| Competition | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result |
| Friendly (first team / reserves) | Saturday, 14th July (3pm) | Maidenhead United | Away | Drew 0-0 |
Match facts:
Reading goals: None
Assists: None
Opposition goals: None
Gamebreaker:
Attendance:
Reading line-up: Phil Whitehead;
Adie Williams, Adrian Whitbread, Adi Viveash; Graeme Murty, Sammy
Igoe (Alex Stanley, 73 minutes), Keith Jones (Steve Laidler, 57
minutes), Paul Mortimer (Matt Birnie, 16 minutes), Matt Robinson
(Andre Fashanu, 57 minutes); Martin Butler (Sammy Igoe, 82
minutes), Nathan Tyson
Subs not used: None?
Yellow cards: None?
Red cards: None
Match report:
None, unless someone else would like to submit one.
Match notes:
Trialist Paul Mortimer played his first game for Reading in this match, but suffered an early thigh injury and had to go off. The extent of the damage is not yet known. Martin Butler received a kick in the head which will require stitches but should not prevent him playing or training.
Reading played a 3-5-2 formation with the first appearance of the three centre-backs forming "Adrian's Wall". It appears that Graeme Murty and Matt Robinson played as sufficiently attacking wing-backs that the formation is correctly described as 3-5-2, rather than as the 5-3-2 I put in the match preview.
Just to prove that this was a "friendly", the referee ordered two Maidenhead players to be substituted in the second half rather than sending them off after dreadful challenges, whilst Sammy Igoe replaced Martin Butler late in the game having previously been substituted himself.
Match preview:
Reading are splitting the squad to play two friendlies on the same day. The squad heading for Maidenhead is expected to be: Phil Whitehead, Adrian Whitbread, Adi Viveash, Adie Williams, Barry Hunter, Adam Lockwood, Graeme Murty, Matt Robinson, Matt Birnie, Steve Laidler, trialist Paul Mortimer, Sammy Igoe, Scott Williams, Martin Butler and Darius Henderson.
This suggests that this game might well see the first tryout for a 5-3-2 system with the three Adrians as centre-backs.
Ticket information from the official Reading site:
This match is pay on the day. Prices are £6 for adults and £3 for concessions. This allows admission to terraces or, on a first come first served basis, a seated area.
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