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2000/01 Reports

Reading goals: Ian Richardson (own goal), Parkinson
Gamebreaker: Notts County's late winner
Attendance: 5,106

Reading line-up: Whitehead, Newman, Robinson, Jones (N Smith), Viveash, Mackie, Parkinson, Rougier, Butler, Cureton (Caskey), Hodges
Subs not used: Howie, Hunter, Igoe

Wandering around Nottingham there were no real signs of the floods that had stopped Notts County playing at home for seven weeks. The Trent didn't really look any fuller than normal, and certainly was nothing compared to the River Ouse in York last week. When I got into the ground I couldn't really see any evidence of the fact that 20% of the pitch has supposedly been relaid, either. The only new turf I could see was a small square around the penalty spot - unfortunately that particular bit of turf got into the action in the first half.

When the Reading players ran out to warm up, it was noticeable that Darren Caskey was among them. Andy Gurney was the player missing from the last game, meaning that he has gone from goal-scorer to non-playing sub to not even in the squad over the last three Saturdays. When the team was announced Caskey was on the bench, with another change being that Tony Rougier took over from Sammy Igoe in the starting line-up.

Reading started the game well, particularly down the left. The Notts County defenders soon discovered that the only way they could stop our attacking runs from Rougier and Matthew Robinson was to haul our players down. Three times in the opening spell home players fouled our left-siders in this way, and not one of them earned a booking.

After the early flurry, the game settled down into a tedious slog. I couldn't help thinking that it was like watching a meaningless end-of-season mid-table fixture where none of the players cared what happened. That sort of attitude is completely unacceptable in December in any season, let alone one where we're near the top of the table. None of this can be blamed on the pitch, which was perfectly playable and better than many I have seen in December over the years.

As the game dragged on, Notts County started to look a bit more lively in their attacks. I don't remember either keeper having to make a save worthy of the name, but we were certainly coming under pressure from moves down the right side and runs through the middle from their front two. John Mackie made a couple of timely blocks to stop attacks, and a couple of Notts County shots went well side as well. One attack stopped only when the ball hit Ricky Newman on the forearm in the penalty area - it would have been a harsh penalty decision but I don't think we could have complained too much. Instead the referee waved play on, which clearly stunned Newman as he continued to protest his innocence instead of clearing the ball! It came to nothing in the end, though.

At the other end, the best we managed were two unsuccessful goalmouth scrambles after the home keeper had dropped crosses.

About ten minutes before the break, we gave the ball away in midfield. Mackie and Adi Viveash were marking the two forward players, but both seemed to go for the same man, leaving the other forward to get the ball and head off for our goal. Mackie gave chase but was never going to catch him, and after reaching the penalty area the Notts County player was able to slot the ball past Whitehead for the opening goal. Mackie has always appeared quick to me, but maybe it's just in comparison with other central defenders we have had, because there was no sign of his pace at all in this move.

A few minutes later, it got worse, as a quick turn on the edge of the box left Mackie floundering. As he struggled to get back to defend, this time he did get alongside the attacker who then deliberately turned into Mackie so that he would be fouled and win a penalty. Mackie obliged by knocking him over and this time the referee did point to the spot. I think that a more experienced defender would not have fallen for the forward's trick. This was the point in the game where the lovely new green turf around the penalty spot came into play, as Notts County easily scored the penalty.

At 2-0 it was impossible to see Reading getting back into the game, but just before half-time we won a corner. Lee Hodges took an inswinger, and Adi Viveash headed in at the near post. Well, that's what I thought happened although it appears that everyone else is crediting it as an own goal.

During the break, we made a substitution, with Caskey replacing the totally ineffective Jamie Cureton. Caskey played wide right, with Rougier adopting some sort of roving role up-front where he could suddenly appear on either wing.

From the start of the half, everything was totally different. It wasn't just down to the presence of Caskey as we'd already had two good chances before he'd even touched the ball, but the whole attitude of the Reading team had changed. We obviously now believed that we could get goals and continued to rain attacks down on the Notts County goal.

After a couple of near misses where only last-gasp headers took the ball away from a Reading player about to hammer it home, the equalising goal came. It was a cross where one central defender was left to mark both Martin Butler and Phil Parkinson. He chose to stay with Butler but the ball went over the two of them and to Parkinson who aimed a header towards the goal. At first it looked like it was going wide, but it just turned in enough to hit the post and rebound into the net.

At 2-2 there really did look to be only one winner. We kept pressing and the second half was just a succession of Reading attacks. For all our effort the ball never quite seemed to fall right - either defenders came out quickly to block off long shots just as we were teeing them up, or Butler got the ball in the danger area and couldn't control it, or (on a couple of occasions) promising attacks ended with a mystifying referee's whistle and a free-kick given to Notts County.

During this period, Caskey and Rougier both played excellently. Caskey was providing wonderful set-up balls, and threading passes through groups of defenders. Rougier was using his ball skills to hold the ball and lay off simple passes, or more usually to ghost past the two or three defenders constantly huddled around him. Our best chance came from a Rougier cross that passed across the face of the goal, with several defenders touching it but no Reading player able to get a decisive touch. It looked at one point as if the ball would drop over the line but it continued beyond the far post, and didn't even go out for a corner.

To be fair to the home side, they had defended well, and also threatened very occasionally with quick breaks. I think they had three breaks in the second half - we dealt well enough with the first two but conceded a corner on the third. From the corner they maintained posession at that end, and were able to scramble the ball home after no Reading players had been able to claim a cross hit back into the danger area. This happened with three minutes to go, and so after a half of almost constant pressure all we had to show for it was an imminent defeat.

Neil Smith came on to add his long throws to our attacks, and the centre halves pushed up, but we never really looked like getting the late equaliser that our second half performance certainly deserved. Instead, Notts County wasted time by kicking the ball away, to the extent that the referee even started to book their players. Those tactics worked, though, because he didn't allow any further time to be played for this late wasting, and the game ended 3-2.

However, if Reading go on to do well in the next few matches, people will look back at this Saturday and say that half-time was another turning point for the season (in the same way that the last, and downward, turning-point appeared to be half-time at the home match with Wrexham).

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