Reading remain rooted to the bottom of League One and are now winless in eight matches after they were held to a scrappy 1-1 draw by Bristol Rovers at the SCL Stadium.

After a disjointed first half, Reading went in front in the 40th minute when Sam Smith drove home his first goal of the season.

Chris Martin levelled for Rovers in the 57th minute, but the game drifted towards a stalemate long before the end.

Rovers had made the first impression with a good run and shot from Aaron Collins that home goalkeeper David Button had to push away.

Reading barely threatened going forward and there was a three-minute delay after tennis balls were thrown on to the pitch as part of the ongoing home protests against Reading owner Dai Yongge.

On the resumption, Reading grew into the game and went ahead five minutes before the break when striker Smith rifled in a fine angled drive after Harvey Knibbs had dispossessed Ryan Woods.

Button saved smartly from Jevani Brown and Collins early in the second period, but Martin, a former Reading loanee, equalised with a well-struck rising effort past the keeper.

Neither side showed much creativity in going for the winner as the game petered out into a tame draw.

Reading manager Ruben Selles admitted that he was pleased that his struggling side avoided an upset against lower-division opposition after their 3-2 FA Cup first-round win over MK Dons.

Kelvin Ehibhatiomhan gave Reading a third-minute lead with his sixth goal of the season, but Alex Gilbey levelled before the break.

Second-half efforts from Harvey Knibbs and Lewis Wing eased Reading into a two-goal cushion, with Max Dean halving the deficit with a late consolation for the Sky Bet League Two outfit.

Selles, whose side sit bottom of League One after losing their last five games, said: “The FA Cup is always difficult.

“Whoever is your opponent, we have often seen teams from higher categories falling to teams in the categories below. So, we put in a good performance.

“Perhaps we should have finished the game a little bit earlier. We just made it complicated in the last minutes.

“But I’m happy with the performance and keeping the team together, no injuries and we go into the next round. It was a good day.

“We got a little bit caught out in the first half, especially with their first goal. It was just that pass in between, we should have defended it much better.

“We were missing a few things in the first half, which is why we changed at half time. We were missing with the wingers, the one-against-one situations and the pressure.

“It was a matter of changing the dynamic of the game. We had to be much more on the front foot, much more aggressive with the pressure. We were much better in that way in the second half.”

New MK Dons head coach Mike Williamson, who succeeded Graham Alexander last month, said: “The halves were contrasting and, from our point of view, that was disappointing.

“That’s been a bit of a theme, our starts to the second half, and that’s something that we need to address.

“But I think that you can see the detail that we’re putting in and it’s evident what the boys are taking on.

“We’ve just got to find a way of wrestling the momentum back when we do go behind.

“We have to accept that we are going to suffer in periods of games. It’s how we get back into it and get back on the ball.

“In the first half, you could see what we were trying to achieve. But there was still an element of frustration getting the better of us.

“When other teams do step on and step up, we haven’t quite got to grips with that yet.

“Again, though, the boys fought all the way to the end. Even though we were running out of time, we never gave up. So there was still so many positives to take.”

Portsmouth boss John Mousinho felt he saw the worst and the best from his side as they recovered from a terrible start to fight back and secure a hard-earned 3-2 win at struggling Reading.

Protests from the home fans – with around 2,000 supporters also staging a pre-match protest march against Chinese owner Dai Yongge – saw the game paused twice after tennis balls were thrown onto the pitch before the Royals took a shock 2-0 lead through quick goals from Lewis Wing and Charlie Savage.

Pompey, though, fought their way back on to level terms before the break through on-loan Chelsea midfielder Tino Anjorin and Colby Bishop.

Terry Devlin then slotted in the winner early in the second start to extend Pompey’s unbeaten start.

“I was really disappointed by the way that we played for 25 to 30 minutes,” Mousinho said.

“But even at 2-0 down, I was still quite positive of getting back into the game. We then proved that with 15 minutes-worth of very good football.

