2020–21 Reading F.C. Women season

The 2020–21 Reading F.C. Women season was the club's 14th season and their sixth in the FA Women's Super League, the highest level of the football pyramid. Reading finished the season in 7th place, were knocked out of the FA Cup in the fourth round and finished second in their League Cup group.

Reading

2020–21 season
Manager	Kelly Chambers
Stadium	Madejski Stadium
WSL	7th
FA Cup	Fourth round vs Tottenham Hotspur
League Cup	Group Stage
Top goalscorer	League: Rachel Rowe (5) All: Two Players (6)
Home colours Away colours
← 2019–20 2021–22 →

Season events

On 15 July, Reading announced the signing of Danielle Carter and Emma Mitchell from Arsenal.^[1][2]

On 17 July, Reading announced the signing of Deanna Cooper, who last played for Chelsea.^[3] On the same day, Reading announced new contracts for Natasha Harding, Kiera Skeels and Lily Woodham.^[4]

On 14 August, Reading announced the signing of Erin Nayler from Girondins de Bordeaux.^[5]

On 19 August, Jess Fishlock joined Reading on loan from OL Reign.^[6]

On 1 September, Reading were drawn in Group D of the League Cup alongside West Ham United, Charlton Athletic and Brighton & Hove Albion.^[7]

On 4 September, Reading announced the signing of Jeon Ga-eul.^[8]

On 8 January, midfielder Sophie Quirk moved to London Bees on loan for the remainder of the season.^[9]

On 6 February, Reading announced the signing of Silvana Flores.^[10] On 16 February, Grace Moloney extended her contract with Reading until the summer of 2023.^[11]

On 19 February, Reading confirmed that Jess Fishlock's loan from OL Reign would end on 4 April,^[12] with Brooke Chaplen extending her contract with the club until the summer of 2022 on 22 February.^[13]

On 26 March, Rachel Rowe extended her contract with Reading until June 2024.^[14]

On 26 April, Fara Williams announced that she would be retiring at the end of the season.^[15]

On 12 May, Reading announced that Molly Bartrip, Lauren Bruton, Kristine Leine, Erin Nayler, Silvana Flores and Molly Childerhouse would all be leaving the club, alongside Fara Williams and Angharad James, when their contracts expire at the end of the season.^[16]

Transfers

In

Date	Position	Nationality	Name	From	Fee	Ref.
15 July 2020	DF		Emma Mitchell	Arsenal	Free	[2]
15 July 2020	FW		Danielle Carter	Arsenal	Free	[1]
17 July 2020	DF		Deanna Cooper	Chelsea	Free	[3]
14 August 2020	GK		Erin Nayler	Girondins de Bordeaux	Free	[5]
4 September 2020	FW		Jeon Ga-eul	Bristol City	Free	[8]
6 February 2021	MF		Silvana Flores	Chelsea	Free	[10]

Loans in

Start date	Position	Nationality	Name	From	End date	Ref.
19 August 2020	MF		Jess Fishlock	OL Reign	4 April 2021	[6][12]

Out

Date	Position	Nationality	Name	To	Fee	Ref.
24 June 2020	FW		Lisa-Marie Karlseng Utland	Rosenborg	Undisclosed	[17]

Loans out

Start date	Position	Nationality	Name	To	End date	Ref.
8 January 2021	MF		Sophie Quirk	London Bees	End of season	[9]

Released

Date	Position	Nationality	Name	Joined	Date	Ref.
31 May 2021	GK		Erin Nayler	Umeå IK	1 January 2022	[16][18]
31 May 2021	DF		Molly Bartrip	Tottenham Hotspur	16 July 2021	[16][19]
31 May 2021	DF		Kristine Leine	Rosenborg		[16]
31 May 2021	MF		Molly Childerhouse	Oxford United	21 July 2021	[16][20]
31 May 2021	MF		Fara Williams	Retired		[15]
31 May 2021	MF		Silvana Flores	Tottenham Hotspur		[16]
31 May 2021	MF		Angharad James	North Carolina Courage		[21]
31 May 2021	FW		Lauren Bruton	Charlton Athletic		[16][22]

