YES! What a night! What a thoroughly deserved victory for the Royals!
A packed Madejski Stadium filled with Reading fans in full voice saw the Royals outclass their Premiership opposition tonight. Tonight was a dream come true as Reading pulled off a thoroughly deserved victory over Premiership West Ham United in front of 21,173 fans. The game had everything apart from goals - until a penalty shoot-out in which Reading emerged victorious. This was a game to remember. You can't beat getting home with a throat this sore.

One good sign for this season is Reading's settled line-up, as again we put out a near enough identical team to recent matches. Up front Butler was prefered to Rougier and we started with the Butler Cureton partnership. West Ham fielded a near first choice side but found starting places for players like Defoe who normally finds himself on the bench for the Hammers. Butler and Cureton didn't see much of the ball in the opening twenty minutes as West Ham started the game well. It looked like we might well be up against it as West Ham came forward looking for the early goal. Thankfully we defended amazingly well and West Ham were restricted to a whole string of long range shots early on - none of which over threatened a comfortable Phil Whitehead in the Reading goal. Most seemed to go wide or over, and when they did find the target Whitehead held them well. It seemed the Premiership side just couldn't get close with an effective Adrians wall and Murty and Robinson both getting back to put in blinding last minute tackles. Murty and Robinson looked like the full back we've needed for a couple of seasons - they were both superb going forward and making the vital tackles.

Meanwhile Reading's final ball was letting them down as we did well to bring the ball out of defence only to then hoof it forward failing to find a player. It was almost like we were giving West Ham too much respect and thought it best if we resorted to the long ball game. Smith was guilty of a couple of poor balls forward that failed to find a man. Thankfully that didn't last long. We kept West Ham out, and then started playing proper football. And it worked a treat. As the first half progressed West Ham had less and less of the ball and Reading started playing it beautifully along the ground winning more and more possession.

We started to create stuff from defence with Murty starting off more than one move that moved us towards the target. Martin Butler and Jamie Cureton had been starved off the ball during the first thirty minutes but were fully involved as they came back to defend. Butler, only recently back from injury, was everywhere to win the ball back for Reading throughout the game. Towards the end of the first half they started getting service to their feet as Reading began to take control of the game. Cureton was almost set up by Murty but just failed to get close enough, and Smith had Reading's first real shot hitting it wide from an Igoe corner as Reading put on the pressure. As Reading swarmed through West Ham were forced to conceede a free-kick right on the edge of their box. Man of the match Murty failed to put the ball through the wall though. Towards the end of the half Reading stepped up a gear further to win a couple of corners, but failed to get a real shot in on target.

West Ham slightly superior first half showing was quickly erased at the start of the second half as Reading made it clear they'd fully settled and intended to win the game. If you had to choose which team was the Premiership side you'd have chosen Reading whose on the floor fast passing style always looked likely to bring some reward. West Ham meanwhile were starting to realise an upset was on the cards and were guilty of some terrible balls going forward that matched Reading's lobs forward at the start of the first half. The game had turned around, and it was Reading's turn to get some shots in.

At the start of the second half Shaka Hislop received a massive welcome from the Reading fans as he prepared to defend the North Stand goal. The Reading players didn't give him half that welcome as that welcome as they went full out on the hunt for the goal that would stop the game going to extra time. Just after the break Butler broke through after a cross from the right and Hislop did well to come off his line and block Butler's close range shot. Our pressure won a few more corners and Butler got his head on one sending it just wide of Hislop's goal. West Ham started to look more and more nervous and we almost created a goal from a corner from the right which Shaka failed to hold when he probably should.

West Ham were just starting to get back in the game when Cureton was replaced by Henderson. Just like Saturday, Henderson was instantly involved with his size and height causing confusion in the West Ham defence. He battled hard for the ball and won a couple of good headers from 50/50 balls sent into the box by Reading. Reading's pressure continued, but we were starting to look knackered. With the game approaching the end I couldn't help but think it was now or never with West Ham likely to come strong in extra time. Smith hit a superb shot from outside the box which was narrowly over the crossbar but we couldn't get the winner, and the ninety minutes ended at 0-0.

Reading had played so hard and fast it seemed impossible we could keep it up. West Ham had soaked up a lot of pressure and it seemed they might choose extra time to go on the attack. The first period of extra time went just like that. Adrian Williams, after a performance much improved from Saturday, was replaced by Viveash after a hard challenge inside the Reading box. Williams limped off but was ready to come back on only to realise he'd been replaced - so no real fears of a major injury. Meanwhile Martin Butler, who'd run himself into the ground, was replaced by Tony Rougier. The best chances of a goal fell to Henderson who got in a couple of excellent headers just wide of the target after some great flowing football from the Royals. We were knackered but continued to play.

