PL2

Reading PL2 0 Albion PL2 0

JAMES Morrison helped Albion’s under-23s to a 0-0 draw with Reading as the midfielder made his return from injury at Adams Park.

Oliver Burke, Kyle Edwards, Rekeem Harper and Jonathan Leko also turned out for Jamie Smith’s side as they earned a point and kept a clean sheet in Buckinghamshire. 

It was Reading who started strongly as Josh Barrett and Ben House went close to opening the scoring early on.

But Albion grew into the game and some good build-up play eventually saw Burke unleash a curling shot with the outside of his boot from the edge of the box, only to see it come crashing back off the crossbar.

It remained goalless at half-time but the Baggies had Alex Palmer to thank just a few minutes after the interval as the goalkeeper somehow kept out Barrett from close-range.

Burke again went close to getting himself on the scoresheet 12 minutes into the second half as his effort from distance was deflected just wide.

Morrison and Burke departed the field on 61 and 70 minutes respectively as Albion had to weather plenty of Reading pressure midway through the second half.

The away side had the better of the final quarter of an hour, though, and were ever so close to stealing all three points in injury time when substitute Rayhaan Tulloch headed the ball inches wide.

ALBION: Palmer, Meredith, Ferguson, Healy, Harmon; Harper, Wilding, Morrison (Clayton-Phillips 61); Edwards, Burke (Morton 70), Leko (Tulloch 84).

Substitutes: Keranovic, Azaz.