MATCH REPORT: 2008/2009 Season

1 November 2008: LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP
BRISTOL CITY 1 READING 4
goals
Reading: Doyle (14 mins, 47 mins), N.Hunt (16 mins), Cisse (54 mins).
Bristol City: John (90 mins)
Half Time: 0-2
Attendance: 18,296

CHAMPIONSHIP 1 Nov 2008
Pos Team P Pts GD
2 Birmingham 14 30 +9
3 READING 15 27 +17
5 Burnley 15 26 +3
teams
Reading: Hahnemann, Rosenior, Ingimarsson, Bikey, Armstrong, Kebe, Harper (Gunnarsson 82), Cisse, Stephen Hunt, Doyle (Long 73), Noel Hunt (Matejovsky 68). Subs Not Used: Andersen, Karacan.
Bristol City: Basso, Orr, McCombe, Fontaine, Wilson, Sproule (Trundle 59), Johnson (Noble 58), Elliott, McIndoe, Maynard (Akinde 59), John. Subs Not Used: Weale, Webster.
bookings
Reading: Ingimarsson, Doyle, Rosenior.
Bristol City: Maynard.
Ref: Jon Moss (W Yorkshire).
report
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FANS' POST MATCH OPINION

That's better , much better ! In front of over 2000 wonderful loyal noisy Royals fans Reading produced one of their best performances of the season with a real thrashing of Bristol City . We really did play some great football ,passing the ball about and moving of it so well and it makes the recent away defeats even more baffling when you see us play like this . I thought Cisse had a tremendous game in midfield , strong , influential and capped it off with a wonderful goal . If we play like this nobody can live with us in this division so it really is in our own hands with the players and squad we have . Marcus in goal made up for his useful poor distribution of the ball with two world class saves the first in front of our fans in the first half really special . Doyal and Noel Hunt look very sharp , but to be fair every man in a hooped shirt played well and the return of Matejovsky really capped of a perfect away day ( I'm ignoring the late late consolation for them ). Though the Burnley defeat was bitterly disappointing I guess we've have taken two away draws at the start of the week so we're a point up with this great win. With 31, yes, 31 games left there's plenty of time to catch the top two, like I said, it's in our hands, but let's enjoy today, a special away win...UURRZZZ
Nick Newbury

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QUOTES FROM THE PRESS

If things had worked out differently in May's play-off final it would have been Bristol City turning out at Old Trafford on Saturday rather than Hull, although Manchester United might have been hard pushed to give Gary Johnson's side a tougher lesson than the one Reading handed out to them... Reading had that [anger] in abundance, snapping into tackles, breaking quickly, passing fluently and finishing adroitly. "We felt we were going to give someone a hiding because we have let ourselves down on occasions. I think we should have had another four points away from home at least," said the manager, Steve Coppell, who needs as many as he can get before the new year if he is to make a case for hanging on to Kevin Doyle and the Hunt brothers, Stephen and Noel, for the run-in.
The Guardian