Squad

As of match played 9 May 2021^[23]

No.	Name	Nationality	Position	Date of birth (Age)	Signed from	Signed in	Contract ends	Apps.	Goals
Goalkeepers
1	Grace Moloney		GK	(1993-03-01)1 March 1993 (aged 28)	Academy	2009	2023[11]	184	0
16	Erin Nayler		GK	(1992-04-17)17 April 1992 (aged 29)	Girondins de Bordeaux	2020[5]		1	0
72	Rhiannon Stewart		GK		Academy	2019		0	0
Defenders
2	Kristine Bjørdal Leine		DF	(1996-08-06)6 August 1996 (aged 24)	Røa	2019		40	2
3	Emma Mitchell		DF	(1992-09-19)19 September 1992 (aged 28)	Arsenal	2020		17	0
5	Molly Bartrip		DF	(1996-06-01)1 June 1996 (aged 24)	Academy	2014		108
14	Deanna Cooper		DF	(1993-06-20)20 June 1993 (aged 27)	Chelsea	2020		24	0
28	Lily Woodham		DF	(2000-09-03)3 September 2000 (aged 20)	Bristol City	2018		21	0
31	Bethan Roberts		DF	(2003-05-14)14 May 2003 (aged 17)	Academy	2019		7	0
Midfielders
4	Fara Williams		MF	(1984-01-25)25 January 1984 (aged 37)	Arsenal	2017	2021	93	43
6	Angharad James		MF	(1994-06-01)1 June 1994 (aged 26)	Everton	2019	2021	48	2
11	Natasha Harding (captain)		MF	(1989-03-02)2 March 1989 (aged 32)	Liverpool	2017		78	7
23	Rachel Rowe		MF	(1992-09-13)13 September 1992 (aged 28)	Swansea City	2015	2024[14]	116	14
24	Silvana Flores		MF	(2002-04-18)18 April 2002 (aged 19)	Chelsea	2021		0	0
32	Molly Childerhouse		MF		Academy	2020		0	0
Forwards
7	Jeon Ga-eul		FW	(1988-09-14)14 September 1988 (aged 32)	Bristol City	2020[8]		6	0
9	Amalie Eikeland		FW	(1995-08-26)26 August 1995 (aged 25)	Sandviken	2019		47	5
10	Lauren Bruton		FW	(1992-11-22)22 November 1992 (aged 28)	Arsenal	2013
18	Danielle Carter		FW	(1993-05-18)18 May 1993 (aged 27)	Arsenal	2020		25	4
19	Brooke Chaplen		FW	(1989-04-16)16 April 1989 (aged 32)	Sunderland	2017	2022[13]	79	29
36	Emma Harries		FW	(2002-03-29)29 March 2002 (aged 19)	Academy	2020		20	1
Out on loan
29	Kiera Skeels		DF	(2001-01-20)20 January 2001 (aged 20)	Academy	2019		2	0
35	Sophie Quirk		MF	(2002-02-12)12 February 2002 (aged 19)	Academy	2019		0	0
Left during the season
8	Jess Fishlock		MF	(1987-01-14)14 January 1987 (aged 34)	loan from OL Reign	2020[6]		22	2

Out on loan

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player 29 DF  ENG Kiera Skeels (at Bristol City until end of the season.)

No. Pos. Nation Player 35 MF  ENG Sophie Quirk (at London Bees until end of the season.)

