8 May 1999 Oldham
2 Reading 0 |
|
Howie,
Bernal, Hunter, Casper, Gray (Stamp), Maybury (Evers), Houghton, Caskey, Parky, Scott, McIntyre.
Parkinson (Season
Long Hero)
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Comments by Ray Curry:
In any other season, I would be moaning about how today's disgraceful performance was the worst all year. However, it didn't reach the depths of Blackpool or Northampton last month. Also a little bit of tough tackling indicated that some of our players were putting at least some effort in. The reason I'm so annoyed about it is that Oldham were truly awful. 1-0 down after 5 minutes meant we had already lost the game. The goal went in off Skippy, but I don't know if he deflected a wide shot in, or if Howie had it covered.
In Oldham's second attack they scored with a header after Hunter had gone down with a head injury and the ref played on (to put this in context he stopped the game for an Oldham player's head injury a few minutes earlier). The Royals players were incensed - another good sign that they cared about something. I don't remember Oldham having any other decent chances - certainly Howie failed to save a shot all game. Meanwhile we had a number of efforts on goal - one very good save, a couple just wide, and so on. Scott briefly had a one-on-one with the keeper but didn't even get a shot in. Houghton had a one-on-one and decided to cross (he was offside as well so it didn't matter).
Sean Evers and Neville Stamp came on at half-time. I don't think it's fair to judge either in such a game, but Evers looked quite reasonable. I guess that there is a chance this was Houghton's last professional match - good riddance I say. He was utter shite, and I don't want to ever see him again. Oxford reject - enough said. Maybury made one good pass, which I believe brings to three the number of positive contributions he has made to our club. We should take all his wages off him and put him on a coach to somewhere else, anywhere else (preferably someone we play against next season).
As for Scott, he clearly took a bung to help Wycombe go down (and that didn't work, either). Perhaps someone else would like to explain why Burns saw fit to play our best creative midfielder, Darren Caskey, as a wing-back in the second half. It beats me.
Report from the Reading Evening Post:
READING’S disappointing season ended predictably enough at Oldham on Saturday – with a sub-standard display against a side who were better organised and more determined. Only a handful of Royals supporters bothered to make the trip north, and few will have been surprised at the way the team gifted Latics their two early goals. Not only did it make Oldham’s task of gaining the three points they needed to stay up in Nationwide Division 2 so much easier, but it effectively ended the game as a contest by the interval. Reading’s feeble attempts to unlock Oldham’s defence underlined the need at Madejski Stadium to make the acquisition of new strikers in the close season a top priority. But the need for a cohesive unit and consistent selection is just as great. As manager Tommy Burns said afterwards, finishing 11th is no good to the club. So a number of searching questions have to be made and forthright answers given in the next few weeks to prevent a season like this happening again.
The fans have been remarkably patient – almost to the point of stoicism – this term and they deserve considerably more than the paltry fare they’ve been served over the last two years. A rash of injuries has taken it’s toll on the squad, but so to has baffling team selection, muddled tactics and some bizarre signings. Royals finished the season using a club record 44 players – which only goes to show just how hard it’s been to get any understanding among the players. That point was rammed home by the way the goals were conceded from Oldham’s first two serious attacks on five and 27 minutes.
Although Reading will rightly claim play should have been pulled up by referee Roger Furnandiz before the second goal, following a crack on the head for Barry Hunter, few were making an issue of it afterwards. Burns said: "Those players around Barry should have defended the cross better. "But I was embarrassed for the referee because I think he knows he made a mistake. "He looked at Barry and knew he was injured, but failed to blow his whistle"” Hunter ended the match sporting a black eye and claiming he’d been elbowed in the side of the head.
The only bright spots for Reading were determined displays by Hunter, Phil Parkinson and Darren Caskey and debuts for second-half substitutes Sean Evers, a midfielder, and teenage prospect Neville Stamp. Stamp’s appearance rounded off a remarkable week for the 17-year-old left-back, who is due to captain Royals’ Allied Counties Youth team against North Leigh tonight in a league championship, semi-final play-off at Reading Town FC. The match will be his fifth in 10 days at three different levels in the club. He played for the Allied Counties side the previous Saturday and on Wednesday and for the reserves at Highbury on Tuesday.
