meet in league football. For the bigger clubs, it is a reminder that one bad afternoon can end a season's cup hopes. Either way, the ties that come next will be drawn from a pool that now includes Reading, Kidderminster, Exeter, Blackpool, Leicester, Bristol Rovers and Notts County.
