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2001/02 Reports

Match facts:

Reading goals: None
Assists: None
Opposition goals: After 56 and 84 minutes
Half-time: Reading 0 Crystal Palace 0
Gamebreaker: Crystal Palace's second goal
Attendance: 92, including Trevor Francis, Joe Kinnear, Mick Harford, Andy King, Guy Whittingham, Steve Kember, Gerry Peyton, Steve Kean, Alan Pardew, Kevin Dillon and Nicky Hammond.
Weather: Cold, dry
Referee: I Williamson
Linesmen: S Phipps, T Ingram

Reading line-up: 1 Jamie Ashdown, 2 Matt Birnie, 3 Matt Robinson, 4 Neil Smith (15 Andre Boucaud, 62 minutes), 5 Adi Viveash (12 Declan O'Hara, half-time), 6 Ricky Allaway, 7 Adam Campion (14 Alex Stanley, 87 minutes), 8 Joe Gamble, 9 Darius Henderson, 10 Nathan Tyson, 11 Alex Smith
Subs not used: None
Reading yellow cards: Ricky Allaway (foul, 17 minutes)
Reading red cards: None

Match report:

Little happened in the first 20 minutes of the game, with the only shot of note coming from Adam Campion but which went over the bar. However after 20 minutes, Matt Birnie and a Crystal Palace player both went in hard for the ball, and the Palace player was left inujred on the ground. Although the game continued until a Crystal Palace shot went just wide, it was immediately clear that the injury was very serious. In total, the game was held up for 14 minutes whilst an ambulance was summoned and reversed onto the pitch in order to take the player away. There was even a need for sand to be put down to soak up some blood.

When an incident like that occurs in a game, the rest of the match often proceeds fairly quietly as players are more conscious of the threat of injury to themselves. In this case, it didn't seem to make a great difference, although there were notably less fouls than usual in reserve clashes.

When play restarted, the away side had two dangerous free-kicks on the edge of the area, but the first went just over the bar and the second was charged down by our wall. The best Reading move of the match immediately followed that charge-down as a quick break saw Birnie release Joe Gamble, but his shot went agonisingly wide of the far post. A few minutes later, we almost got another chance when Alex Smith was played through behind the defence but the goalkeeper was able to come quickly off his line and claim the ball. Before half-time Jamie Ashdown had to make a good save, and Ricky Allaway a last-gasp challenged to keep the score at 0-0.

Incidentally, the referee played 13 minutes and 45 seconds of injury time - if this had been a league match at Madejski Stadium you could well imagine the fourth official holding up a board with five on it.........

Declan O'Hara came on for Adi Viveash at half-time - I hadn't really noticed Viveash in the first half because as ever he was quietly going about his job in a competent fashion. However, it was clear that Palace were much sharper than us after the break and some of that at least must have been due to our change in personnel.

11 minutes into the half, they opened the scoring with a through-ball splitting our defence, leaving a forward able to run through and slot the ball past Ashdown. It could have been worse a couple of minutes later, when Ashdown had to make a good save to tip the ball over the bar at the expense of a corner.

Neil Smith, who like Viveash has only started training again this week, was replaced midway through the half by Andre Boucaud (who was making his first appearance in the Combination). Smith had worked well with Gamble in midfield without ever really catching the eye.

In the closing stages, Reading never really looked like getting back into the game, and five minutes from time Crystal Palace extended their lead to 2-0.

Matt Robinson played the full 90 minutes in this game - he didn't make any of his trademark galloping runs down the touchline, but played well in defence.

Match notes:

Matt Robinson, Adi Viveash and Neil Smith all made their returns from injury, Robinson completing 90 minutes.

The game was held up for 14 minutes in the first half due to a leg injury sustained by the Crystal Palace left-back, with an ambulance appearing on the pitch to take him to hospital.

Academy scholar Andre Boucaud made his first competitive appearance for Reading at this level, coming on as a second-half substitute (he had previously played for the reserves in a friendly at Rushden, though).

Match preview:

Reading have announced the following line-up (except that they had Adam Campion at both 7 and 12):
1 Jamie Ashdown, 2 Matt Birnie, 3 Matt Robinson, 4 Neil Smith, 5 Adi Viveash, 6 Ricky Allaway, 7 Adam Campion, 8 Joe Gamble, 9 Darius Henderson, 10 Nathan Tyson, 11 Alex Smith
Subs: 12 Declan O'Hara, 14 Alex Stanley, 15 Andre Boucaud

Ticket information:

None.

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