Nolan facing huge challenge as first game ends in big Reading defeat for frail Cobblers

Town were once again undone by familiar problems and their defensive fragility was exploited as early as the fifth minute, Harvey Knibbs poking home, and more slapstick defending then allowed Sam Smith to make it 2-0.

Cobblers actually had a decent share of the play before half-time but they created next to nothing in attack and looked like conceding every time Reading came forward, a deathly combination that has become the story of their season.

There was never any suggestion of a comeback in the second half and goals from Charlie Savage and Mamadi Camara duly condemned Town to their fate, even if Tom Eaves did find the net with one of the away side’s few attacks.

The worry for Nolan and his new side is that they look lost at both ends of the pitch and they are losing – and losing easily – to teams who aren’t in particularly good form. With the season threatening to unravel at an alarming rate, they must find some way to halt the slide in a huge game at second-from-bottom Shrewsbury on Sunday.

Nolan’s first team was almost picked for him thanks to Town’s relentless injury crisis with Tyler Roberts the latest player to enter the treatment room, joining 14 team-mates.

That meant Liam McCarron made just his third league start of the season while Samy Chouchane was also recalled as Nolan reverted to a back four. A number of academy players were again on the bench, including 16-year-old Fran Obiagwu.

Any optimism that a new manager would bring an immediate change of fortunes was dealt a significant early blow as Cobblers conceded an awful goal with less than five minutes on the clock. A seemingly harmless free-kick should have been cleared but no one took control and the ball was allowed bounce around in the box before Knibbs poked Reading ahead.

Town responded relatively well to the early setback and they did string together one or two decent passages of play inside the Reading half but there was nothing to really test the home side’s defence, and at the other end they continued to look defensively susceptible.

That was underlined on 27 minutes when Reading could and probably should have doubled their lead but Smith planted his header narrowly wide of the target after being left unmarked from Lewis Wing’s cross.

No matter, just two minutes later Smith was able to make amends thanks to more charitable defending. A simple long ball somehow evaded the whole of Town’s defence and Smith was afforded all the time in the world to beat Nik Tzanev.

Cobblers now had a mountain to climb and there was little sign of them staging any kind of fightback before half-time, Cameron McGeehan’s well-hit but speculative long-range shot the only effort of note to come from the visitors.

McGeehan did get a better chance early in the second half but the ball wouldn’t drop quickly enough and he skied over and that was about all the visitors could muster while the score remained at 2-0 in another toothless attacking display.

Reading were incredibly comfortable throughout the second half and would have inflicted more pain on those in yellow with a bit more sharpness and better decision-making in the final third.

The hosts did have a third with 15 minutes to play, Savage’s 25-yard shot squirming through Tzanev’s fingers and into the bottom corner.

Cobblers at least scored their first goal under Nolan through Eaves, who finished well from an acute angle nine minutes from time, but Camara blasted home. a fourth to make it 15 goals conceded in four games.

Reading: Pereira, Craig, Bindon, Mbengue, Camara, Kanu (Kanu 80), Wing ©, Savage (Rushesha 90), Campbell (Ahmed 90), Knibbs (Dean 90), Smith (Wareham 80)

Subs not used: Button, Sackey

Cobblers: Tzanev, McGowan (Baldwin 85), Eyoma (Obiagwu 85), Guthrie ©, Guinness-Walker, Chouchane, Hondermarck (Dobson 73), McGeehan, McCarron (Odimayo 63), Pinnock, Eaves

Subs not used: Dadge, Willis, Wyatt,

Referee: Scott Simpson

Attendance: 12,283

Cobblers fans: 508