| Competition | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result |
| U-19 League | Saturday, 12th January (10.45am) | Chelsea | Away | Lost 0-1 |
Match facts:
Reading goals: None
Assists: None
Opposition goal:
Half-time: Chelsea 0 Reading 0
Gamebreaker:
Attendance:
Weather:
Reading line-up: Simon Cox senior,
Nathan Stamp, Ricky Allaway, Declan O'Hara, Alex Stanley (Callum
Earl), Matt Birnie, Steven Laidler, Ryan Maxwell, Adam Campion,
Louies Soares (Jason Awbery), Scott Williams
Subs not used:
Reading yellow cards:
Reading red cards: None
Match report:
By a guest reporter:
Reading's Under-19 team travelled to Chelsea this morning boasting a unbeaten three match spell against their Premiership rivals. With some players whose futures are uncertain and so determined to impress, this promised to be a lively encounter and so it was.
Chelsea, who were prevented from playing in the past by the work-rate of their Reading counterparts, were determined to match them. This they did, resulting in some X-rated tackling, but I will not paint a bad picture because this was a game full of flowing football and in not a small extent from Reading.
Chelsea got out of the blocks first creating some half-chances forcing Simon Cox into a smart save at his near post. Gradually Reading played their way back into the game (and I stress "played"), breaking with movement and inventivness, but could not convert their chances.
Half-time: 0-0
The second half began as the first had ended with the Reading side passing and constructing well, but one slip let Chelsea in. A ball played across the edge of the area somehow found its way to Pulman who smashed a volley goalwards giving Cox no chance. Undeterred Reading spent the last 30 minutes showing Chelsea the way but could not score. Numerous chances were made but to no avail. Cox had only two touches in the second half sweeping up outside his area - that shows how much Reading were on top with the outstanding Matt Birnie the best of a very good all round display
Final score: 0-1
Although this was a defeat Reading can hold their heads high as this was a performance of flair, grit and skill. Mathew Birnie was, as he has been all season, a revelation. Ricky Allaway, Declan O'Hara, Alex Stanley and Simon Cox were sharp but one player I would like to mention is Nathan Stamp. Not often in the limelight, his performances over the past weeks, and today in particular, were tremendous. His distribution and tackling and his positional play were top drawer.
Match notes:
None.
Match preview:
None.
Ticket information:
None.
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