Competitions

WSL

Main article: 2020–21 FA WSL

Results summary

Overall								Home						Away
Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD
22	5	9	8	25	40	−15	24	2	5	4	11	19	−8	3	4	4	14	21	−7

Last updated: 9 May 2021.
Source: FA WSL

Results by matchday

Round	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22
Ground	A	H	A	H	H	A	A	H	A	A	H	H	A	A	H	A	H	A	H	A	H	A
Result	L	W	W	L	D	D	D	D	L	W	L	D	D	W	D	L	D	L	L	D	W	L
Position	12	7	6	6	6	6	7	6	6	6	6	6	6	6	6	7	7	7	7	7	6	7

Source: ^{[citation needed]}
A = Away; H = Home; W = Win; D = Draw; L = Loss

Results

Arsenal v Reading

6 September 2020 1	Arsenal	6–1	Reading	Borehamwood
12:30 BST (UTC+1)	Little 15' Miedema 33', 78' Roord 40', 63', 81' Maritz  42' Maier  86'	Report	Bruton  56' Fishlock  60' Harding  69' Carter 89'	Stadium: Meadow Park Attendance: 0 Referee: Amy Fearns
Note: Match played behind closed doors due to the COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom.

Reading v Aston Villa

13 September 2020 2	Reading	3–1	Aston Villa	Reading
14:00 BST (UTC+1)	Eikeland 24' Bruton 40'  85' Williams 45+3' (pen.) Harding  72'	Report	Siems  59' Larsen 79' (pen.)  90+6'	Stadium: Madejski Stadium Attendance: 0 Referee: Emily Heaslip
Note: Match played behind closed doors due to the COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom.

West Ham United v Reading

4 October 2020 3	West Ham United	0–1	Reading	Dagenham
15:00 BST (UTC+1)	Dali 60'	Report	Bruton 26' Bartrip  31'	Stadium: Chigwell Construction Stadium Attendance: 0 Referee: Robert Whitton
Note: Match played behind closed doors due to the COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom.

Reading v Birmingham City

11 October 2020 4	Reading	0–1	Birmingham City	Reading
14:00 BST (UTC+1)		Report	Scott  64' Walker 72' Scofield  82'	Stadium: Madejski Stadium Attendance: 0 Referee: Sarah Garratt
Note: Match played behind closed doors due to the COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom.

Reading v Manchester City

18 October 2020 5	Reading	1–1	Manchester City	Reading
14:00 BST (UTC+1)	Eikeland 3' Mitchell  51'	Report	Mewis 56'	Stadium: Madejski Stadium Attendance: 0 Referee: Savvas Yianni
Note: Match played behind closed doors due to the COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom.

Tottenham Hotspur v Reading

7 November 2020 6	Tottenham Hotspur	1–1	Reading	Edgware
14:00 GMT (UTC)	Neville 25' Harrop  63'	Report	Chaplen 13' Rowe  22'	Stadium: The Hive Stadium Attendance: 0 Referee: Helen Conley
Note: Match played behind closed doors due to the COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom.

Everton v Reading

14 November 2020 7	Everton	1–1	Reading	Liverpool
16:30 GMT (UTC)	Magill 39' Christiansen  66'	Report	Harding 42'	Stadium: Walton Hall Park Attendance: 0 Referee: Emily Heaslip
Note: Match played behind closed doors due to the COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom.

Reading v Bristol City

6 December 2020 8	Reading	1–1	Bristol City	Reading
14:00 GMT (UTC)	Williams 50' Cooper  62'	Report	Bissell 43'	Stadium: Madejski Stadium Referee: Lucy Oliver

Reading v Manchester United

13 December 2020 9	Reading	1–2	Manchester United	Reading
12:30 GMT (UTC)	Leine  18' M.Turner 56' (o.g.) Bartrip  64'	Report	Galton 32' A.Turner  63' Ladd 83' Heath  90+5'	Stadium: Madejski Stadium Referee: Helen Conley

Brighton & Hove Albion v Reading

20 December 2020 10	Brighton & Hove Albion	1–3	Reading	Crawley
14:30 GMT (UTC)	Kaagman 21' (pen.) Bowman  55'	Report	Fishlock 17', 44' Leine  23' Bartrip  61' Carter  88' Rowe 90+1'	Stadium: Broadfield Stadium Attendance: 365 Referee: Abigail Byrne

Reading v Chelsea

10 January 2021 11	Reading	0–5	Chelsea	Reading
14:00 GMT (UTC)	Williams  45+1' Moloney  45+2'	Report	Kirby 16', 23', 45+2', 53' Ji 86'	Stadium: Madejski Stadium Attendance: 0 Referee: Abigail Byrne
Note: Match played behind closed doors due to the COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom.

