Kell Watts headed the winner as Cambridge United came from behind to beat Reading 2-1 at the Cledara Abbey Stadium. The victory moves the U's up to seventh in the League One table on eight points from their opening five matches.
Jack Marriott had given the visitors the lead seven minutes before half-time, finishing clinically after a swift counter-attack. Neil Harris made two changes at the interval, introducing Pelly-Ruddock Mpanzu and Shayne Lavery, and the move paid off within six minutes of the restart.
Liam Bennett levelled the scores with a looping header from Callum Perry's cross, his second goal of the season. The turnaround was completed ten minutes later when Watts, making just his second appearance for the club, powered home a header from Mpanzu's delivery.
Harris rings the changes
Neil Harris had shuffled his pack before kick-off, with Sullay Kaikai and Ra’ees Bangura-Williams coming into the starting line-up. "Kaikai and Bangura-Williams come in for Heath and Bradshaw as the only two changes to the starting XI," Harris confirmed. The manager's double substitution at the break proved decisive in shifting the momentum of the game.
Reading's Ahadme and Perry were both booked in the first half, with Williams also seeing yellow after the break as the visitors' frustration grew. Cambridge United managed the closing stages well, making late changes through Zak Bradshaw, James Curtis and Louis Appere to see out the three points.
Where it leaves the U's
The result means Cambridge United have taken seven points from their last three league games, a run that includes a 2-2 draw at Burton Albion and a 2-1 win at Bradford. They now sit just four points behind early leaders Sheffield Wednesday.
A crowd of 7,129, including 1,086 travelling Reading supporters, watched the action. The win provides a perfect platform ahead of a trip to face Oxford United at the Kassam Stadium on Saturday, 19 September. Oxford currently occupy 11th place in the table. Check our fixtures page for the full schedule.
Watts' decisive contribution capped a strong team performance and underlined the squad depth available to Harris this season. The U's have now scored nine goals in the league while conceding eight. Their next challenge is to build on this momentum on the road.
