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2001/02 Reports

Match facts:

Reading goals: Stuart Garden (own goal, 23 minutes), Jamie Cureton (92 minutes, in second-half injury-time)
Assists: Nicky Forster (2, both coming back off the woodwork!)
Opposition goal: After 18 minutes
Half-time: Reading 1 Notts County 1
Gamebreaker: Jamie Cureton's last gasp winner
Attendance: 13,564
Weather: Blustery wind, dry
Referee: Ray Olivier (Sutton Coldfield)

Reading line-up: 31 Ben Roberts; 2 Graeme Murty, 23 John Mackie, 8 Adie Williams, 28 Nicky Shorey; 14 Sammy Igoe, 11 Andy Hughes (16 Neil Smith, 82 minutes), 19 Joe Gamble (12 Jamie Cureton, 73 minutes), 29 John Salako; 10 Nicky Forster, 7 Anthony Rougier (24 Darius Henderson, 69 minutes)
Subs not used: 21 Jamie Ashdown, 3 Matt Robinson
Reading yellow cards: Anthony Rougier (foul, 7 minutes), Graeme Murty (foul, 76 minutes)
Reading red cards: None

Match report:

Notts County came into this game on a run of five straight defeats, whilst Reading have seven wins and a draw in the last eight. And who expected a comfortable Reading victory? Well, probably only the Notts County fans, and in retrospect they might wish that they had seen that happen. There's nothing so dangerous as hope.

The game as a spectacle suffered due to an unpredictable swirling wind. The flags were all blowing in different directions at once, the clouds were heading away from each other, whilst the litter that blew past me in one direction came back in the opposite direction a few minutes later. Several balloons spent the entire game trying to escape from the pitch area but never finding a consistent enough breeze to manage it.

A solution in such conditions is to pass the ball along the ground, but that removes many of the good long cross-field balls that are a feature of our game, spreading the ball from one wing to the other. We did spend a lot of this game passing the ball around on the ground, without finding the usual cutting edge. At least partly, that was due to the Notts County defence keeping their shape well thoughout the entire game.

County also provided more of an attacking threat than I had expected. Although they normally had nine (occasionally ten) men back when we were pressing, they still had forwards looking to snatch a goal themselves, and who looked fairly dangerous on the break.

Early on, Reading gave away a free-kick just outside the area, something I thought we had decided not to do in this game! The free-kick was however caught comfortably enough by Ben Roberts. A free-kick from a similar position towards the end of the half was taken quickly, got caught by the wind, and could easily have drifted in. Instead it went harmlessly just over the bar.

Soon after that first free-kick, Anthony Rougier picked up a booking for a challenge near the touchline. From the angle I had, I would swear that Rouger made no contact at all. If the defender had to jump out of the way to make sure that that was the case, then the free-kick and yellow card were probably justified, but there was definitely no justification for the Notts County defender to lie on the ground and pretend he was injured. It was noticeable that he was able to get up very quickly when other Reading players appeared on the scene and let him know about this.

Notts County had threatened going forwards with the ball, and they showed that they could be dangerous by taking the lead. Roberts saved a first shot and perhaps should have held onto it. Instead the ball fell kindly into the path of a County player who had an easy chance to score.

It should have been worse a couple of minutes later when a County forward managed to put together a stumbling run where he just couldn't manage to lose the ball despite several attempts. His final pass near the edge of the penalty area was a good one to set up a colleague who, fortunately for our defence, pulled his shot just wide.

Only a few minutes later, from a move started with a free-kick given away by one of the larger Notts County midfield players, we gained a fortuitous equaliser. Nicky Shorey crossed the ball for Nicky Forster to head goalwards. His header eluded the keeper and hit the crossbar, but then bounced back and went into the net off the back of the goalkeeper's legs. Had it not hit him, a defender would certainly have been first to the ball and able to clear.

For the remainder of the half we had a lot of possession without really finding the way through to goal. We got caught offside a few times by a linesman who was rightly prepared to wait a long time to decide if a player was interfering with play. It sometimes looked like his decisions were late, but he was doing exactly what the laws demand, and it doesn't happen often. Our best chance of breaking clear in the remainder of the half was unceremoniously stopped by a foul, which prevented Rougier taking the ball down the wing and into a danger area.

Another Rougier incident in the half occurred when he shot from 20 yards out and the ball went out for a throw-in almost behind the line from where he shot. I think that must qualify it as the widest shot I have ever seen.