Reading v Arsenal

17 January 2021 12	Reading	1–1	Arsenal	Reading
14:00 GMT (UTC)	Bruton 5' Fishlock  58'	Report	Wubben-Moy  26' Miedema 40' Wälti  76'	Stadium: Madejski Stadium Attendance: 0 Referee: Lisa Benn
Note: Match played behind closed doors due to the COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom.

Aston Villa v Reading

23 January 2021 13	Aston Villa	2–2	Reading	Walsall
12:30 GMT (UTC)	N'Dow  30' Iwabuchi 55' Larsen  80' Silva 90+1'	Report	James 3' Rowe 57'	Stadium: Bescot Stadium Attendance: 0 Referee: Kirsty Dowle
Note: Match played behind closed doors due to the COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom.

Manchester United v Reading

7 February 2021 14	Manchester United	0–2	Reading	Leigh
12:30 GMT (UTC)	Sigsworth  74'	Report	Harding 63' Carter 65' Mitchell  85'	Stadium: Leigh Sports Village Attendance: 0 Referee: Edward Duckworth
Note: Match played behind closed doors due to the COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom.

Reading v Everton

14 February 2021 15	Reading	1–1	Everton	Reading
14:00 GMT (UTC)	Rowe 34' Bartrip  90+2'	Report	Stringer  24' Sørensen 77'	Stadium: Madejski Stadium Attendance: 0 Referee: Stacey Pearson
Note: Match played behind closed doors due to the COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom.

Bristol City v Reading

8 March 2021 16	Bristol City	3–2	Reading	Bath
20:15 GMT (UTC)	Wellings 24' Daniëls  50' Purfield 58' Salmon 79'	Report	Harries 13' Rowe 73' 40'  90+3'	Stadium: Twerton Park Attendance: 0 Referee: Rebecca Welch
Note: Match played behind closed doors due to the COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom.

Reading v Tottenham Hotspur

14 March 2021 17	Reading	0–0	Tottenham Hotspur	Reading
12:30 GMT (UTC)	Williams  36'	Report		Stadium: Madejski Stadium Attendance: 0 Referee: Christiana Hattersley
Note: Match played behind closed doors due to the COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom.

Manchester City v Reading

27 March 2021 18	Manchester City	1–0	Reading	Manchester
17:30 GMT (UTC)	Bronze  45' Kelly 87'	Report	Harding  40' Woodham  47' Eikeland  78' Cooper  86' Bartrip  90+2'	Stadium: Academy Stadium Attendance: 0 Referee: Stacey Pearson
Note: Match played behind closed doors due to the COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom.

Reading v West Ham United

3 April 2021 19	Reading	0–5	West Ham United	Reading
14:00 BST (UTC+1)	Cooper  45'	Report	Dali 7' Svitková 10' Thomas 11', 29', 37' Flaherty  72' Longhurst  89'	Stadium: Madejski Stadium Attendance: 0 Referee: Kirsty Dowle
Note: Match played behind closed doors due to the COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom.

Birmingham City v Reading

25 April 2021 20	Birmingham City	1–1	Reading	Solihull
14:00 BST (UTC+1)	Mace 6' Littlejohn  78'	Report	Bartrip  28' Williams  52' Rowe 63'	Stadium: Damson Park Attendance: 0 Referee: Lucy May
Note: Match played behind closed doors due to the COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom.

