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2001/02 Reports

Match facts:

Reading goals: None
Assists: None
Opposition goal: After 51 minutes
Half-time: Bristol City 0 Reading 0
Gamebreaker: Final whistle
Attendance: Approximately 125 (2 from Reading!)
Weather: Overcast
Referee: Dermot Gallagher (Banbury)
Linesmen: C Milton and A Smith

Reading line-up: 1 Jamie Ashdown, 2 Matt Birnie, 3 Alex Smith, 4 Keith Jones, 5 Ricky Allaway, 6 Darius Henderson, 7 Adam Campion (14 Alex Stanley, 57 minutes), 8 Sammy Igoe, 9 Nathan Tyson, 10 Joe Gamble, 11 Scott Williams (12 Declan O'Hara, 57 minutes)
Subs not used: Simon Cox senior, Ryan Maxwell
Reading yellow cards: None
Reading red cards: None

Match report:

If you're looking at that team line-up and are wondering whether I've written Darius Henderson's number upside-down, well he really did wear number 6 and played most of the game in central defence. Reading started off in a 4-5-1 formation with Nathan Tyson the lone forward, and Sammy Igoe playing in the centre of midfield flanked by Keith Jones and Joe Gamble. As in previous reserve games, Alex Smith played left-back.

Last season we reached the final of the Avon Insurance Combination League Cup but after a defeat away to Cardiff we knew that we had to win this game at Ashton Gate to have any chance of progressing in this season's competition. In fact, because of our poor goal difference only a win by several goals would give much hope of a semi-final place.

The referee was Dermot Gallagher, who is taking relegation seriously enough to now be put in charge of a reserve game. He won't get too many mentions in the report, but if this is his standard then he clearly must drop several levels before he can find the appropriate one. I would suggest that Sunday morning Under-10s might be about right, although obviously very unfair on the Under-10s. And if anything, it was Reading who benefited from his incompetence, just to prove that I'm not quite as biased as you might think.

The opening exchanges of the game were fairly even, although Sammy Igoe almost got us off to a spectacular start with a long shot that forced a diving save and a corner after just 45 seconds. Bristol City countered a few minutes later with a long shot of their own that went just wide. In the opening 25 minutes or so, Reading had several corners that caused problems in the home defence, but none led to an on-target shot.

Henderson's centre-back partner Ricky Allaway stopped one Bristol attack by forcing the striker to shoot tamely at Jamie Ashdown, and then got a block in to stop the shot in the next forward move. Henderson himself looked out of place at first but as the game went on settled into the role. I've not seen him play in defence before, but given his physique I would be surprised if he had never done so. It does however say something when the surplus of centre-backs that we had not so long ago has now been eroded to the extent that a centre-forward has to play there.

At the other end of the pitch, Adam Campion shot over from the far post when a cross-field ball had picked him out nicely, whilst a good move involving Igoe and Matt Birnie ended with a weak Nathan Tyson header into the goalkeeper's arms. Tyson picked up a knock midway through the half which may have affected his game. If not, then whatever the lessons he learnt at Swansea City were, I hope he forgets them soon because on this performance he did not look like the same player who left a few months ago!

At half-time it was goal-less, and despite the injury to Tyson and other stoppages there were exactly zero seconds of injury time played. That's because Mr Gallagher wanted to get off home quickly at the end of the game, of course.

The second half nearly started with a gift when a poor Campion cross was straight at the Bristol City goalkeeper at a comfortable height, making it rather surprising that he immediately dropped it. Although the ball ran away from him, it was sideways from the goal and he was able to regather. The free gift instead came at the other end a few minutes later when a suicidal Joe Gamble backpass picked out a lurking Bristol City forward rather than Jamie Ashdown's left boot. Ashdown came out of his goal and pushed the forward wide, but he was still able to score from a narrow angle. Perhaps Gamble didn't see the red-shirted player against all the red seats of the empty stand opposite, because I can't think of any other reason for playing that pass.

Reading soon made a double substitution and underwent a major reshuffle. We went to 4-4-2 with Henderson going upfront alongside Tyson and Declan O'Hara taking over at centre-back. The other substitute Alex Stanley went to left-back with Alex Smith moving forward to take the wide left midfield role. This formation looked very promising at first, and we created some chances. Unfortunately most of those ended with shots high or wide.

Bristol City were also guilty of shooting off-target, whilst one of their forwards had the rather convenient habit of standing well offside and thus ending some of their attacking moves. They also had a pretty good penalty appeal turned down when Allaway looked to have pulled down their centre-forward rather than let him continue to run on goal. To be honest, I'd have given it.

We then had three really good chances to get an equaliser. The first came when an angled cross found Henderson unmarked at the back post. He met the ball with a towering header that he tried to place just inside the far post (from his point of view). Instead he hit the inside of the post and the ball came back to him - he put the rebound wide whilst under a little more pressure. Tyson then had two opportunities after defensive errors - the first came from a backpass almost as bad as Gamble's earlier, but Tyson's shot was very wide. For the second, he received the ball from a defender's badly directed back-header and hit it first time well over the goal. Keith Jones also got himself into a nice shooting position about ten minutes from time, but his shot curled away from the goal instead of towards it as planned.

The home side had another chance when one of their forwards made a run through our defence but Ashdown pushed him wide. He was practically on the byline, but still shot and the ball went wide. Perhaps he is the new Nicky Forster! Without the talent, of course.

Reading forced three corners in succession without gaining anything much from any of them. Then, in the last minute Alex Smith, now playing wide on the right, had a shot that was heading just inside the post pushed away for a corner. After that there was still time for Bristol City to break down the other end and fire the ball across goal. It looked like any touch would put it in, but a Reading player, perhaps Ashdown, must have managed not to do so because it went out on the far side for a corner. That was the last real action as again no injury time was played, and we were therefore out of this cup competition.

Reading put in not a bad performance, but one which lacked a cutting edge and so ended in defeat. Our best player was clearly Ricky Allaway.

Match notes:

Nathan Tyson made his first appearance for Reading since returning from a loan spell at Swansea City.

You can see all the League Cup group table standings by clicking here.

Click here for a brief match report from the Bristol City perspective.

Match preview:

None.

Ticket information:

IMPORTANT NOTE: THE GAME HAS BEEN SWITCHED TO ASHTON GATE, BRISTOL CITY'S GROUND, RATHER THAN BEING PLAYED AT OAKLANDS PARK STADIUM, THE HOME OF ALMONDSBURY TOWN FC.

Admission prices are £3, or £1 for concessions.

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