After striker Gemma Bryan saw her second half penalty saved by Reading goalkeeper Grace Moloney, Nikki Watts put Reading into a 63rd minute lead.

The Addicks hit straight back, though, when Ellie Bailes scrambled the ball over the line from a yard out for her first league goal for the first team.

Technical director Paul Mortimer made three changes from the team that lost to Coventry last weekend, with Megen Lynch returning in goal and Harley Bennett and Ellie Bailes preferred to Becky Duggan and Emma Beckett.

Charlton bossed the first half and pegged the Royals back in their own half for long periods. Bryan and Charley Clifford both went close while Bailes and Courteney Gibson, who was named PHSC plc’s Player of the Match, both had chances.

The game sprang into life in the second half, though, when Bryan knocked the ball past her marker in the six-yard box and was fouled by the Reading centre-half.

Bryan got up to take the spot kick herself but, as was the case with her penalty a fortnight ago against Nottingham Forest, it was at a comfortable height for Moloney to make the save and push it out to safety.

With 20 minutes remaining, Reading thought they may have snatched the initiative when Watts, who is the league’s top scorer this term, coolly slotted past Lynch.

Not deterred, though, Charlton equalised straight from the restart when a Fliss Gibbons cross found its way to the back post and Bailes unconvincingly poked it in with her thigh.

And Charlton could have nicked the win but efforts from Clifford, Bryan and substitute Emma Beckett went the wrong side of the upright.

Mortimer said: “We were not at our best, neither were they. We worked hard and I can’t fault the girls for their application but it is a shame we didn’t win the game.

“We have to learn to start taking our chances because too often our final ball wasn’t good enough.

“I can be pleased with people like Courteney, she did OK. Fliss did alright, Gemma did well up front, Kim sat in midfield and did OK. Sinead [Boyer] is playing brilliant at the moment and Cori did well so there were some very good performances in there.”

Charlton: Lynch, Boyer, Alden, Daniels, Bennett, Dixson, Clifford (Beckett 63mins), Bailes (Stenning 84mins), Gibson, Gibbons, Bryan. Subs (not used): Smith, Duggan, Newman.