Reading City recovered from trailing at half-time and suffering a second half red card to defeat Binfield 5-2 witnessed in front of a very good Monday night crowd of 242.
Mitchell Parker caused all of the damage scoring four times for City and assisting the other goal but it was a very good team performance in the second period with both Rob Gerrard and Damien Smith also impressing.
The home side opened the scoring after only five minutes as Ian Davies’ cross found defender Jack Powell who could only slice it and lob his own goalkeeper Eddie Cavanagh. The game for large parts of the first half was played in midfield with few chances at either end though Jemel Johnson went close to extending the lead.
On 28 minutes there was a spectacular leveller from Parker. Way out on the right he curled left footed into the far top left corner for a brilliant goal.
It looked like the sides would enter the break even but Sean Moore struck a 44th minute penalty sending Cavanagh the wrong way after substitute Danny Horscroft had been felled as the Mole held the narrowest of advantages.
Less than a minute after the restart though Parker fired under goalkeeper Chris Grace and ten minutes later he beat the offside trap and fired into the right corner to complete his hat-trick. Chris Gerrard was then dismissed for a second bookable offence and you wondered if the home side would fight back but in truth they never looked like scoring.
Two late goals put the gloss on a fine City victory. Firstly, Parker floated a free-kick in and new signing John Dennis got around the back to nod it in before Parker got his fourth in stoppage time beating too many Binfield defenders all too easily and slotting home.
The first half was very even with the Moles just on top but Reading City had a fantastic second period to blow the home side away and move up to second place in the Uhlsport Hellenic League Premier Division.
Parker’s four goals moved him one ahead of Ascot United’s Nathan Minhas in the early running for the golden boot.
Full time: Binfield 2-5 Reading City
Binfield: Grace, Thomson-Wheeler (Shaw), Tuttle, Brown, Gavin, Smith, Santoro, Knight, Davies (Horscroft) , Moore (Senussi), Johnson. Subs not used: Downes, Leonetti.
Reading City: Cavanagh, Smith, R Gerrard, C Gerrard, A Grant, Moran, Dennis, H Grant, Cashin-Murray, Parker, Powell. Subs not used: Conte, J Grant, Davies, Connor, Best.
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