Ladies exit League Cup to Reading

The visitors hit three goals in the opening 21 minutes to leave Dan Gray’s side with plenty of work to do for the remainder of this tie. Mia Parker (minutes 5 and 21) was at the double, while Keren Banduka also struck in the 17th minute.

Penn – despite temporarily being reduced to nine players when both Annalise Scott-Green and Rachel Southby were sin-binned – gave themselves hope when Tara Woodward’s 30th-minute strike put the home side within two goals of Reading.

However, the Royals would ultimately make sure of their passage into the next round, with Georgia Hayes’ 73rd-minute effort rounding off the scoring.

Penn manager Gray said: “We played some good football, but we weren’t clinical enough in the final third and that eventually told.

“Now we can focus on the league and we have a big game at Denham next Sunday, who are still unbeaten this season.

“We want to return to winning ways and take back control of our league campaign.”

Penn: Jones, Baden, Mackay, Harnby, Helmer, Scott-Green, Troth, Southby, Brockwell, Read, Woodward.

Subs: Wyncoll, Thompson, Empson, Thorpe, Woods.