Reading beat Notts County 2:0 in League One's regular season round seven on Saturday 19 September 2026. The hosts moved off the bottom of the table after three straight defeats, while the visitors dropped another point on the road. and here's the thing — we had called a home win before kickoff, and the result followed the script. The confidence was high because Reading had already shown they could punish mistakes, and Notts County's away form had been fragile all season.
The first real chance came in the twenty-third minute when a Reading cross was turned away, but the game opened only after half-time. Jack Marriott struck in the forty-ninth minute, latching onto a through ball before slotting past the keeper. Notts County pushed back immediately, but their attacks lacked the sharpness to trouble the home defence. By then the visitors were already chasing the game, and to be fair that made them vulnerable to the counter.
Marriott added a second in the seventy-second minute, finishing from close range after a quick combination play. The goal stretched the back line further, and Notts County's defence looked stretched across the pitch. Reading made three changes around the seventy-sixth minute, bringing on Oliver Cooper, Haydon Roberts and Jack Marriott himself. The visitors responded with substitutions of their own, but the damage was done.
Reading dominated possession at 48 per cent but created far more clear-cut opportunities, recording four big chances compared to none for the visitors. Their shots on target totalled seven, while Notts County managed only two, with an accuracy rate of 17 per cent. The hosts won 26 aerial duels against 15 for the visitors, and their 14 key passes told the story of control. by then the match had settled into a pattern that few would have doubted.
The result lifted Reading into sixteenth place on seven points from five games, while Notts County remained eighteenth after six matches. Both sides sit on seven points, but Reading's goal difference and recent improvement give them momentum. The hosts have now extended their unbeaten run to eight matches across all competitions, though the league form has been patchy. What matters most is the shift in belief — three goals in two games, and the confidence that matches can be decided in moments like these.