Stamp said: "I first heard about going with the first team on Thursday afternoon at college in Southampton. "Youth manager Kevin Dillon rang me on my mobile phone and told me I was travelling with the first team. "The news shocked me and it took a couple of hours to sink in. I was a bit disappointed with my performance. It took me 20 minutes to get used to the pace of the game and I found it hard. "But at least I know what I’ve got to aim for. "I couldn’t savour the moment at the end with our supporters because the Oldham fans invaded the pitch. "So I ran off quickly to get out the way."”
Burns kept faith with the bulk of the side that beat Millwall 2-0 the previous week. The only change was in midfield where Ray Houghton came in for the injured Grant Brebner. Reading began brightly enough, passing the ball around crisply. But they fell behind after Oldham’s first real attack, when they failed to deal with Lee Duxbury’s long throw. The ball fell kindly to Mark INNES whose left-foot volley took a deflection off Bernal before flying into the net. Oldham skipper Dux-bury was carried off after 15 minutes with concussion after a clash of heads with Parkinson. Latics took a while to adjust to his absence and Reading had a brief spell of pressure. Caskey’s 20-yard drive was neatly turned over by keeper Gary Kelly, then Keith Scott had an effort deflected wide.
The match was effectively over as a contest after Mr Furnandiz decided to wave play on, seconds after influential centre-back Hunter crumpled to the turf holding his head. The ball was played out to Paul Reid who delivered a perfect cross for Paul RICKERS to nod in via the far post. Mr Furnandiz awarded the goal and refused to change his mind despite complaints from several Reading players. What probably irritated them was Mr Furnandiz had already stopped the game twice for the same reason – when two Old-ham players were caught on the head. Scott headed a cross from Houghton wide, then Kelly made a superb save from Caskey after Jim McIntyre’s lay-off. Oldham tried to kill the game off early in the second half as Mark Allott twice went close. Reading responded with efforts from Caskey and Scott that went over. John Sheridan drilled a shot narrowly wide as Oldham looked dangerous on the break. Ryan Sugden and Allott again almost added a third near the end as Oldham finished on top. Latics fans took little notice of an announcement not to run on the field when they realised they were safe from the drop. Other results went their way to leave York, Northampton, Lincoln and Macclesfield heading for Division 3. Caskey of Reading and Innes of Oldham were the only players booked in a game of few fouls.
Report from the Telegraph:
OLDHAM needed this victory plus a defeat for York City 10 miles down the road to secure their Division Two place for next season - and both came good. The results also ensured the Lancashire club avoided becoming the first club to slide from the Premiership into the Third Division, which would have been their fate if they had suffered a third relegation in six seasons.
Oldham scored after only four minutes when Mark Innes fired in a left-foot shot after Lee Duxbury's long throw had been touched on to him. Soon afterwards Duxbury was involved in a clash of heads with Reading captain Phil Parkinson and his Oldham counterpart was carried off on s stretcher. During the four minutes his team were reduced to 10 men before Phil Salt was called off the substitutes' bench, Reading twice went close to equalising, with Darren Caskey having a 30-yard drive spectacularly turned over the bar by goalkeeper Gary Kelly, who was then relieved to see Keith Scott's shot slip inches wide.
In the 25th minute news filtered through that York were losing at Maine Road and Oldham's situation improved still further two minutes later when Paul Rickers headed Paul Reid's cross into the net with the help of a deflection off a post. Reading took control towards the end of the first half with Caskey bringing a superb reflex save from Kelly. They introduced two substitutes for the second half and despite a mid-table position being assured, there was no doubting their resolve. Jimmy McIntyre cleverly picked his way through Oldham's defence only to have a shot blocked and Scott lifted the rebound high over the bar.
Referee: R. D. Furnandiz
Yellow Cards: Oldham: Innes 79 mins (dissent); Reading: Caskey 30 mins
(violent conduct)
Shots On Target: Oldham 3, Reading 3
Corners: Oldham 4, Reading 6
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