In the Third Qualifying Round, Paul Chesterman gave us his Spy in the Camp report on
Witney versus Hinckley, knowing that we would be playing Witney in the next round.
This time we turn our attention to our first round opponents Reading, and so resident
exile Damian Brooks popped along to Reading's Wednesday night Second Division fixture
at the Madejeski Stadium. And so from that visit, we give you our second Spy In The Camp
feature of the season ..... here's Damian's view on what we are up against .....
THE MATCH - I thought that in general, the game was not that entertaining.
It is expensive to get in (£15 for the league match - it will be £10 for
adults and £5 for
concessions for the FA Cup game) and I certainly did not feel that I got
'value for money'. There is not an all that great atmosphere inside the
ground (probably because there was only around 5,400 watching) although the
fans that are there do sing a little. Reading can boast most of the
possession throughout the game, although the chances fell to Bury, who hit
the post on the half-hour mark and missed a penalty (crossbar) just before
half time. Had the penalty gone in, the score may have been different. I
am sorry to say (and maybe I'm being harsh) but I can't think of anything
major in the game to talk about. It was a good win for Reading as they had
only won twice previously in the league and I feel that the management staff
and players will take a lot of confidence from the result.
KEY PLAYERS - Without a doubt, my man of the match would have been LINVOY
PRIMUS. He and BARRY HUNTER are Reading's central defenders and they play
very well together. Linvoy seems an exceptional player and won EVERYTHING
all night. I really do rate this player, and I feel that it will probably
take something special to beat him. In midfield, PHIL PARKINSON is the
captain and a real organiser. He is a battler through and through and he is
always wanting the ball and tries to make things happen. Up front (and a
close runner for my M.O.T.M) is MARTIN WILLIAMS. Here you have a very
lively and very quick centre forward. He will cause Yeovil problems as he
is so lively, fairly tricky, but he is very fast. He made the first, and
scored the second. In these three players (PRIMUS, PARKINSON, and WILLIAMS),
I feel that Reading can boast a tremendous 'spine' in their team. I feel
that on the night, these players were head and shoulders above the rest and
are our main threat.
OVERALL - Reading like to play football. By this I mean that they like to
keep possession and pass the ball around. I don't remember a ball being
'lumped' from the back to the front two. Apart from the main three players,
and I mean no disrespect, I feel that the other players are good, but they
certainly seem beatable. The half-time announcement mentioned the game
against us, and described it as a tough match. The programme says that they
are pleased the match is at home. It will be a tough game, but we can beat
them if we believe in our ability. By the way, be prepared to be amazed at
the stadium - it is fantastic.
FINAL SCORE - Reading won the game 2-0 with goals from Scott (41) and
Williams (90). By the time the second goal went in, Bury had gone down to nine men
due to two injuries after having used all three substitutes.
