Match Report - Away VS Charlton

Division One
21 November 1995

CHARLTON 2 READING 1
Att: 7856
READING TEAM:

This report from Will Hasler

Overall a fair result as we didn't compete in the first half and when we did compete in the second half, we once again rarely looked like scoring. Charlton took the lead early (15 mins) with a good header from the centre back from a corner. Marking ? nobody picked him up but he would have been difficult to keep tabs on. We came more into the game after half an hour as Charlton tired of dominating. After a few opportunities where again the final ball was missing, Morley (?) blasted a fierce shot which goalkeeper Ammann parried and Kenny Brown ran in to head into an empty net. Bang on 45 mins. Brilliant timing. So the lads went in 1-1 which seemed to me to be extremely lucky. I feared the worst at the start of the 2nd half but Charlton never played so well and it was much more even.

Our last ball let us down but when we did get through we couldn't hit the target. Tom Jones came on for Lambert and Quinn came on ten mins from time for Archie. Of the two teams we were looking most likely to snatch it when a cross came over from the left, it wasn't cleared and Robinson banged it home from 2 yds...

What can I say? We won these sort of games last year and it's not looking good. Nobody's hungry for the ball, no running off the ball etc. etc. Gilkes sat in an arm chair on the left wing, Geordie ran the length and breadth of the field, Parky tried hard, Archie and Morley were ineffective, defense played well esp. first half although Charlton missed a couple of sitters. So no change there. On the bright side, there were flashed of last year's form but only brief ones.

We have to beat Sheff. Utd otherwise it's looking like a local derby at the Manor/Griffin Park again next year. Confidence is going which is a bad sign... Heads are dropping.