Nothing much seemed to change at the start of the second half. One of Notts County's attacks looked to be ended by a foul by John Mackie in the penalty area, but the referee waved play on. Unlike the Rougier booking earlier, this time he had the good view and mine was obscured by other players, but it looked clear enough from my angle.

Reading were getting closer to goal and now had some attempts. Andy Hughes was trying desperately to score against his old club, and that included some far too hopeful efforts when he was too far out or off-balance. John Salako just missed with a shot after a low cross, and then had a header well saved.

Rougier had to go off with an injury (he later appeared on the toucline with his right ankle bandaged), but Darius Henderson had been warming up for a while and was clearly about to come on for somebody anyway. As usual, Henderson gave us some different options up front, and the Notts County defence more to think about.

As time ticked on, it looked less likely that we might score. Graeme Murty and Nicky Shorey livened things up with strong attacking runs within a minute of each other, but both moves broke down.

Then from a Notts County free-kick near the corner flag, Roberts managed a fantastic save from a point-blank bullet header. I don't think that the ball just hit him - he had to move his left arm to get it where the ball was going, and importantly his block was strong so that the ball didn't continue to ping around the goal area afterwards.

The fourth official showed three minutes of added time. I still felt that a winner was possible, as we were putting the County defence under heavy pressure. As normal time expired we had a corner, from which Adie Williams had a header that he put just wide. That dented my optimism quite a bit.

Still we continued to attack and in the second minute of injury time, Sammy Igoe crossed, Nicky Forster headed the ball against the post, it bounced more or less along the goal line where Jamie Cureton was waiting to score one of his trademark goals from less than six yards out, although from a fairly tight angle. Notts County players collapsed all around the penalty area whilst Cureton yet again found himself in the arms of Kingsley Royal. I shall start to worry about those two soon.

There was no real chance of Notts County mounting a comeback. They had all the stuffing knocked out of them, and when the final whistle did go, several players again fell to the ground. We have seen a lot of worse sides this season, but they are the ones apparently in most trouble.

And whatever Notts County manage to do in the next couple of months, there is no way that we are going to be playing them in the League next season.

Match notes:

Compared to the Bury game, Joe Gamble replaced the suspended Phil Parkinson, with Neil Smith replacing the suspended Keith Jones on the bench.

Although Joe Gamble has appeared in quite a few first team games in the last season and a bit, this was in fact the first time that he had started a home League game.

Anthony Rougier's yellow card was his fifth of the season, and means he will miss the Stoke City home game.

This was only the second time this season that we have come from behind to secure a win, the previous game being away to Peterborough United. There have been nine other League games this season where we have at some stage been behind - the seven defeats (obviously!) and the draws away to Cardiff City and Bury.

The win meant that it was Reading's fifth double of the season (after Wrexham, Port Vale, Huddersfield Town and Blackpool).

Match preview:

After dropping points for the first time this year last Saturday, Reading could do with getting back to winning ways at the start of this tough week. Notts County are on a dreadful run of form at the moment, and are clearly likely to collapse if we can get a first goal.

Phil Parkinson, and his obvious replacement Keith Jones, are both suspended for the game. That will probably mean Joe Gamble stepping in for what would be his full home League debut. There are other alternatives - bringing in Neil Smith (who is only just back from injury) or a switch in formation but these seem unlikely. I can't see any unforced changes being made to the team.

Andy Hughes will be facing his old club, having produced his first good performance for a while when we visited Meadow Lane in October. Also, of course, Darren Caskey will return to Madejski Stadium, after producing a very poor performance in the game I just mentioned. Caskey has apparently been the only Notts County player of late who has produced any form at all. As they firmly expected to be challenging for automatic promotion at the start of the season, their current position must have come as a nasty shock to all concerned.

I firmly expect Notts County to come to our ground with as many players behind the ball as possible, hoping to catch us out with a set play at the other end. Since the Chesterfield game in December, no visiting team has managed to succeed with those tactics, and I can't see Notts County doing so either.

Ticket information:

There is a special offer relating to tickets for this game. If you buy a ticket for the Blackpool game (19th January), the Colchester United game (26th January) and this game AT THE SAME TIME, then you get a free ticket for the top-of-the-table clash with Stoke City on 23rd February.

The prices and other ticket details are the same as for standard home games, and are available here.

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