“The (tennis ball) protests impacted the flow of the game, but Reading had to deal with that as well. They just got on with it.

“For us, it was really Jekyll and Hyde in that first half. To start off, with what we have put together collectively, we were an unrecognisable team.

“But once we had taken that kick in the face (of Reading’s goals), we were excellent.”

After the final whistle, Reading substitute Amadou Mbengue received a red card following a skirmish between both sets of players.

Reading slipped to the bottom of the table as their winless run stretched to seven matches.

“We were just not able to keep the lead,” said Reading manager Ruben Selles said.

“And at 2-1, we had an amazing opportunity to make it 3-1, but that has been happening so often to us lately.

“We don’t put the ball in the net and the next one is coming against us.

“The performance was there, we were competitive against one of the best teams in the league, but we need to be more robust and more ruthless.”

Leyton Orient manager Richie Wellens was delighted to secure a 2-1 win against Reading after a difficult week for the club.

The O’s match with Lincoln on Tuesday was abandoned when lifelong supporter Derek Reynolds was taken ill and died later that evening.

Wellens had seen his team dominate the early exchanges against Reading to deservedly take a first-half lead through a Jordan Brown piledriver before Tyler Bindon equalised ahead of the interval.

But the points were secured in the 90th minute by George Moncur, who stepped off the bench to apply the final touch after a goalmouth scramble following a corner.

“It was a really emotional afternoon and I thought the club as a whole today made it a brilliant day to remember a lifelong supporter and someone who worked for the football club,” Wellens said.

“It’s been a very tough 72 hours. Finding that motivation to get going has been difficult

“We had to work hard in the end. We were totally dominant in the opening 20 minutes. We created loads of chances, we hit the crossbar and we found it easy to play round them but then they changed it when we scored and they blocked us up a bit.

“We’re still an emerging side, naive at times and tactically we have to get better while the game is happening but I can’t be prouder of the players as our points return has been really good.

“Jordan Brown epitomised what we’re all about. He was excellent today; picked pockets, kept possession and technically he’s a very good footballer which was demonstrated from the goal he scored.”

Reading remain in the relegation zone and manager Ruben Selles acknowledged that his side need to address their shortcomings.

“We competed well but it’s another moment late like the Exeter game where we lose the game in a situation we could have easily solved,” he said.

“We came here to compete and we were in the game. We came back after the first goal but we need to improve.

“Our pressure was not quick enough at the start of the game so I made a couple of modifications and we started to defend better. We went back to our system we know to get more pressure on the ball and it stopped the crosses coming in from the opposition.

“We lost Sam Hutchinson before the match as he was feeling his hip. He could run but not kick the ball so we had to made a change and brought in Charlie Savage.

“There is always pressure in football but there has been a lot of things out of our modifications of building the team but I will not make excuses. We came here to compete.”

George Moncur’s 90th-minute strike gave Leyton Orient a 2-1 win over Reading at Brisbane Road.

Jordan Brown’s opener was cancelled out by the visitors’ Tyler Bindon but Moncur settled the issue in the final minute of normal time.

Joe Pigott was twice denied early opportunities to open the scoring as his powerful header crashed against the crossbar and then David Button went at full-stretch to save his shot.

Orient were rewarded for their persistent pressure when Brown completed a five-man move by slamming an unstoppable 20-yard shot past Button for the opening goal after 26 minutes.

At the opposite end, Lewis Wing had an effort spilled by O’s keeper Sol Brynn but they levelled on 35 minutes when Ballard headed against the upright but Bindon rolled the ball into the net.

Both keepers were kept busy after the break with Brynn denying Harvey Knibbs and Wing while Button thwarted Ed Turns and Theo Archibald.

But the Reading keeper missed a corner late on and Moncur was first to the ball in a goalmouth scramble to give Orient the points.

Reading manager Ruben Selles urged the club’s fans to end their mid-match protests after the goalless draw with fellow League One strugglers Burton was halted in the first half.