Reading v Brighton & Hove Albion

2 May 2021 21	Reading	3–2	Brighton & Hove Albion	Reading
14:00 BST (UTC+1)	Williams 36' (pen.) Carter 43' Harding 55'	Report	Lee 44', 45'	Stadium: Madejski Stadium Attendance: 0 Referee: Jane Simms
Note: Match played behind closed doors due to the COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom.

Chelsea v Reading

9 May 2021 22	Chelsea	5–0	Reading	Kingston upon Thames
14:30 BST (UTC+1)	Leupolz 2' Kirby 43', 57' Kerr 71' Cuthbert 75'	Report		Stadium: Kingsmeadow Attendance: 0 Referee: Stacey Pearson
Note: Match played behind closed doors due to the COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom.

Table

Pos	Team v t e	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts
5	Everton	22	9	5	8	39	30	+9	32
6	Brighton & Hove Albion	22	8	3	11	21	41	−20	27
7	Reading	22	5	9	8	25	41	−16	24
8	Tottenham Hotspur	22	5	5	12	18	41	−23	20
9	West Ham United	22	3	6	13	21	39	−18	15

Source: FA WSL
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Number of goals scored.

FA Cup

Main article: 2020–21 Women's FA Cup

Reading v Tottenham Hotspur

18 April 2021 Fourth round	Reading	2–3 (a.e.t.)	Tottenham Hotspur	Reading
14:00 BST (UTC+1)	F. Williams 12' Rowe 49'  119'	Report	Kennedy 20' R. Williams 48' Naz 93' Ayane  95'	Stadium: Madejski Stadium Attendance: 0 Referee: Lisa Benn
Note: Match played behind closed doors due to the COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom.

League Cup

Main article: 2020–21 FA Women's League Cup

Group stage

Reading v Charlton Athletic

7 October 2020 1	Reading	4–0	Charlton Athletic	Reading
19:30 BST (UTC+1)	Carter 27' Harding 68', 70' Chaplen 90+2'  90+2'	Report	Watling  38'	Stadium: Madejski Stadium Attendance: 0 Referee: Emily Heaslip
Note: Match played behind closed doors due to the COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom.

West Ham United v Reading

4 November 2020 2	West Ham United	3–0	Reading	Dagenham
19:30 GMT (UTC)	Lehmann 14'  45' Flaherty  29' van Egmond 51' Daly 58'	Report		Stadium: Victoria Road Attendance: 0 Referee: Aji Ajibola
Note: Match played behind closed doors due to the COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom.

Brighton & Hove Albion v Reading

18 November 2020 3	Brighton & Hove Albion	0–2	Reading	Crawley
19:30 GMT (UTC)	Simpkins  58'	Report	Harding 28' Fishlock  41' Eikeland 73'	Stadium: Broadfield Stadium Attendance: 0
Note: Match played behind closed doors due to the COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom.

Pos	Team v t e	Pld	W	WPEN	LPEN	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification
1	West Ham United	3	2	1	0	0	9	2	+7	8	Advanced to knock-out stage
2	Reading	3	2	0	0	1	6	3	+3	6	Possible knock-out stage based on ranking
3	Brighton & Hove Albion	2	0	0	1	1	2	4	−2	1
4	Charlton Athletic	2	0	0	0	2	0	8	−8	0

Source: thefa.com
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Number of goals scored; 4) Number of wins; 5) Head-to-head record

Pos	Grp	Team v t e	Pld	W	WPEN	LPEN	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	PPG	Qualification
1	A	Durham	3	2	0	1	0	12	3	+9	7	2.33	Advanced to knock-out stage
2	F	Crystal Palace	3	2	0	0	1	10	6	+4	6	2.00
3	D	Reading	3	2	0	0	1	6	3	+3	6	2.00
4	E	Birmingham City	2	1	0	1	0	1	0	+1	4	2.00
5	C	Everton	3	2	0	0	1	3	3	0	6	2.00
6	B	Arsenal	3	1	1	0	1	7	6	+1	5	1.67

