25 August 2004: LEAGUE CUP ROUND ONE
OXFORD UNITED 0 READING 2
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goals
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Reading: Goater
(62 mins), Hughes (77 mins). Oxford United: - |
Half Time: 0-0 Attendance: 5,919 Watford drawn in Round Two. |
teams
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Reading: Hahnemann, Murty,
Shorey, Williams, Ingimarsson, Hughes, Sidwell, Harper, Convey, Forster
(Goater 88), Kitson. Subs not used: Young, Brooker, Newman, Sonko. Oxford United: Tardif, Mackay, Roget, Ashton, Robinson, Wolleaston, Bradbury, Wanless (Burton 82), Brown (Parker 72), Mooney, Basham (Morgan 72). Subs Not Used: Cox, Molyneaux. |
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bookings
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Reading: Owusu, Forster. Oxford United: None. Referee: M Fletcher (Worcestershire). |
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report
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For the second consecutive season Reading have put Oxford out of the League Cup by a two goal margin at the Kassam Stadium. As per last season, all the goals came in the second half with Reading never looking in any great danger from the home side. In front of a crowd of less than 6,000 Goater put Reading ahead just after the hour mark when a Hughes cross found Owusu whose first effort was followed up by a close range drive into the top of the net by Goater. As Reading started to look much the more likely side, a rare Oxford attempt on target was immediately followed by Reading's second with fourteen minutes left to play. A quick Reading move saw Little provide Brooker who crossed from the left to see Andy Hughes smash the ball home with his first touch. |
FANS' POST MATCH OPINION
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Job done! Really weird watching football in a three sided crap stadium
and for the first half we looked like a crap side to match the surroundings.
With Coppell resting quite a few first teamers we struggled to find any
momentum .Oxford produced a few good chances but had nothing up front
to put the chances away. We huffed and puffed up front with both Owusu
and Goater both looking unable to either control a ball, lay a ball off
or produce anything worth a chance . Goater was simply awful. He may have
scored in the second half but so could my mum with the chance he had and
she's nearly 70 ! He's probably on the biggest pay packet at the club
and is simply not worth it, get rid now. Hughes did well with his goal
with a great finish dispelling the myth he couldn't hit a cows arse with
a banjo. Little also played well as did Harper who gets better by the
day. Remember last year we drew Chelski at home after the same result,
same again would be nice or any decent team at home, but most of us would
swop it for three points at Millwall on Saturday. Biggest test so far
this season which has got off to a promising start, I'd settle for a point....
URZ This
was really the first time I've seen Reading properly this season having
been away for most of August, apart from catching the Wet Sham match on
Sky. For the most part I thought the team did ok, although the same deficiencies
exist in defence as last season (poor marking, people sitting back, being
often slow to react to what was going on around them) & on another night
the opponents could have taken far more advantage of them than Oxford
did. All in all though, it was a fairly comfortable win & I thought Little
looked good (much better than he did when on loan here before), after
a pretty poor 1st half Brooker came alive & did well (especially his involvement
in both goals), & Hughes (for once not being played out of position ahead
of more suitable candidates) worked hard in the middle, used his pace
well & deserved his well taken goal. My only gripe was having to put up
with the constant slagging our front two got both during the game & after
on 'good old Berks' in their phone in, particularly Goater. I'm sure they
could both have bagged hat-tricks & folk still would've moaned about them.
Yes, they were both guilty of wasting chances in the game, but no more
than Kitson & Forster have done recently, yes they made errors in the
match but no more than anyone else in the team. To their credit, Owussu
worked hard & as the game progressed began to win more & more in the air
& use his physical presence to godd effect and was unlucky not to score
on a couple of occasions (including 1st goal). Goater showed his usual
array of nice touches, lay-offs, etc as he sought to bring in those around
him into the game & as all decent strikers (of which he IS one despite
the slaggings of some of our 'fans') do, was in the right place at the
right time to convert the chance that came his way for his goal. Making
certain players scapegoats is a crappy trait I've seen all the years I've
been supporting RFC (I used to have the mis-fortune to stand near folk
who would barrack Gilkes at Elm Park as soon as he touched the ball in
a way they didn't like, & now have sit next a couple of miserable sods
who do the same with Harper). It is BORING. If players are playing poorly,
or not putting in the effort they should that's one thing, but slagging
them off for the sake of it...AARRGGGHHH!!! |
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