For the second-successive Reading home fixture, the game was held up in the 16th minute as Royals fans threw tennis balls onto the pitch in protest at the running of the club by controversial Chinese owner Dai Yongge.

After a 10-minute delay, the match was restarted – with Burton clinging on throughout for a desperate point mostly thanks to a string of fine saves from goalkeeper Max Crocombe.

“I don’t think that the stoppage affected the momentum of the game,” Selles said.

“I understand the protests, the fans are not happy. But I would like to play the game in a normal format.

“From the meeting before the game, the referee (Sam Purkiss) decided that we would have to come in (to the dressing-rooms) so that it is like another half-time period.

“We needed to adapt and adjust to that. But that’s two games in a row here now and I would not like to get used to that.”

Of the game, Selles said: “The frustration that we had came from not scoring from the chances that we had.

“We created more than enough chances to have won the game.

“We had great situations that we wanted but we need to be more ruthless in the last third. It is a game that we should win.

“I don’t think that Burton had one shot on target or one situation. I don’t think that they had one situation to score a goal.”

Burton are now unbeaten in four matches in all competitions.

“When you come to places like this you have to defend resolutely and stay close as a team,” Burton manager Dino Maamria said.

“It was a really tough game, as we knew it would be, but I thought our players were brilliant.

“We had good moments when we could have made things out of our transition but we couldn’t do it.

“But if you come here and get a clean sheet and a point, you take it.

“The games come thick and fast but the players have stepped up as a group lately. You can see the resilience and mentality that we are trying to create.”

Ipswich assistant manager Martyn Pert praised his side for “doing the simple things” as they overcame League One Reading on penalties after a 2-2 draw to progress to the third round of the Carabao Cup.

Reading went ahead in the second minute courtesy of a Brandon Williams own-goal but Cameron Humphreys levelled in the fifth minute of first-half stoppage-time.

Freddie Ladapo gave Town the lead near the hour mark but Kelvin Ehibhatiomhan equalised in the 87th minute.

Reading missed three of their spot-kicks in the shootout to help ease Ipswich’s passage.

“I’m really happy and delighted to get through,” Pert said. “It was exciting in the end and, with Reading scoring early, they made it a real challenge for us.

“They were really well organised and didn’t give us much opportunity. It was so difficult for us to create any chances that were open.

“We were wondering where we were going to get a goal from but we just kept doing the simple things and then eventually we got the equaliser.”

Reading’s Charlie Savage, Caylan Vickers and Ben Elliott all failed from the penalty spot.

“It was a very tough game but we made it a tough game,” Reading manager Ruben Selles said. “But the boys did an exceptional job and they showed what they can do.

“In the end, unfortunately, we didn’t get it in the penalties. For some of our players, it was the first time in professional football that they were in front of that situation.

“We have to take that as a learning process and next time will be more ready for those situations.

“Yes we always practise penalties but it is very difficult to replicate the stress under pressure in those moments.

“We didn’t make it but hopefully next time we will be better.”

An understrength Ipswich had to work hard to secure a place in the third round of the Carabao Cup as they beat League One Reading 3-1 on penalties after a 2-2 draw.

Town scored with three of their four spot-kicks but Reading missed three of theirs through Charlie Savage, Caylan Vickers and Ben Elliott.

Ipswich had fallen behind in only the second minute due to an own-goal from Manchester United loanee Brandon Williams but deservedly levelled in the fifth minute of first-half stoppage-time through Cameron Humphreys.

Freddie Ladapo made it 2-1 to Town just before the hour mark but Kelvin Ehibhatiomhan equalised three minutes from the end.

Tractor Boys manager Kieran McKenna changed his entire XI from that which started in the 4-3 Championship defeat at home to Leeds on Saturday.

And it was the hosts who made the breakthrough after just 69 seconds when Town keeper Cieran Slicker could only parry a Basil Tuma flick-on against full-back Williams – the ball then looping into the empty net.

