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.
18 April 2001
"What An Easter!"
WHAT AN EASTER!
As a supporter, you couldn't ask for anything more than 9 points from 3 games, especially after drawing 2 previously.And what a time to be hitting true form as well. Easter has proven to be a fantastic one this year and lets hope things continue in the same fashion for the rest of the season. I feel that I need to mention the tremendous support by all the fans that not only have travelled and sang their hearts out for the lads but also have turned out in the thousands to the home games and finally made the Madjeski Stadium the fortress that it should be.
Too many times, we have seen teams come to Reading and lift their game because they are playing in one of the best stadiums in the country. And too many times we have seen Reading fans being out sung by the away supporters, so it's about time we see things have changed both on and off the field. Finally, at the Madjeski Stadium, we are seeing the lads putting in a performance worthy of the First Division and finally we are also seeing crowd figures worthy of the Premiership.
I know that football is a team game and I know that everyone in the team has an effect on the result but when a team has two of the best strikers in the league who are both hitting the best form of their season, both individually and as a partnership, then I need to give them most of the credit for the success that Reading are having. 18 goals between them in the last 14 games speak for itself. Do I really need to say whom? I am talking about Martin Butler and Jamie Cureton.
When your strikers are scoring goals, then everything else falls into place. The pressure is taken off the defence, the way the opposition have to approach the game changes, for example, they have to start chasing the game which then leaves them exposed at the back and so on and so on. So, this is no disrespect to the other members of the team but I believe that a lot of the credit must go to the two lads up front. Lets just hope that they can keep banging them in for another 3 games and win us automatic promotion.
Well I finally got one score line prediction right.
Should have had something on it.
As far as Saturday goes I thing that Reading will beat Walsall 1-0 and Cureton will score.
Come on you Royals!
Mauts.
Steve Mautone
(ex. Reading Player & avid supporter)
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