Stockport move level on points with leaders Huddersfield after beating Reading

Stockport moved level on points with League One leaders Huddersfield after claiming a well-deserved 3-1 win over Reading.

Goals from Ethan Ennis and Jack Diamond secured all three points for the Hatters after striker Kyle Wootton’s early opener was quickly cancelled out by Royals frontman Jack Marriott.

Victory for County means they now have 29 points and only trail Huddersfield on goal difference, despite having played one game more.

Reading, meanwhile, have dropped out of the play-off places having fallen from sixth to seventh.

Stockport went ahead in the sixth minute through Wootton, whose effort from Ennis’ cross hit a post before rebounding back off him and into the net for his 10th league goal of the season.

It took the visitors just five minutes to draw level, with Marriott firing home his ninth league goal of the campaign after Kyreece Lisbie’s cross found the striker in the box.

But the away side fell behind again shortly after the half-hour mark as Ennis rounded off a really well-worked move by shooting over goalkeeper Joel Pereira’s dive following Harry Wood’s layoff.

Stockport piled on the pressure early in the second half as they went in search of a third goal, but Pereira did brilliantly to keep out efforts from Oliver Norwood and Wood along with a header from Diamond.

He could do nothing about Diamond’s strike in the 52nd minute, though, with the winger driving a shot low into the bottom right corner.

Wootton was denied a goal for offside for the second time in the match as County looked to add extra gloss to the scoreline, but the hosts saw the game out comfortably to clinch an important win.