Ipswich controlled the rest of the first half and, after a mazy run and deflected cross from Omari Hutchinson, Humphreys nudged home from almost on the goal-line.

Ipswich took the lead in the 59th minute when Ladapo sped on to Lee Evans’ fine pass to slot home but Reading substitute Ehibhatiomhan seized on a defensive error to make it 2-2 late on.

Exeter manager Gary Caldwell could not have been prouder of his team as they bagged a dramatic late winner to beat Reading 2-1 at St James Park.

Despite their first-half dominance, Exeter went in level after Will Aimson’s 34th-minute header was cancelled out in stoppage time through Harry Knibbs’ strike.

The Royals shaded the second half but it was Exeter that won it when Reece Cole struck a sublime 93rd-minute effort to take City up to second place in the League One table.

“It was a sensational performance from start to finish,” Caldwell said. “The first half was outstanding and was the best 45 minutes of football since I’ve been at the club.

“We were totally dominant against a team that was in the Championship last season and had won their last two games; we created numerous chances and the only disappointment was not scoring more goals.

“It was an even bigger disappointment to concede a really poor goal just before half-time but all credit to the players.

“I just said to them ‘you can’t dominate a game against teams like this for 90 minutes, you have to show different parts of your character and your quality as a team’ and we had to do that second half.

“We lost a bit of control and had to defend, but we still created chances and it was an absolutely fantastic goal in terms of the quality of strike from someone I have known a long time and has had really difficult moments in football.

“He (Cole) was playing for Hayes & Yeading last year – I don’t know how many leagues below us that is – but he’s a quality player for us and it was great to see him score like that in front of the Big Bank.”

Reading boss Ruben Selles felt his side only performed in the second half.

“We had a couple of chances to go in front in the second half, but we didn’t take them and then a mistake that shouldn’t have happened from a throw-in led to us conceding a goal from the edge of the box,” he said.

“So the first part of the game and small mistakes in the second half kept us away from getting something today.

“We could have got something but we didn’t put the ball in the net and the opposition did.

“We showed in the second half the team that we want to be. We showed we are a team that wants to play at a high intensity, high tempo, to be make counter press under pressure situations.  We weren’t like that in the first half.

“I think we did enough for a point. But we didn’t score a goal and the opposition scored. We need to learn to manage those situations better. I am pretty sure we will be able to get some victories in the next set of games.”

Reading manager Ruben Selles praised the “intensity” of his young players as they edged out Cheltenham 1-0 in League One.

Selles included four teenagers and three 20-year-olds in his starting line-up, with 18-year-old Caylan Vickers creating what turned out to be the winner in the 33rd minute.

Vickers’ mazy run from deep ended with a looping deflection from Cheltenham midfielder Will Ferry that arced over keeper Luke Southwood into his own goal.

It was relegated Reading’s first league win in 16 games across two divisions.

“I’m very proud of the performance that the team put together,” Selles said. “We knew that we had to play with all that intensity and that’s why I made the team selection.

“In the first half especially, we were exactly where we wanted to be. The team showed character, togetherness and the way that we do things here.

“We’ve been talking about the young players during the whole pre-season and they have been working fantastically from the very beginning.

“We have been annoyed with the situation with the club, when trying to get new players. So we have to work with those that we already have and they have showed how good they are.

“It doesn’t matter whether you are 18 or you are 32, you do all the proper things and you have first place in this team.

“We had to make a game plan that would show our identity and I think that we did that.

“We decided to go with the team that can bring more intensity to the game and it is the first time that we win [in the league] this season.

“We go home with that feeling and also that happiness.”

Struggling Cheltenham have lost all four league and cup matches this season, without scoring a goal.

Head coach Wade Elliott said: “I thought we were excellent in the second half.

“I didn’t think that there was a lot in it in the first half but some of the breaks that are going against us are tough, like the own goal.

