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2002/03 Reports

Match facts:

Reading goals: Louie Soares (24 minutes), Martin Butler (43 minutes), Sammy Igoe (63 minutes), Martin Butler (91 minutes, in second-half injury-time)
Assists: Sammy Igoe (3), Jamie Cureton
Opposition goal: After 86 minutes
Half-time: Reading 2 Oxford United 0
Gamebreaker: Reading's third goal
Attendance: About 60, including Alan Pardew, Kevin Dillon, Nicky Hammond, Ian Atkins, Mike Ford, Glenn Cockerill, Frank Orton
Referee: Ray Emmans
Weather: Sunny, dry

Reading line-up: 1 Jamie Ashdown, 2 Steve Laidler, 3 Alex Smith, 6 John Mackie, 5 Adam Theo, 4 Phil Parkinson, 8 Joe Gamble, 7 Sammy Igoe, 11 Louie Soares (14 Richard Bouton, 79 minutes), 9 Martin Butler, 10 Jamie Cureton
Subs not used: 1 Jamie Young, 16 Gary Middleton, 15 Andre Boucaud, 12 Andre Fashanu
Starting formation:

Reading yellow cards: None
Reading red cards: None

Match report:

An incident-packed friendly game played in bright sunshine saw an experienced Reading side comfortably secure victory. Probably we should have had more goals, and certainly we should have had the lead earlier than we did because after eight minutes Jamie Cureton had a penalty saved. The award was given after the Oxford (and former Reading Academy) goalkeeper brought down Martin Butler as he beat the offside trap and ran into the penalty area.

In the next quarter-of-an-hour, we managed to just miss scoring on numerous occasions. Cureton put a free-kick just over the bar, Butler was just beaten to the ball by the onrushing keeper, Cureton shot waywardly over the bar, and then in the next attack, having rounded the goalkeeper, Cureton shot into the side-netting after being pushed wide. We eventually took the lead when a Sammy Igoe cross to the far post was nicely controlled and fired home by Louie Soares.

Oxford's best chance of the half came from a long-range shot that Jamie Ashdown tipped onto the bar and away for a corner. Meanwhile, Butler headed over from a Steve Laidler cross before tapping home for the second goal after an inch-perfect Cureton cross.

Early in the second half John Mackie conceded a corner before getting tangled up with the Oxford centre-forward. Whilst waiting for the corner to be delivered, the centre-forward hit Mackie and the referee therefore enforced the Oxford player's substitution. From the corner, Ashdown was fouled and, like Mackie previously, needed a lengthy spell of treatment. Although Jamie Young was ready to come on, Ashdown did complete the match.

Soares just failed to get a second goal when he couldn't reach a Cureton cross, but Sammy Igoe extended the lead with a strong run down the right channel and a superb low drive that crept just inside the far post. Butler was then foiled twice more, once when the keeper came outside his area quickly to clear the danger after Butler received the ball from a quick Cureton free-kick, and then when he put a shot over the bar after some tremendous skill from Alex Smith created the chance.

Cureton got the ball into the net from a free-kick but was judged to be offside, before substitute Richard Bouton, with his first touch, set up Butler whose shot this time was straight at the keeper.

With only a few minutes left, Oxford pulled one goal back with a far post shot after a free-kick. They nearly got a second with a clever free-kick where the ball was lifted over our defensive wall, but this time Ashdown made a fine save at the near post, at the expense of a corner which led to nothing.

In injury time, Butler ended the scoring after receiving a pass from Igoe which he curled around the keeper and into the top corner of the goal.

Although there were a few niggles in the game, culminating in the pseudo-dismissal, it was a good run-out for the Reading team with lots of shooting practice for our forwards. Sammy Igoe had a particularly good match without ever really needing to work hard, whilst the centre-backs John Mackie and Adam Theo kept the Oxford forwards quiet all game.

Match notes:

I guess that the game was played at Reading's request because originally we were scheduled to meet Brentford. Equally, I think that we were nominally the home team.

Match preview:

Reading have announced the following team:
Phil Whitehead, Steve Laidler, Alex Smith, John Mackie, Adam Theo, Phil Parkinson, Joe Gamble, Sammy Igoe, Louie Soares, Martin Butler, Jamie Cureton
Subs: Jamie Young, Gary Middleton, Richard Bouton, Andre Boucaud, Andre Fashanu

Ticket information:

Admission is £2 adults, £1 concessions.

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