Rangers were clearly wound up by manager Ian Holloway in order to halt their recent poor sequence of results. They ended the game with a high tally of fouls, Cureton sent off for an act of pure petulance and no points. There was an edge to the game provided by a succession of niggling fouls from Rangers and refereeing that was as dodgy as the visitors haircuts. Reading, by virtue of keeping their heads, came out of the game with their dignity in tact and all three points. The only blight on the performance being the rather harsh booking of Kitson and his serious looking injury early in the second half.

The home fans welcomed their former hero back with generous applause and a chorus of "Jamie Cureton - what a bargain!" (I seem to remember Norwich City fans giving him a similar reception when he was playing for us.) Then the hostilities began. The referee made some poor decisions and which angered both teams. The most glaring error was exposed on Sky when Bircham clearly handled in the penalty area. The first half was lively but lacking in quality especially in attacking play with few chances created. Reading looked stronger towards the end as Rangers lacked composure at the back and were regularly conceding free kicks.

In contrast the visitors opened the second half strongly with Cureton looking sharp and hitting three reasonable shots, one of which drew a smart save from Hahnemann. Things continued to turn Rangers way when Kitson seemed to turn awkwardly and crumple to the ground. It was a psychological blow as much as anything for the Royals, and his departure initially seemed to create doubt in the minds of the team about their ability to take the initiative. That feeling did not last long. From just outside the box Shorey looped a curling and dipping free kick into the top left corner of the net. The strange trajectory of the ball left 'keeper Day with no chance at all of reaching it.

The situation became more comfortable for Reading when Cureton lost his cool after being conned by Sidwell into leaving the ball. The little chap lashed out almost comically at a startled Sidwell and was correctly shown a red card. I read later Sidwell accepted that it was wrong of him to behave in that way. I would have liked to see the expression on his face as he owned up! For me it simply illustrated why Reading let him go. Great finisher he may be, but he is not mentally tough enough to hold a regular spot in the team. Credit must be given to Rangers for adopting an attacking 3-4-2 formation but they did not ever really look like scoring.

At half time Murty made his way down the steps in the West Upper Stand for his refreshments announcing that " They don't need me!" and commented on how well Hughes had played. He was absolutely right - Hughes was clearly man of the match. I think right back probably suits him well because the play is mainly in front of him, he is less pressured in possession, and defensive duties are more clearly defined. Whatever the reason, it was certainly one of his better games. Good to see Fozzy back. With Kitson injured again we are going to need him over Christmas.
Report by John Wells