Source: thefa.com

Squad statistics

As of match played 9 May 2021

Appearances

No.	Pos	Nat	Player	Total		WSL		FA Cup		League Cup
				Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
1	GK	IRL	Grace Moloney	25	0	22	0	1	0	2	0
2	DF	NOR	Kristine Leine	22	0	12+6	0	0+1	0	2+1	0
3	DF	SCO	Emma Mitchell	17	0	14	0	0	0	2+1	0
4	MF	ENG	Fara Williams	19	4	14+3	3	1	1	0+1	0
5	DF	ENG	Molly Bartrip	25	0	20+1	0	1	0	3	0
6	MF	WAL	Angharad James	26	1	22	1	1	0	3	0
7	FW	KOR	Jeon Ga-eul	6	0	1+3	0	0+1	0	1	0
9	FW	NOR	Amalie Eikeland	26	3	19+3	2	0+1	0	3	1
10	FW	ENG	Lauren Bruton	18	3	7+8	3	0	0	2+1	0
11	MF	WAL	Natasha Harding	26	6	22	3	1	0	2+1	3
14	DF	ENG	Deanna Cooper	24	0	20+1	0	1	0	2	0
16	GK	NZL	Erin Nayler	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	0
18	FW	ENG	Danielle Carter	25	4	14+7	3	1	0	2+1	1
19	FW	ENG	Brooke Chaplen	11	2	4+4	1	0	0	2+1	1
23	MF	WAL	Rachel Rowe	23	6	12+7	5	1	1	2+1	0
28	DF	WAL	Lily Woodham	15	0	10+2	0	1	0	1+1	0
31	DF	WAL	Bethan Roberts	7	0	4+2	0	1	0	0	0
36	FW	ENG	Emma Harries	20	1	7+9	1	1	0	0+3	0
Players away from the club on loan:
Players who appeared for Reading but left during the season:
8	MF	WAL	Jess Fishlock	22	2	18+1	2	0	0	3	0

Goal scorers

Place	Position	Nation	Number	Name	WSL	FA Cup	League Cup	Total
1	MF		23	Rachel Rowe	5	1	0	6
	MF		11	Natasha Harding	3	0	3	6
3	MF		4	Fara Williams	3	1	0	4
	FW		18	Danielle Carter	3	0	1	4
5	FW		10	Lauren Bruton	3	0	0	3
	FW		9	Amalie Eikeland	2	0	1	3
7	MF		8	Jess Fishlock	2	0	0	2
	FW		19	Brooke Chaplen	1	0	1	2
9	MF		6	Angharad James	1	0	0	1
	FW		36	Emma Harries	1	0	0	1
				Own goal	1	0	0	1
Total					25	2	6	33

Clean sheets

Place	Position	Nation	Number	Name	WSL	FA Cup	League Cup	Total
1	GK		1	Grace Moloney	3	0	2	5
Total					3	0	2	5

Disciplinary record

Number	Nation	Position	Name	WSL		FA Cup		League Cup		Total
1		GK	Grace Moloney	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	0
2		DF	Kristine Leine	2	0	0	0	0	0	2	0
3		DF	Emma Mitchell	2	0	0	0	0	0	2	0
4		MF	Fara Williams	2	0	0	0	0	0	2	0
5		DF	Molly Bartrip	6	0	0	0	0	0	6	0
9		FW	Amalie Eikeland	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	0
10		FW	Lauren Bruton	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	0
11		MF	Natasha Harding	4	0	0	0	0	0	4	0
14		DF	Deanna Cooper	3	0	0	0	0	0	3	0
18		FW	Danielle Carter	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	0
19		FW	Brooke Chaplen	0	0	0	0	1	0	1	0
23		MF	Rachel Rowe	3	1	1	0	0	0	4	1
28		DF	Lily Woodham	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	0
Players away on loan:
Players who left Reading during the season:
8		MF	Jess Fishlock	2	0	0	0	1	0	3	0
Total				29	1	1	0	2	0	32	1