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+----- Thread: Reading v Preston North End 30/3/2019 Madjeski Stadium (/showthread.php?tid=8306)
Reading v Preston North End 30/3/2019 Madjeski Stadium - themaclad - 28-03-2019
We once beat the Royals 18-0 a repeat of that score line would go a long way to boosting our goal difference in the quest for a top six place, yes real football returns for the final run in and off to the Mad stad in deepest Berkshire. Never been victorious in that part of the country. Still find this quite astonishing we are going after our 7th succesive league away win at this level, never known anything like this ever in my 50 plus years of watching.
Expectation is starting to rise another epic away support is on the road at the moment we have sold 1700 tickets and for that I have to praise the home club for their fantastic pricing £15 for an adult hats off to them. It could be excessively messy on the last train back to Preston on Saturday night.
However this is no gimme the Royakls fighting to get out of bother at the other end of the table, having been in the relegation zone they are just hovering above the drop zone having slightly improved under new manager Jose Gomes, whether the new man can keep tham up with his limited experience of Championship football is anybody's guess.
Word of caution under Billy the Dwarf Davies went 21 games without defeat until we lost 1-0 at Reading remember Gregan broke a door that day.
Get this out of the way then a week of easy fixtures, Blunts, Weeds and Albion.
Reading Football Club (/ˈrɛdɪŋ/ (About this soundlisten) RED-ing) is a professional association football club based in Reading, Berkshire, England. The team play in the Championship, the second tier of English football.
Reading are nicknamed The Royals, due to Reading's location in the Royal County of Berkshire, though they were previously known as The Biscuitmen, due to the town's association with Huntley and Palmers. Established in 1871, the club is one of the oldest teams in England, but did not join The Football League until 1920, and had never played in the top tier of English football league system before the 2006–07 season. The club competed in the 2012–13 Premier League season, having gained promotion at the end of the 2011–12 season after winning the Championship, but were relegated after just one season back in the top flight.
The club played at Elm Park for 102 years between 1896 and 1998. In 1998 the club moved to the new Madejski Stadium, which is named after the club's co-chairman Sir John Madejski.
The club holds the record for the number of successive league wins at the start of a season, with a total of 13 wins at the start of the 1985–86 Third Division campaign and also the record for the number of points gained in the professional league season with 106 points in the 2005–06 Football League Championship campaign. Reading then finished eighth in the 2006–07 Premier League, their first ever season as a top flight club.
Ref Watch: Reading
It’s a third game of the season for Tony Harrington taking charge of a North End game on Saturday, having officiated the 2-0 cup win at Leeds back in August and the home game against West Bromwich Albion.
Tony has been a familiar face over recent seasons. Last season he visited Deepdale twice, the Lilywhites’ opening day 1-0 victory over Sheffield Wednesday in Alex Neil’s first competitive game in charge of the club, and our Bank Holiday Monday clash with Derby County.
The previous season he also took charge of two North End games, the 1-1 draw away at Nottingham Forest and the thrilling 4-2 win over Brentford at Deepdale.
The match official, who is now in his eighth year on the EFL list, has also been to PR1 on a number of previous occasions in the past, including the 2014/15 penalty win against Oldham Athletic in the JPT and the club’s last two home league games against Notts County, including a 2-0 win over the Magpies at Deepdale in February 2014.
This will be the Cleveland referee’s 28th game of the season, having refereed opponents Reading’s 2-1 defeat at Birmingham in October and so far he had issued 101 cautions and three red cards; including to Ryan Ledson at Elland Road back in September.
He will be joined by assistants Geoffrey Russell and Daniel Leach, whilst Andy Davies will be the fourth official.
Team News: Reading
Manager Alex Neil will have a variety of options back available to him after the international break.
Sean Maguire and Lukas Nmecha both have returned unscathed from their respective spells with Ireland and Germany U21s and add to the swelling attacking options.
Callum Robinson and Louis Moult have both had an extra fortnight of training and some behind closed doors game time to build up their fitness.
