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2001/02 Reports

Match facts:

Reading goal: Jamie Cureton (19 minutes)
Assist: Matt Robinson
Opposition goals: None
Half-time: Oldham Athletic 0 Reading 1
Gamebreaker: Final whistle
Attendance: 4,901
Referee: Roger Furnandiz (Doncaster)

Reading line-up: Phil Whitehead; Graeme Murty, Adrian Whitbread (Darius Henderson, 90 minutes), Adi Viveash, Matt Robinson; Andy Hughes (Neil Smith, 70 minutes), Phil Parkinson, James Harper, Alex Smith; Martin Butler, Jamie Cureton (Nicky Forster, 68 minutes)
Subs not used: Jamie Ashdown, Nicky Shorey
Reading yellow cards: Martin Butler (kicking the ball away, 77 minutes)
Reading red cards: None

Match report:

Reading started the game quite poorly, but took the lead with an excellent goal from Jamie Cureton. It was Matt Robinson who gained the ball in midfield, nearly lost it but in winning it back found himself with time to pick out one of our players with a pass. I really ought to know who had the ball at this point but whoever it was he played a fine pass to Cureton, who from the edge of the area looped the ball over the keeper's head and into the net. [Note added 16/11/2001 - After seeing the TV pictures, it's clear that I was not watching the start of this move closely enough at all. After winning the ball back, it was Robinson himself who passed to Cureton and so gets an assist.]

From then on, Reading played better and some of the attacking play we produced before half-time was the best seen since August.

At the start of the second half Oldham came back at us, but never really managed to look threatening. Reading defending was not helped by our continual failure to keep the ball for more than three passes at a time, but still Oldham did not manage to fashion any clear chances. As the game progressed Oldham became more scrappy, and our play improved, to the extent that near the end I was not too concerned about the home side getting an equaliser.

Just before injury time was reached, Oldham did manage a goalmouth scramble and we needed a couple of good blocks to keep the ball out. During part of this move, Adrian Whitbread picked up an injury and was substituted. Phil Parkinson dropped back to centre-back. Despite the forced reshuffle we comfortably played out time to secure three more points.

A fuller report may follow, but not until after the Brentford game.

Match notes:

Exactly the same starting line-up and substitutes as in the previous game against Notts County.

Match preview:

I think the key to this game is whether our finishing will be any good. At Notts County we scored four goals for the first time for a long while, and the difference was simply that we took most of our chances. If Jamie Cureton is back on form, then it is possible that the same might happen again at Oldham. However, a far more likely outcome I think is that the referee will give a succession of free-kicks to the home side and that soon the Reading players' heads will drop. The end result under that scenario would be a comfortable defeat. At least Oldham themselves are not in the best of form just at the moment.

I can't see Alan Pardew making too many changes from last Saturday. Even those players who performed poorly were nonetheless part of a winning side. However, there is one obvious change - to replace Matt Robinson with Nicky Shorey. After Shorey had played well in two games, it is a mystery why he was dropped to the bench in place of a player who has failed to put in a good performance for some while. Robinson's game on Saturday certainly did him no favours. We know that he is capable of playing well, but it's not happening at the moment.

Media reports seem to suggest that Adie Williams may be fit again, having had a fitness test before Saturday's game and presumably having failed it. Neither Adi Viveash nor Adrian Whitbread played well, but then Williams' recent performances have been equally unimpressive. Graeme Murty also had a fitness test on Saturday, but then played the full ninety minutes. I thought he looked below par at the start of the game, but improved as it went on. There has to be a chance that he will be rested, but I sincerely hope not.

Andy Hughes had a pretty good game against his old club on Saturday, before coming off near the end of the game. However, Oldham are his other old club, so we can only hope that he will be similarly inspired to play out of his skin against them.

Ticket information:

Last season Oldham Athletic had the worst pitch in Division 2. They recognised this and have relaid it over the summer.

The away end at Boundary Park will probably be laid out to cope with 1,600 Reading fans for this game, although we can have up to 4,600 seats (pretty unlikely for a Tuesday night in Oldham, I would have thought!).

It is pay on the day only, and prices are:
Adults - £15
Juniors / Seniors - £7

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