| Competition | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result |
| Division 2 | Tuesday, 8th February | Blackpool | Away | Won 2-0 |
Match facts:
Reading goals:
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Half-time:
Gamebreaker:
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Weather:
Referee: Ray
Olivier (Sutton Coldfield)
Reading line-up:
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Starting formation:
Reading yellow cards:
Reading red cards:
Match report:
There was only ever going to be one winner in this game, and that was the weather. However, it was the super Royals that came away with the three points.
On our last two trips to Blackpool I had spent a pleasant hour sitting in the sun on the terrace reading the programme. This Tuesday night from hell was a different experience altogether. I arrived at the ground an hour before kick-off to find it practically deserted. I even wondered if the game had been called off. A gale-force wind was whipping in off the Irish Sea, and periodically bringing in sleet, hail and other squally showers. I decided that the correct way to spend the time before kick-off was to find somewhere selling hot food!
When I got back to the ground I was pleasantly surprised to find a pretty decent Reading turnout, considering it was a midweek match and the conditions. Our line-up was not surprisingly the same as for the Preston game, which really meant that we should expect to win.
However, as the game started all was not well. The wind was partly in our favour in the first half and partly across the pitch. Blackpool used this to their advantage by playing high balls into our penalty area that then held up in the wind and swirled around. Hunter in particular had real trouble dealing with this. Howie has always been capable of finding the touchline in perfect weather, so it was not a shock when most of his goal-kicks were blown straight into the stand. Blackpool didn't create any really good chances during this spell, and as the half wore on, we came more and more into the game.
We had a good spell in the last 15 minutes before half-time, with a series of attacks. There were a couple of shots that went straight at the keeper, one attack where we had a series of three or four shots cannoning into defenders before the ball ricocheted off a defender into a relieved keeper's hands, and Butler put a shot just over the bar after a nice turn.
At half-time the score was 0-0, and it looked quite likely that the game would end that way, simply because the conditions made it so difficult to create good moves.
Reading started the second half in the same manner as we ended the first - it was clear that our players had adapted far better than the opposition, and we had a spell of sustained pressure. The first good chance came when Forster got the ball on the left, cut inside and then fired in a low shot just wide. He could have pulled it back to the unmarked Caskey or crossed further away from the goal for Butler to tap it in, but it didn't quite work.
The next chance also fell to Forster. A McIntyre cross got caught in the wind and sailed over the keeper's head to Forster's feet five yards out. He shot but a defender had got back to clear. Again, he could have passed to Butler, but a striker should shoot under these circumstances (he should have scored, though!).
Blackpool had occasional attacks, but their biggest threat came from a mix-up between Howie and Hunter when the latter came close to getting an own goal. In another of their attacks, Gurney went down injured under a heavy challenge and the ball went off for a goal-kick. The ref made play go on with Gurney getting treatment off the field. From Howie's goal-kick we moved the ball down the left, and then it was played behind the defence for Butler to run on to. I thought he would shoot from a tight angle, but he looked up and saw McIntyre in the area. Butler then put over a perfect cross for McIntyre to crash it home with a bullet header. The players' and fans' celebrations went on for some time.
Gurney was stretchered off and replaced by Bernal. Skippy had immediate problems getting used to the wind, but played solidly enough. Blackpool woke up a bit, but still didn't threaten Howie's goal. Then we had another attack down the left. Forster had the ball and floated a cross over. Again the keeper missed it and this time Butler headed it in. It looked like he pushed the defender, and it's possible that the defender actually got the final touch. The ref let the goal stand, despite some furious Blackpool protests, and that is perhaps some payback for the injustices we suffered on Saturday (bit harsh on Blackpool, I suppose, but who cares?).
The game was all over and despite 6 minutes of injury time, Blackpool never really threatened again. We had a few more half-chances, but 2-0 was enough.
A neutral would not have enjoyed this game and I think we can safely assume that the Blackpool fans didn't either. However, we played pretty well under difficult circumstances, and points are the only thing that matter at the moment, so this was an excellent night out.
Match notes:
Match preview:
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Ticket information:
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