Kelvin Ehibhatiomhan: Reading FC bank on red-hot striker

With hundreds of Nigerian footballers drawn from top leagues at his disposal, the Super Eagles coach Eric Chelle is so spoilt for choice. Little wonder, Kelvin Ehibhatiomhan doesn’t even appear in the selection picture.

However, when it comes to club football in England, the rising Nigerian forward is increasingly becoming indispensable for Reading FC.

Ehibhatiomhan will be the man to watch on the road for the Royals when they face Mansfield Town FC in a third-tier league match on Tuesday.

Stags welcome Reading FC in the Sky Bet League One match at One Call Stadium (7.45pm kick-off UK time).

The 22-year-old has been in scintillating form having bagged a rare professional career hat-trick for Reading FC in their 3-2 victory over fellow EFL League One opponents Luton Town FC over the weekend.

What scoring a hat trick means to Ehibhatiomhan

Reflecting on his treble at Kenilworth Road, Ehibhatiomhan described the game as the best in his EFL League One career.

“There is no better feeling than scoring, so when you get to celebrate at the end with the fans, it is something I will remember for a long time,”Kelvin, who received the match ball, told RoyalsTV. “I will get it signed and keep it in a cabinet somewhere.”

The Super Eagles hopeful described the result, which kept Reading FC’s chase for a play-off slot on track, as a demonstration of growing team character.

📺 https://t.co/PFjRgdsoo1

— Reading FC (@ReadingFC) March 9, 2026

“It shows you the character we have in the dressing room and the resilience,” Ehibhatiomhan added.

“To start the game winning and then end up losing and then winning again, it’s the ups and downs of football.”

“We are showing signs of a good team with strong resilience. We want to keep this form going, keep the habits and the basics and it should lead us to where we want to be.”

When did Nigerian sign for Reading FC?

The Nigerian has seven goals to his credit in 36 appearances for Reading FC in this EFL League One campaign.

Ehibhatiomhan graduated from the Royals academy to sign his first professional contract in 2021.

The towering forward registered two goals for the club as it was relegated from the Championship in the same year.

Boasting 100 appearances for the club, Ehibhatiomhan produced the finest version of himself during the 2023-2024 campaign when he scored 11 goals in 47 games.