Birmingham City vs Reading. Sky Bet League One.
St. Andrew's StadiumAttendance27,985.
Report and free match highlights from the Sky Bet League One match between Birmingham City and Reading at St Andrew's; Alfie May's late penalty earned a point for the Blues after Kelvin Ehibhatiomhan's opener
Sunday 11 August 2024 08:54, UK
Birmingham needed a late Alfie May penalty to earn a 1-1 draw against Reading in League One.
Kelvin Ehibhatiomhan had given the Royals a lead before half-time but debutant May struck with four minutes left to rescue a point.
Harvey Knibbs had the ball in the back of the net for the visitors after just five minutes, but the whistle had already gone for a foul on Bailey Peacock-Farrell.
The Royals did take the lead in the 43rd minute as Ehibhatiomhan found himself one-on-one with Peacock-Farrell and the goalkeeper's touch was not enough to keep the low-driven effort out.
Reading had the ball in the net for a third time after a breakaway chance in the 52nd minute, but the offside flag was raised to deny Ehibhatiomhan a second.
The hosts were given a lifeline in the 86th minute when Lewis Wing handled the ball in the penalty area and May made no mistake from the spot, placing his effort in the bottom-left corner to drag his side level.
Reading survived a late onslaught as Birmingham were held to a draw in their first game in the third tier in 29 years.
