News and Views
Reading End Run Of Defeats
27 December 2012
By Hob Nob Anyone?
Reading ended their run of seven straight defeats with a point after a goalless draw at home to Swansea City. The single point was enough to lift Reading off the bottom of the Premier League table after QPR were beaten at home by West Brom. The draw was probably the right result after Swansea had most of the first half but Reading looked brighter in the second. The first half possession was dominated by the visitors who were happy to knock the ball around sideways for long periods. Reading's defence looked strong and Swansea were almost exclusively limited to long range efforts that were high and wide or both. Pogrebnyak had a lonely game up front but Federici wasn't much busier in the first half. Swansea somehow managed to shoot over from close range but otherwise there was little to get excited until after the break.
Reading made a double substitution just after the hour mark with Le Fondre and Robson-Kanu replacing Pogrebnyak and McAnuff and it breathed some life into the fixture. Reading twice went close to making the lead. Le Fondre did get the ball in the back of the net - but it was ruled out after he guided it in using his arm. Federici completed another good game by two impressive saves and by making the right decision to race out of his box to clear. This was a determined effort by Reading to keep a clean sheet and try and sneak the win. The tactics and style of play may have felt as if we were playing away from home at times, but after such a bad run it was important to end that. After the reasonable showing at Manchester City, and this point against a strong Swansea side, we might have some decent foundations to try and attempt to avoid relegation, however unlikely that is.
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