If you were at the West Ham game last week you probably don’t need to read this report – the game was very similar. We were the better team, we controlled the match but weren’t doing enough testing of their goalkeeper until we got two goals close together in the second half. Oh, and Jeff Whitley got sent off – so throw in a bit of the Preston game.
The Madejski Stadium is canny and the away end is very good (around 4,000 SAFC supporters decided they wanted to sample our first visit) but it really is in the middle of nowhere (otherwise known as the M4). After huge debate about pre-match drinking, someone on the message board posted that there was a new bar at the Holiday Inn. I know this sounds odd but it really was a canny bar – and possibly the only place within walking distance of the ground. It is obviously a well-kept secret as there were a lot more Sunderland fans in there than Reading fans. Walking up to the ground we realised how much the wind was going to play a part in the match – if the ground hadn’t been completely enclosed it would have been even more so.
Our starting line-up was the same as Tuesday but with Byefield in for Smith. Colin Cooper was on the bench for the first time (and actually got on towards the end), which was nice. The first half we were kicking away from our end of the ground. I suspect the Reading supporters behind the other goal didn’t think much was happening but there was nowt going on down at our end. I’m sure Poom touched the ball but it was only to check it was physically there and not a hologram. While we seemed to be doing the better pressing, we also weren’t really getting testing shots on goal – we had two headers towards the end, one cleared off the line and then one straight at the keeper. And that was it. I can’t remember anything else.
Second half we had the benefit of attacking our end, which is always more exciting. Certainly we enjoyed the second half more. Early on, keeping with the West Ham parallel the ball came to Thirwell in the left side of the box – he sliced it way into the fans behind the goal (just missed me in fact) in the same way as he had against West Ham. Early on this season Thirwell was looking really good and was winning over a lot of those who had previously doubted him. Unfortunately he seems to be struggling to regain that form. With Whitely now going to be out for 4 successive games, we really need him to step back up to being the engine room of the team.
About half way through the second half Kyle was replaced by Smith. I thought this was a canny move as, while Kyle had been attempting his normal game of stretching and disturbing the defence, we really thought that the three points were there for the taking and a different approach might be enough to catch them on the hop. Therefore there was a certain irony that a goal came soon thereafter but it was the Mickey Gray-patented left back diagonal high ball into the box. McCartney sent in the ball and, with no Kyle, it was Byefield who leapt up and forward to steal the ball of the head of the centre half and back across the goal (the most difficult ball for a goalie to go for). Excellent. It would have been bliddy annoying if we’d lost it after that as Reading still weren’t causing any real problems.
Shortly thereafter we got a goal more along the lines of what McCarthey must have had in mind when he made the substitution. Oster, who was excellent throughout (cos no-one was hassling him – wish he could do it in the more physical games) had the ball in central midfield and passed what is called a slide rule pass through to Tommy Smith charging into the right side of the box. Tommy looked to me to take it too close to the bye-line to before crossing for Tommy Smith to stab in the second goal. Well, that is the short version. What actually happened was he attempted to shoot from the narrow angle and the goalie couldn’t hold it. It came back off one defender towards the goal where another defender got a weak header to save it but by this time Smith had got across and could stab the ball in.
So we were now in a really good mood and hoped we’d demoralised Reading enough for them to just give in. They didn’t quite do so but there was one moment of note left in the game. Whitely had been booked earlier on for something and in the last ten minutes he went in for a tackle in central midfield. He seemed to get the ball but in the mellee I was prepared to give the ref the benefit of the doubt (cos that’s the sort of reasonable chap I am) when he gave Whitey a second yellow. However, having now seen it on the telly, I withdraw my misplaced reasonableness – it was a perfectly good tackle. Bliddy annoying to lose Jeff for even longer. Anyway he got a great ovation from the travelling support as he went off. It is hard to think of a player who went from being so disliked (including by me) to being loved as much as Jeff now is. Great lad. There are still a few who want to have a go at him but they tend to be the misery-guts who, once they have an opinion, they regard sticking to that opinion to be of the upmost importance and certainly are not going to let little inconvenient facts like his contribution to the red and white cause count for anything.
From our two games with Reading we have a view of them similar to the one Millwall must have of us – they’re hopeless, how can they possibly be as high in the league as they are? I understand they were significantly weakened so that might well count for a lot. For us, this was another good away victory and keeps us in with a very slim chance of automatic promotion and a very good chance of finishing third or fourth and so getting the second leg of the play-off at home. If only we didn’t keep getting draws at home, we really would have had a good season. Let’s see if we can turn that around this week and get six points off Gilligham and Derby.