Division One

This report is by Paul Waller and was sent by Nick Beckett. Cheers guys!

With their fans providing a quarter of the 4900 crowd and all the noise, Reading escaped unscathed from 75 minutes of pinball. Once down to 10-a-side and with Martin Williams coming on to hold the ball, beat players and pass to a team-mate, Reading showed what they could do in the last quarter hour. Gaps opened up in a tiring Southend midfield that had earlier hustled Reading out of any shape.

Archie with three chances, Gilkes forcing a good save and Gooding half onnecting with a 20-yarder could have given Royals victory towards the end. But Southend, reduced to wild long shots in frustration, could have sewn it up by half time.

Skippy with goal-line clearances and Adie and Macca putting it about managed to keep the sheet clean. But a nervous Simon Shepherd obliged the defence to tread dangerously in keeping attackers out of the area. Free kicks abounded, and two (borderline) bookings for Parky (red card) and a yellow for Darius' deliberate handball was a remarkably low tally.

The ref incited a riot in the Royals supporters behind the goal with a bizarre award of an indirect free kick when keeper Shepherd picked up the ball as it bounced back off a Reading defender from an overhead scissor kick goaline clearance by keeper Shepherd as the ball looped towards the net after a aerial fumble by keeper Shepherd on the six yard line.

The most unpopular man in the ground was the steward who refused to give the Reading fans back their red and black football they were using to show the players how to pass the ball quickly in a crowded area.

Quinn and Gilkes joined Williams from the bench to bring some class to the show. Gilkes passed, tackled and ran on goal so that even the person muttering "Gilksey's useless" behind my shoulder said that the boy done good. Jimmy's flicked headers put Archie through twice as Southend decided it wasn't their night.

Shepherd got the fans Man of the Match award for keeping a clean sheet despite utter incompetence (and a few good saves). He is now a firm favourite as the fans rewarded every Southend near miss with "Shepherd had it covered..." and offered the advice "Simon, Simon, get a wig; Simon, get a wig". (If you didn't know, Reading's new signing is the bewigged keeper from the 94 WC inals.)"

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