Reading U21 v Stoke City U21

12noon 7 February 2026

Premier League Two
Reading U21 3 Stoke City U21 0 (att 50)

Reading's Bearwood Park training ground has been a challenge to tick off. Since it opened, about six years ago, regular under 18 matches there have been behind closed doors.

I'd thought the same applied when it occasionally hosted under 21 games, but I spotted last month that tickets were apparently available when Reading played Leeds at Bearwood.

Sure enough, when I phoned during the week, the Reading ticket office was happy to sell me a ticket for a fiver. You'd never know they were available from the club's website or social media though, with the fixture barely given a mention.

I was told a maximum of 50 tickets are available for under 21 fixtures at Bearwood, and they come with rules designed to deter all but the most determined.

There's no on-site parking, so you need to find a spot in the neighbouring village of Sindlesham and walk, and you have to time your arrival for 30 minutes ahead of kick off.

Apparently I was one of just two paying customers for the visit of Stoke. The friendly staff - they don't make the rules - did relent and allow me to park in the spacious car park, and they even gave me a teamsheet, after insisting initially they were only for scouts.

Other than a handful of scouts, most of those watching were, presumably, family and friends of the players. We were contained within a roped off area along about a third of the near side of the 'show pitch', wearing lanyards that had to remain visible.

Having finally got to visit the ground, the game was almost incidental. The two sides had met in a cup tie in midweek, with Reading winning 5-0. A first half penalty, and two second half goals, completed another comfortable win.

The home side, fielding several players who've played first team football this season, could easily have scored more against an inexperienced Stoke City line up.

It wasn't the greatest of games, unsurprisingly for a lunchtime under 21 fixture at a training ground. It wasn't helped by a stoppage-filled opening half in which injuries to players and the referee, who had to be replaced, led to 15 minutes of added time.