Match Report: 2011/2012 Season

31 March 2012: CHAMPIONSHIP
WEST HAM UNITED 2 READING 4
goals
Reading: Gorkss (44 mins), Hunt (45 mins), Harte (pen 59 mins), Leigertwood (84 mins).
West Ham: Cole (8 mins), Vaz Te (77 mins).
Half Time: 1-2.

Attendance: 33,350

CHAMPIONSHIP 31 Mar 2012
Pos Team P Pts GD
1 Southampton 40 78 +34
2 READING 40 76 +24
3 West Ham 40 72 +21
teams
Reading: A Federici, I Harte, K Gorkss, A Pearce, S Cummings, J McAnuff, M Leigertwood, J Kebe (B Afobe, 82), J Karacan (J Tabb, 55 (H Robson-Kanu, 67)), N Hunt, J Roberts.
Subs not used: A McCarthy, S Church.
West Ham: R Green, A Faye, J Faubert, J Tomkins, G McCartney, M Noble (D Collins, 46), M Taylor (S Baldock, 60), K Nolan, G O'Neil, C Cole (N Maynard, 72), R Vaz Te.
Subs not used: H Lansbury, J Carew
bookings
Reading: Roberts.
West Ham: Faubert, Tomkins.
Ref: C Foy.
report
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FANS' POST MATCH OPINION

What a great day out! East London is even more of a shithole than I remember, can't believe some poor buggers have to live there. The game was mental. We were nowhere for the first half hour, really off the pace. West Ham were winning all the second balls and we were lucky to stay in the game. Was like the Cardiff away performance, only with less clinical finishing from the hosts. Gorkks' goal was a great header, Green was exposed as a flapping idiot yet again. Celebrations were immense and had only just subsidised when Hunt received the ball in acres of space. After his miss earlier I wasn't that hopeful, but he steered it perfectly past the ill placed Green and the away end went ballistic! Ended up two rows forward and took an elbow to the head as I jumped up, but couldn't care less. Start of the second half was nervy. Pen looked cast-iron even from the other end of the pitch, although many couldn't bring themselves to watch as Harte scored it. West Ham huffed and puffed but never looked that threatening, when Vaz Te scored the almost seemed as surprised as we were that it was game on again. Nolan confirmed his status as a grade A tosser by snarling and gesturing at the away end, and odd thing to do when his team were still two goals from victory. Following their goal they gained a bit of a lift as the home crowd finally came to life, but this was snuffed out by Ledge's goal. Cue ten minutes of relentless piss taking. Magic. Genuinely didn't think we had a hope this afternoon, yet once again this wonderful team hands me the murking I deserve. I love this club!
Avon Royal

Great day out all round, though the 4th goal was a bit of a blur. Obviously a fantastic result and a brilliant performance; coming back from a goal down to basically humiliate West Ham on their own pitch was sublime! As has been said, Nolan is just a classless piece of crap. Big games today by all, but especial mention to Kebe; in the past, if he took the sort of treatment the West Ham players were lining up to give him (and Foy was utterly woeful), he would have disappeared - not today; a permanent thorn for West Ham. The other big mention goes to my MoM - Shaun Cummings; brilliant performance today.
Mr Angry

Just got in. Fantastic result. HT McDermott mustv'e had a big word with Kebe as in the 2nd half his defending and tracking back was the best i've seen him do in a while whilst 1st it was non existent. Maybe the confidence of winning helped him do that as well, i dont know. Bruises from celebrating goals show its been a good day out really! Our 4th goal and the ruled out one i couldn't see for sh!t but went mental anyway for the Ledge goal! Good team performance, 1-11 in the second half; very little wrong and Vaz Te's goal was a VERY good header to be fair to him. All in all, a solid, professional performance from all the boys. Much like has been the case throughout the season.
tomrfcurz

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QUOTES FROM THE PRESS

Second-placed Reading moved four points ahead of West Ham in the race for the Premier League with a crucial victory at Upton Park. West Ham took an early lead through Carlton Cole before two goals in two minutes from Kaspars Gorkss and Noel Hunt gave Reading a half-time lead. Ian Harte made it 3-1 from the penalty spot before Ricardo Vaz Te's header pulled one back for the hosts. But Mikele Leigertwood's shot late on sealed victory for Reading.

The Hammers have slipped out of the automatic promotion spots at the expense of the Berkshire club, following a miserable run of one win in their last seven matches. It has prompted an angry response from their disgruntled fans, with boss Sam Allardyce being forced to defend his team's style of play. Cole broke the deadlock for the Hammers in the ninth minute with a left-footed finish after a headed knockdown from Kevin Nolan, who had hit a post just seconds earlier. Gorkss headed home Harte's inswinging corner in the 44th minute before Hunt converted on the stroke of half-time to give the Royals the lead. Harte added a penalty after 59 minutes to further stretch their advantage, but the Hammers responded with a Vaz Te header after 77 minutes. But Leigertwood's strike six minutes from time eventually wrapped up the win for Reading. Allardyce's men are now four points behind their rivals with only six games to play.

Reading manager Brian McDermott: "It's three points, that's all it is. It's never easy to go 1-0 down here but we stayed in the game, got ourselves a goal and to go in 2-1 up was massive. Then in the second half I felt we deserved to win. But I've been around this game a long time so I'm not cock-a-hoop yet."

BBC Sport