“But in the second half I was really proud of the performance. They players left absolutely everything out there.

“I’ve just told them in the dressing-room that, as tough as it is, you just have to put yourselves back on the line to be knocked down again.

“So we have to get round each other and support each other. We can feel sorry for ourselves or get ready to go again.

“If we keep putting ourselves up there, the breaks will fall the other way for us.

“We’re creating enough opportunities but it’s the last little bit [the finishing] that was missing tonight. I thought everything else was good.”

Reading claimed their first league victory in almost six months when they edged past Cheltenham 1-0 in League One at the SCL Stadium.

With Cheltenham offering little going forward, Reading dominated the first half and went in front in the 33rd minute through a deflected own-goal from Town midfielder Will Ferry.

Neither side impressed in an uninspiring second period, with Reading just about doing enough to merit their rare win.

Reading had not won since a 3-1 success over Blackpool in the Championship back in late February – a barren run of 15 games.

Defender Matty Carson strode forward purposefully early on and unleashed a fierce 20-yard drive that Luke Southwood, the former Royals keeper, did well to turn away.

But Southwood had no chance when, after a mazy run from Reading’s Caylan Vickers, Ferry inadvertently looped to ball over him and into the net.

Struggling Cheltenham, without a point this term, improved marginally after the interval but were toothless in attack and Reading safely negotiated the nine minutes of added time at the end.

Peterborough boss Darren Ferguson hailed the character of his squad after bouncing back from play-off agony with a successful start to the new season.

Ferguson was also full of praise for midfield ace Hector Kyprianou after he hit the only goal in first-half stoppage time as Posh eased past Charlton 1-0 to follow up an opening day triumph at relegated Reading by the same scoreline.

Keeper Nicholas Bilokapic was a key figure for Ferguson’s new-look squad, pulling off smart saves in each half from Panutche Camara and Alfie May.

Jonson-Clarke Harris was then a whisker away from a late Posh clincher when he fired against a post at the death.

Ferguson, whose side were knocked out of last season’s play semi-finals by Sheffield Wednesday despite leading 4-0 from the first leg, said: “Two wins from two league games and through in the League Cup…it’s been a good week to start the season!

“We controlled the majority of the first half and it was a fantastic goal from Hector that got us ahead just before half-time.

“The boy is a talent. As soon as I came back to the club in January, I felt he was a player I could really work with and help develop.

“But we were careless in the second half. We didn’t look after the ball anywhere near well enough and that gave Charlton momentum, but they didn’t have too much in the way of clearcut chances.

“It is a really important result coming with another clean sheet and we have to give the players credit – especially the ones who were here last season – to recover from the way it ended with such an almighty blow.

“We’ve got our head down, worked hard and the fans will appreciate what this group are about. They’ll have a right go and won’t stop running.”

Ferguson and Charlton boss Dean Holden both featured on a list of a dozen bookings.

Holden admitted: “It goes down as a game we should have got more from.

“I’m really pleased with the performance but disappointed with the result.

“Football is all about both boxes. We conceded a goal we shouldn’t have and couldn’t take the chances we created.

“It was a poor goal to let in. We needed to clear a throw-in that bounced around the edge of our box, we didn’t and we got punished.

“It should have been 0-0, but we’ve come in 1-0 down so we had a bit of work to do at half-time in terms of mentality.

“Coming to Peterborough was always going to be a big test but for 20-25 minutes in the second half it was one-way traffic.

“There was a good chance for Alfie, Corey (Blackett-Taylor) got on the inside a few times, but we just couldn’t quite find that moment to get ourselves back level.”

Ben Garrity was the matchwinner as Port Vale bounced back from a heavy defeat on the opening day of the League One season to claim a 1-0 win over Reading.

Garrity’s hugely-deflected shot settled the contest in the 72nd minute, earning Vale a morale-boosting victory after losing 7-0 against Barnsley last weekend.

