[Ska'dForLife-WBA]

Joe Mattock keeps Albion in the cup (temporarily) at the Madejski, February 2010

The last time we played Reading away, I opened my match thread with the observation that Albion have never won at the Madejski Stadium, and have been without a win in any competition in Reading since a victory at Elm Park in 1995. Thanks to one of the most dismal and infamous capitulations in our recent history - and where Albion are concerned, that's saying something - I will also now be opening this match thread with the observation that Albion have never won at the Madejski Stadium, and have been without a win in any competition in Reading since a victory at Elm Park in 1995.

While a 2-0 lead with ten minutes to go was obviously too difficult for us to handle, maybe a 1-0 lead with eighty to go is more our style? Last week's fighting performance at Everton will hopefully have given the team a big lift, and some of the key names are returning to fitness at the right time. Reaching the quarter-finals for the second consecutive year would be a decent achievement if we can manage it, and this time there's not even any danger of being humiliated by the Villa (after all, we got that out of the way nice and early this year).

Get down there, give it a go, and see what happens. Come on Albion. Eleventh time lucky.