Every week ex-Reading goalkeeper Steve Mautone will be delivering
his word on the Royals exclusively on Hob Nob Anyone?
Steve, who now plays for Ryman Premier side Slough Town, will be remembered
as Reading's popular first choice 'keeper after signing from West Ham for £250,000
in March 1997. Mauts went on to make 34 first team appearances for the Royals
before suffering from a knee injury which hampered his career in the football
league.
9 May 2001
"All Or Nothing"
Three games to go, all to play for and all to lose.
It is now all or nothing.
And Reading fans know what it is like to end up with nothing after an unsuccessful play-off campaign. Lets just hope that history doesn’t repeat itself this time round.The boys needed a good performance from the last game of the season to give them and all the fans confidence going into the play-offs, and with the game against Bournemouth being a sellout, it looked like the perfect opportunity to show just that. But, at half time you wouldn’t have thought that Reading were even worthy of being on the same park as Bournmouth, let alone one time contenders for winning the league. All 21,000 fans must have been thinking the same thing at the break, “what chance have we got of promotion with a performance like this?” But in true fighting spirit, that Reading have shown all season, they came out in the second half and showed exactly why they deserved automatic promotion and not fighting in a play-off series.
And didn’t the fans appreciate it.It was good to see everyone getting behind the lads. And there is going to need to be plenty more where that came from. The boys will give everything they have got to get promotion and so will Wigan but all the fans will have their part to play in the next few games. So if we all get behind the boys, it can only help.
Alan Pardew has the toughest test of his managerial career. Who do you play? With Caskey in good form and with Reading looking at their best when they get the ball down and play. Should Caskey start or should Pards stick with the same starting line up as he has done for the last few months? I am sure that whoever he plays they will be more than capable of getting the right result.
My prediction for Sunday’s away game is 1-0 for the Royals and 3-1 victory at home to set a fantastic final in Cardiff.
Mauts.
Steve Mautone
(ex. Reading Player & avid supporter)
Previous Columns