Andy Carroll had a golden chance to put Reading ahead with a 12th-minute penalty after Nesta Guinness-Walker was fouled in the box by Dan Jones, but goalkeeper Connor Ripley denied him.

At the other end, Vale defender Alex Iacovitti fired the ball into the net just before the half-hour mark, only for it to be ruled out for offside.

The early stages of the second-half lacked goalmouth action but the home side looked more likely to break the deadlock.

The winning goal came 18 minutes from time as Garrity’s shot on the spin took a massive deflection before looping over debutant goalkeeper David Button’s head and in off the post.

Funso Ojo came agonisingly close to making it 2-0 in stoppage time, but his shot was saved by Button and came back off the crossbar.

Reading nearly equalised in the dying moments when substitute Lewis Wing’s cross-shot hit the bar, but Vale held on for all three points.

Ruben Selles saluted his red-hot Reading young guns after a stunning 4-0 Carabao Cup win over Millwall at The Den.

Kelvin Ehibhatiomhan’s double and late strikes from Charlie Savage and Mamadi Camara fired the League One side to a shock victory against their misfiring Championship opponents in the competition’s opening round.

Former Southampton boss Selles picked a youthful side with an average age of just 21 and hailed his players’ dynamism after a memorable night in south London.

“The boys did an amazing job from the first minute until the end of the game,” he said.

“Our recruitment has been good, and [the young players] have been trying to adjust themselves to the system.

“The way we play suits a lot of them – the dynamic football, aggressive on the pressure and very good in transitions.

“Today for us, everything came together – we have an identity, we know what we want and it doesn’t matter who plays for us: we want to try and put our stamp on the game.

“It’s good to see the young players are able to make that performance today.”

The Royals grabbed the lead in the very first minute when Ehibhatiomhan poked home over Bartosz Bialkowski.

And they seized their second at the start of the second half when the Nigerian striker rifled in from close range.

Former Manchester United star Savage grabbed his first goal for the club with a fine free-kick into the top corner before Camara’s late tap-in inflicted more misery on a near full-strength Millwall.

Lions Boss Gary Rowett, whose team had beaten fellow Championship promotion-chasers Middlesbrough 1-0 in their season opener at the weekend, said: “It was more disappointing than frustrating.

“We went quite strong after the result at the weekend and off the back of that, we wanted to win another game and roll it forward.

“I thought it might be better to try and get a bit of momentum but that didn’t go well.

“I thought Reading thoroughly deserved the win – they were far better than us, they ran with more intensity and looked like they wanted to fight and play for each other more than we did.

“We got what we deserved and they got what they deserved, which is a cracking win for them.”

Kelvin Ehibhatiomhan’s double helped rifle Reading to a shock 4-0 Carabao Cup win over Millwall at The Den.

The Nigerian striker netted early in both halves before substitute Charlie Savage’s free-kick and Mamadi Camara’s late strike fired Ruben Selles’ League One visitors to an impressive first-round triumph over their Championship opponents.

The Royals grabbed the lead in the very first minute when Ehibhatiomhan pounced on Caylan Vickers’ prodded pass to poke home over goalkeeper Bartosz Bialkowski.

They should have scored a second just 10 minutes later when Vickers blasted wide with only Bialkowski to beat after being put clean through by Camara.

Gary Rowett’s hosts grew into the increasingly fiery contest and rallied for a first-half leveller but were unable to properly test Royals shot-stopper Coniah Boyce-Clarke as they remained a goal behind at the break.

Selles’ side came close to doubling their lead just after the interval when half-time substitute Femi Azeez shot wide from distance.

But they seized the crucial second just moments later when Bialkowski could only parry Vickers’ shot straight into the path of Ehibhatiomhan, who slammed home from close-range.

Savage – son of former Wales international Robbie – grabbed his first goal for the club with a fine free-kick into the top corner before Camara’s late tap-in inflicted more misery on Millwall and capped a comfortable night for Selles’ resurgent Royals in the capital.