MATCH REPORT: 2007/2008 Season

23 September 2008: LEAGUE CUP ROUND 3
STOKE CITY 2 READING 2 (4-3 on penalties)
goals
Reading: Henry (45 mins, pen; 75 mins).
Stoke: Pericard (9 mins), Sidibe (50 mins).
Half Time: 1-1
Attendance: 9,141

CHAMPIONSHIP 20 Sep 2008
Pos Team P Pts GD
5 Bristol C 7 12 +6
6 READING 7 11 +6
7 Cardiff 6 11 +2
teams
Reading: Federici, Kelly, Bikey, Ingimarsson, Golbourne, Henry, Gunnarsson (Sigurdsson 95), Cisse (Pearce 98), Convey (Mooney 106), Long, Lita. Subs Not Used: Andersen, Sodje, Bozanic, Spence.
Stoke City: Simonsen, Wilkinson, Shawcross, Higginbotham (Cort 101), Dickinson, Lawrence, Buxton, Whelan, Cresswell (Fuller 78), Sidibe (Phillips 63), Pericard. Subs Not Used: Sorensen, De Laet, Davies, Wedderburn.
bookings
Reading: Bikey, Cisse, Henry.
Stoke: Whelan.
Ref: Lee Probert (Wiltshire).
report
Stoke City won the battle of two reserve teams after the game went to extra time and then penalties. Henry, scorer of two goals in normal time, saw his spot kick saved before Leroy Lita blasted his way over the crossbar to send Stoke through to round four of the League cup. Reading started a low-key game with a mixture of youngsters and fringe first team players. Gunnarsson made a return, completing the full ninety minutes before being replaced in the first period of extra time. Long and Lita were given the full game up front, including extra time, but looked poor. Lita should have won the game for Reading before extra time after being set-up for a close range header but somehow failed to find the target. His poor showing was summed up with the final kick of the game when he handed Stoke victory with a low quality spot kick. On the other hand James Henry had an impressive game scoring twice - a first half penalty to pull Reading level just before the break and a strike on 75 minutes to make it 2-2. The Royals took a long time to get going and looked second best for most of normal time but finished the stronger side before dominating extra time without finding the vital goal to prevent penalties.
FANS' POST MATCH OPINION

-
-

Got an opinion? E-Mail us at opinion@royals.org
Appropriate submissions will appear on match report pages
QUOTES FROM THE PRESS

Stoke made the Carling Cup fourth round after a tense penalty shoot-out at the Britannia Stadium with James Henry the hero-turned-villain for Reading. Henry, 19, scored twice in normal time but missed in the shoot-out... Reading could have won it late on in normal time but Lita was guilty of a horrendous miss when he inexplicably headed Henry's right-wing cross wide from barely a yard out and the visitors eventually paid the price.
BBC Sport