We could have won it in the second period of extra time and it looked like we had when Smith, getting better as the game went on, supplied a great low cross across the face of goal. It missed everyone including Henderson towards the far post. If he'd stuck his leg out we might have got the winner. It was that close. And it was closer moments later when an Igoe cross saw Henderson do well to get his head on it. Unfortunately Shaka was there to tip it over the bar for another Reading corner. Down the other end West Ham almost grabbed a late winner themselves with the ball seemingly cleared off the line from a corner. Full time 0-0.

Whatever the result we'd had a great night's entertainment despite the lack of goals. A penalty shoot-out meant we were second favourites to go through. West Ham had the superb shot stopper Shaka Hislop in goal, and we'd already replaced Butler and Cureton meaning they weren't available to take penalties. It all looked like a cruel end. But that wasn't how it was going to be.

Smith took Reading's first penalty in front of a deafening North Stand - and it hit the base of the post before sneaking in. We all breathed again, thinking perhaps luck was on our side tonight. Murty and Rougier stuck theirs away well, to make it 3-3 on penalties. West Ham went 3-4 up and Harper delivered a weak penalty saved by Hislop. Surely that was it. We were going out? But no, there was more drama left as Defoe hit the post for West Ham to send the game into sudden death penalties. Igoe and Henderson scored theirs making it 5-5. Then Minto stepped up for West Ham - and Whithead dived to his left to make the save! Yes! Viveash needed to score to win the game for Reading - up he stepped and fired it home. Reading had won 6-5 on penalties to end an amazing night. The Madejski Stadium went mental in celebration. This was a night to remember.
Graham

Following report from John Wells
A packed Madejski stadium erupted when Adrian Viveash drove home a penalty to give Reading a deserved victory over their Premiership opponents and send them through to the next round of the Worthington Cup. This was fantastic result and without doubt a fine performance from a Reading side showing character, determination and high level of skill. It was a match full of incident. It was delight to see two sides committed to outplaying each other without resorting to the sort of negative tactics witnessed a few days earlier on the same pitch.

The game was preceded by a minutes silence as a mark of respect to the thousands of victims of a vile act of terrorism in New York and Washington. A solemn reminder that whatever happened during the game was going to be overshadowed by the awful events unfolding elsewhere.

The game was a classic act of giant killing. The opening exchanges saw the Royals matching West Ham in most departments, although the Hammers looked more threatening near goal and more assured in possession. Towards the end of the first half Reading forced the visitors defence to make some hasty clearances and there were signs that Reading might break through. It was well over half an hour before Reading produced a strike on goal when Murty broke into the box and forced Hislop to make a save - albeit a comfortable one. West Ham were still looking very dangerous on the counter attack. Reading were defending well as a unit, and breaking up West Ham attacks with some perfectly timed tackles. The home fans were begining sense an upset was on the cards at half time.

The Royals grew in confidence as the game progressed. Hislop made a fine save from Butler from close range and Smith fired a shot just over the bar following a ball into the area from Murty. Henderson and Rougier replaced Cureton and Butler to freshen up the attack. Henderson looked clumsy with the ball at his feet but the Hammers defence found it difficult to cope with his strength in the air. He had two attempts which went narrowly wide and should have scored from close range but headed the ball straight at Hislop. The game could have gone either way in extra time but West Ham were looking increasingly uncomfortable against a persistent and tenacious Reading.

The penalties provided a dramatic finale. Both sides converted the first three confidently and then Harper failed to convert his, presenting Defoe with chance to put the Royals out. Surprisingly the talented young striker hit the outside of the post. (Surely nobody was more relieved than Harper!) Igoe gleefully equalised and the home fans roared with anticipation as Minto failed to restore the Hammers lead. Adie Viveash did not let them down thumping in his penalty emphatically. The celebrations that followed were worthy of winning the Cup! The team deserved their applause. It was a fine victory.

After the game Martin Allen declared it was a fine team performance- which it was. I hope he also noticed that the defence beaten to the ball at every corner and some ideas on how to overcome this worrying weakness. I'm sure he could not have failed to notice an outstanding performance from Graham Murty who defended with determination, linked up superbly with Igoe, and presented a real threat to the Hammers defence.
John

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