Getting tickets to away matches this season has been nigh on impossible and despite the fact that Reading is the nearest EFL club to me, I wasn’t expecting the task to be any easier. When Jacob messaged me early in the week to say that he had a ticket going spare I grabbed it gratefully with both hands, paid my money and basked in the warm glow of knowledge knowing that I was going to be one of the 3,000 or so bluenoses attending. I was on the Blues web site a little later and just checked in on the fixture list and with that ticket availability. I noticed that tickets were still available for Reading so I purchased another, this time under my own banner. I now had two tickets and I thought I’d ask my lads if either of them wanted to go but both had plans with their respective other halves so I then offered the ticket to Chris who is still recovering from recent knee replacements, Will, who had family plans, Jack, who was going to look at a new car, Kev, who couldn’t make it up from Devon and Russ for whom it was too short of notice. In the end Andre, a member of Sussex Blues OSC had asked on WhatsApp if there was a spare ticket going so all’s well that ends well and I was able to divert the second ticket to a true fan.
I had a bit of a lie in as Saturday dawned and rose at 07.15. Nellie my little Cockerpoo puppy was letting me know that time waits for no man and it was time for her walk. Having shaved, showered etc we were soon out and about to a damp but mild day through the local woods where the sound of birdsong refreshed the soul and it was good to finally see the crocuses, snowdrops and the tête-à-tête daffodils making an early appearance. The best is yet to come from them and they always give an enormous amount of pleasure with their individual beauty and the hope of renewal they represent.
It wasn’t long after our return that it was time to head down to Blackwater station for the 20 minutes journey to Reading where I intended to nip into The Three Guineas right outside the station before getting the shuttle bus up to the Majeski Stadium. (They call it the Select Car Leasing Stadium nowadays) It had been a while since I’d actually physically attended a game. I got a nasty bout of flu necessitating having to cancel work. I hadn’t been out of the house for over a week, only venturing out for the first time on Friday. I’m glad to say I’m so much better but I’d had to follow the Blues from the armchair at home in recent days. Naturally, I’m very pleased with the prospect of a visit to Wembley in the Vertu Cup. The downside was the injury to Jay Stansfield for a foul that to my mind was a clear penalty. It’s bad enough having it waved away by the referee but for our opponents to run up the other end of the pitch and equalise was a bit hard to take. Fortunately, Lyndon Dykes saw us over the line with a timely header before the prospect of a penalty shoot out lottery.
I reached The Three Guineas just after 11.00 and proceeded to the bar for a pint. I was greeted by Beau, Tom and Craig whom I met at a previous away day at Reading two or three years ago. We enjoyed a convivial pint whilst swapping reminiscences and it was soon time to catch the shuttle bus up to the ground. We arrived about 15 minutes before kick off and headed off to our seats.
As far as entertainment goes that was it for the day. This was a truly terrible game. Blues weren’t really at it and looked leggy and tired. Reading for their part, set up to stifle the game, spoil, break up play whenever possible and generally slow things down as much as possible. Their goalkeeper should have been booked early doors for what was obviously time wasting at all goal kicks. This sort of behaviour is becoming embarrassing and only an early yellow card is going to curb it. Book the keeper after 20-30 minutes and he isn’t then going to take liberties for the rest of the game. He got away with it all game and carried on doing it to the detriment of the spectacle. There was no rhythm in the play and frankly apart from an early injury to Scott Wright necessitating the introduction of Willumsson after 8 minutes after a three minute delay, a booking for Paik for a late tackle on 22 minutes and a deserved booking for Savage (Robbie Savage’s lad) on 45+3 for a bad tackle, precisely nothing of note happened in the first half!
The second half wasn’t much better with more of the same from both sides. Ryan Allsop was called into action from a fierce snap shot from Lewis Wing which required saving on 54 minutes but Blues flew up the other end and after a shot from Kieran Dowell which the keeper, Joel Perreira parried, Keshi Anderson regathered turned and put a glorious square pass across the six yard box and from a four yards out Dykes side-footed only for his goalbound effort to be blocked on the line by Amadou Mbengue! That was the game right there and with that miss went Blues chances of winning the game. Another golden opportunity like that never came again and the war of attrition resumed although Klarer did threaten from a far post header from a corner which was headed off the line when destined for the top corner. Reading did have one or two half chances of their own and did go close with a shot on the swivel that narrowly cleared the far post from Jayden Wareham. Blues did at least not get mugged and claimed a point which can be added to the collection towards promotion.
The Good: We didn’t lose this game to a limited Reading team that set out to frustrate. We weren’t good enough on the day to break them down.
The Bad: The match obviously but it has to be the three further injuries sustained to Scott Wright, Lyndon Dykes and Keshi Anderson.
The Ugly: The ugly game plan employed by Reading; it worked!
Reading: Joel Perreira 6, Michael Craig 6, Harvey Knibbs 6, Charlie Savage 6, Kelvin Ehibhatiomhan 6 (Jayden Wareham 72,6) Chem Campbell 6, Tyler Binden 6, Amadou Mbengue 7, Mamadi Camara 6 (Billy Boden 90, N/A) Lewis Wing 7, Andre Garcia 6.
Subs not used: David Button, Kelvin Arbrefa, Tivonge Rusheda, Louis Holtzman, Adrian Akande.
Goals: None
Yellow cards: Savage 45+3.
Birmingham City: Ryan Allsop 7, Ethan Laird 6, Ben Davies 6, Christoph Klarer 7, Alex Cochrane 6, Paik Seung-ho 6, Tomoki Iwata 6, Kieran Diwell 6 (Taylor Gardner-Hickman 90, N/A) Keshi Anderson 7 (Grant Hanley 90, N/A) Scott Wright N/A (Willum Willumsson 9, 6) Lyndon Dykes 6 (Alfie May 60, 6)
Subs not used: Bailey Peacock-Farrell, Krystian Bielik, Emil Hansson.
Goals: None
Yellow cards: Seung-ho 23.
Referee: Alex Chilowicz 5: This official frustrated the hell out of me. He allowed Joel Perreira, in goal for Reading away with blatant time wasting from the outset. It did much to slow the game and stifle rhythm. An early booking would have curbed this and placed the errant keeper on a warning. I feel it would have gone a long way to improving the tempo of this match. However, it is not the referee’s fault that this game was so bad; that is down to the players.
Attendance: 13,919 (2,643 bluenoses)
Bazza KRO
Great article summing up a point gained for the Blues League One juggernaut. I have to say, if we’re going to be “taught a lesson” at this level, I’d rather it be frustrated in front of goal in a drab draw than hammered 4-1 like Forest were today. The same “wake up call” but with a 70th point on the the board. Keep Right On and keep getting better Bazza.