A significant number of others should be available again after missing the games prior to the gap and will give the PNE boss plenty to mull over for the trip to Berkshire.
Goalkeeper Connor Ripley is also back in full training after his ankle ligament injury suffered in a behind closed doors game back in January.
This leaves only the two long-term ACL injuries of Billy Bodin and Josh Harrop as unavailable for the clash with the Royals.
For the hosts, Jose Gomes will hope to be able to call upon Ovie Ejaria, the midfielder having missed the last couple of games through injury.
However, on loan striker Nelson Oliveira is still set to be sidelined with a hamstring strain and Jon Dadi Bodvarsson (calf), Sam Baldock (thigh) and Saeid Ezatolahi (both ankle) have all missed recent games.
RE: Reading v Preston North End 30/3/2019 Madjeski Stadium - themaclad - 31-03-2019
Reading 2 Meite Burrow Preston North End 1 Stockley
Reading line-up: Martinez, Moore ©, Swift (McShane, 65), Baker, Barrow (McCleary, 58), Ejaria (Harriott, 89), Miazga, Meite, Blackett, Rinomhota. Subs not used: Walker, Gunter, Harriott, Oliveira, Olise.
PNE line-up: Rudd, Fisher, Earl, Pearson, Storey, Davies, Nmecha (Stockley, 46), Gallagher, Maguire, Johnson, Robinson (Barker, 46 (Moult, 58)). Subs not used: Crowe, Rafferty, Ledson, Huntington.
Attendance: 16,771 (1,816 PNE fans)
Referee: Mr T Harrington
In truth this defeat has been coming in the three matches before this as we managed to get three wins from increasingly sketchy performances, it says a lot about yesterday when half time substitute Brandon Barker's 11 minute cameo performance before having to leave due to hamstring problems almost made him North End's best player, that honour went to Pearson who was outstanding even on one leg which meant he left the pitch near the end leaving us down to 10 men.
A warm day in Berkshire and a massive away following who were hopeful of seeing us push on saw North End dominate possession in the first half although the build up was far too slow as Reading sat back and played to catch us on the break which when they did caused us problems as they had some serious pace up front.
Neither keeper had little to do in the first 30 minutes although one Reading effort was too close for comfort.
The home side took the lead when North End lost possession deep in the Reading half, Swift's ball behind the back line to Burrow was sublime, Burrow sped towards the by line cross across the 6 yard area Meite scored.
Soon afterwards it was two, Davies' underhit back pass was intercepted by Meite, rounded Rudd and it was two.
Could have been worse Ejaria effort was tipped on to the post by Rudd, that was the only save he had to make in the game.
Two changes at half time and Barker's first run to the by line cross towards penalty spot nobody anticipated it and the chance was lost. Once he had gone off we struggled to break the home side down and when we did lose the ball Reading gave it to Meite who made two impressive runs only to be denied by last gasp tackles.
North End finally reduced the arrears late on, Earl and Maguire combined Maguire hit the bar and from the rebound Stockley bundled the ball home for the consolation.
Missing Barkhuizen, Browne, Potts and Hughes who have been in the team during the unbeaten run is hurting us at the moment but still in this although the next three games are now pivotal.
Reading manager Jose Gomes told BBC Radio Berkshire:
"The brave way that they (the players) closed the offensive actions of this dangerous tough team, they deserved to get the three points.
"We cannot forget that we played against a team that in the last 12 games, they didn't lose. The last six games away they won, so they were full of confidence.
"We showed during this game that we were able to stop them and beat them.
"I just hope that next Saturday can be good as well for us. It's game by game."
Preston North End manager Alex Neil told BBC Radio Lancashire:
"I didn't think certainly in the early part of the game, there wasn't anything in it.
"We have only really got ourselves to blame for the first two goals.
"It doesn't matter what team you play in this league, if you gave them two goals at the start it's always going to be tough afterwards.
"We wanted to win the match today so that's why the lads are disappointed and frustrated because they know how good they have been and how good they can be."