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Reading 0 Burnley 0, 24 November 1999
Hego
Someday, I knew I would be volunteered to cobble
together the match report for a game like this. Literally could put the interesting detail
in one paragraph. One or two interesting facts occur though to pad out this masterpiece.
Firstly, this was the first Reading goalless draw in 40 league matches, which is the
present longest sequence in the football league. Wow. This was also the Clarets' seventh
clean sheet in eight games, and the eleventh game in a row that we have failed to beat
this lot. Somewhat of a bogey team.
Anyone who went to the Madjeski stadium last
year will be glad to hear that the horrendous traffic problems have now been largely
solved, probably because nobody goes to see them anymore. The stench from the tip on which
the ground is built has diffused, but gas masks were in evidence just in case. A minuscule
crowd for such a large stadium including about a thousand Clarets, which is pretty good
considering the big one to come on Saturday.
The team itself was probably looking forward to
Wigan, rather than the job in hand. Usual team, but Mullin playing on the right of
midfield with Little switched to the left. The only notable Reading man was Nicky Forster
upfront, an interesting confrontation for the Legend. The evil Bernal was playing, and did
not break anybody’s jaw in the game. Should be thankful I suppose.
Reading started off passably well in the first
fifteen, but were well held, a Forster cross deflected for a corner being their best
effort. McIntyre also had a free header at a corner, but wasted same. Our invention was a
little lacking with Cook a bit off colour, against a packed defence / midfield (home
team!). Little had the beating of their full back, but the overall passing standard was
atrocious. Kevin Lynch as always contrived to give us nothing, as he has done successfully
for many years now. As Cookey and Little got no protection at all, Uncle Stan was moved to
question the parentage of this anachronism in twentieth century refereeing. Strangely,
after three heavy challenges in as a many minutes netted Mullin only one yellow wavy
thing, we actually profited from his lack of vision. Could have been red.
Mullin then woke up and forced a save from
Whitehead from six yards, after a neat lay off from Cookey. Twenty five minutes gone, and
that was much about it. Payton had an effort saved near half time, prior to the usual race
/ fight to be first to utilise the used ale repository. Cheese sandwiches at £3 a shot,
no thank you.
If anything, the second half was worse. Neither
side did much apart from the Clarets earning a couple of long range free kicks for the
Legend and Cook to waste. Both involved fouls on Lee, who looked lively when he came on
for Payton. Reading had a couple of long range efforts involving, inevitably, Forster, but
nothing serious. Both goalkeepers' composures and coiffures were unruffled.
All in all apart from some solid stuff from the
Legend, and Little’s antics, not much to write home about. Found the bus back in to
Reading from the ground, which is more than I did last year, but lost Junior Hego
somewhere in the process. Few pints and home, to try and think of something to write.
Reading were truly awful, and will need a few goals from Forster to stop up. Really was
two points dropped.
Team (4-4-2):
Admirable, West, Armstrong, The Legend, Thomas, Mullin, Mellon, Cook, Little, Cooke
(Branch 46), Payton (Lee 79). Subs not used: Brass, Jepson and Johnrose.
Referee: The
Kevin Lynch.
Crowd: 6,149.
London Clarets Man
of the Match: (1) Steve Davis, (2) Mitchell Thomas, (3) Glen Little.
Links - More from this game, the home match and
this game last season
