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2001/02 Reports

Match facts:

Reading goals: Jamie Cureton (46 minutes, in first half injury time), Jamie Cureton (62 minutes)
Assists: Matt Robinson, Sammy Igoe
Opposition goals: None
Half-time: Port Vale 0 Reading 1
Gamebreaker: Reading's second goal
Attendance: 5,196
Referee: Mike Pike (Barrow-in-Furness)

Reading line-up: Phil Whitehead; Graeme Murty, Adie Williams, Adrian Whitbread, Matthew Robinson; Sammy Igoe, James Harper, Phil Parkinson, Alex Smith (Darius Henderson, 88 minutes); Jamie Cureton (Andy Hughes, 74 minutes), Anthony Rougier (Martin Butler, 60 minutes)
Subs not used: Jamie Ashdown, Adi Viveash
Reading yellow cards: Igoe (foul, 18 minutes), Robinson (foul, 42 minutes), Rougier (foul, 9 minutes), Williams (foul, 72 minutes)
Reading red cards: None

Match report:

I arrived in the Burslem area early to try to visit a museum they were building in the town centre. When I got there I discovered that it had not progressed by one brick since our visit a year ago! This nicely prepared me for the ground where the main stand also looks exactly as half-built now as it did last season.

Nicky Forster was absent from the Reading players warning up, so the injury he picked up last week was clearly worse than expected. However, Martin Butler, who was supposedly "definitely out" was among the substitutes. Later on in the game, this meant that we actually got to see the Butler-Cureton partnership for the first time this season.

Both Alex Smith and Anthony Rougier started the game against their old club - Smith in particular got a rough reception and I shall have to look up the saga of his leaving Port Vale to understand why. Both had decent enough games, although Smith was unable to reproduce his superb form from the previous two matches. Rougier appeared to be trying too hard - he was always trying to dribble past every player rather than passing the ball, whilst also putting in some pretty untypical challenges. He got booked for one foul, and for a while it looked as if the game might turn into a bloodbath with bad tackles flying in for both sides. The players did settle down, which was fortunate because I think the first one to see a red card would have been Rougier.

The first half was a fairly tame affair, with Reading apparently happy to control the game without looking to particularly press forward. Port Vale managed one shot over the bar. Jamie Cureton also had a shot, that was saved.

Just before half-time, whilst I was trying to tell someone that a problem with our team is that they were too often level at the break, we scored. The ball was worked down the left, with Smith and Matt Robinson involved, and the cross found Cureton in acres of space. He hit the ball to the keeper's left and inside the post. You have to question the marking - Cureton is the most dangerous poacher in the division, but neither of the two centre-backs had chosen to mark him!

That meant we were 1-0 up at half-time, and in the second half we really just eased to the win. Phil Whitehead was never seriously tested, whilst we always looked capable of extending the lead. It looked as though we had done so when Cureton tried to lob the Port Vale keeper from the edge of the area. However, the ball rebounded off the crossbar and Rougier then headed wide when he really should have done better. Rougier was immediately substituted (coincidentally, I'm sure) meaning that Martin Butler returned.

Only a few minutes later, we did get a second. This time we worked the ball down the right, but again the cross came to a completely unmarked Cureton lurking around the edge of the six-yard box. He glanced a header in at the far post. Marking? They've never heard of it down Burslem way!

I don't ask much (!), but in such circumstances I want us to go on and score hatfuls of goals. Instead Reading played the ball around patiently and made sure that we were never under threat at the other end. Port Vale did manage to induce a scramble in our goal area following a corner, but we were able to clear that. There were no other threats leaving us with another three points and another clean sheet.

In some ways, this was similar to the away game against Blackpool - the result was the same, and the Reading side were clearly a long long way ahead of the home team.

Match notes:

Compared to the Queens Park Rangers game, Jamie Cureton started in place of the injured Nicky Forster whilst Martin Butler filled the gap on the bench.

This was Jamie Cureton's first start of the season, whilst Martin Butler played as a substitute in his return from injury. Phil Whitehead kept another clean sheet, which now means five games this season and five games without conceding a goal

Match preview:

Last season, we took six points off Port Vale, and missed out on playing them during their late-season revival. Some people have tipped them for play-offs or even better this season, although it's difficult to see that happening. They have won both their home games, scoring eight goals in the process so may well test our record of not having conceded a goal this season. Currently, they are just below us in the table, having played one game more.

Reading are not likely to make many changes from the Queens Park Rangers starting line-up. I can think of only two possible changes and I don't think either of those are very likely. One is to drop Anthony Rougier to the bench in favour of Jamie Cureton (if he's fully fit) or Darius Henderson. The other is to start Andy Hughes in place of Sammy Igoe, again assuming that Hughes is fit enough.

For Rougier and Alex Smith it will be a first return to their old club, Rougier having missed last season's visit due to international commitments. You would normally expect this to mean that they would raise their game, but I'm really not sure that Smith could improve on his last couple of performances.

Our record at Port Vale is fairly good in recent times, and we should expect to see more of the same in this game.

Ticket information:

There are no advance tickets for this match - it is pay on the day.

Prices are as follows:
Adults - £15
Students / Seniors - £10
Juniors - £8

The away end is covered and has 4,550 seats (although some are likely to be cordoned off leaving about 4,000 available places).

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