The Ballad of a Reading Goal. Wild expectations. (H) 29/Jan/19

[TANGODANCER]

Matthews, Olkowski, Wheater, Hobbs, Taylor, Lowe, O'Neill, Connell, Noone, Ameobi, Donaldson

Subs: Williams, Little, Buckley, Murphy, Magennis, Grounds, Pritchard

I'm not seeing that as too bad a side. Maybe, just maybe.......

[TANGODANCER]

Ah well, protest sorted and Wheats back with the captain's armband. All good to go. Royals in black and grey (apparently). They sally at us right off and mic lads have a nice chat. Throw us now and....another throw. Connel feeds the walloper and that ends up with their keeper. More chat.

[TANGODANCER]

Keeper (theirs) getting some comment for trying a bit of football. Hobbs nods a good cross from them out for a corner. And.....we clear and....ref gives them free kick number one. A wallop and here they come. Connel does well and gets the praises from mic man. They come again and....Aluco and.....we get a free kick. Talk of them having a few greyhounds, then we try a break that fizzles out at keeper level. Okowsky sets us off agaion and Sammi sends a good one in for Donaldson. Mic lads talk of pressing their keeper, then...Connel, Noone and....intercepted.

[TANGODANCER]

Okowski, Sammi, they win it. Olivera gets a touch and Aluko, Barrow and.......a cross gets a header chance and Olivera wastes a good chance. Not sparkling for us, but an escape. Sammi now, O'Neil and...we get a corner. Connel, a bad one and...we get a throw. Sammi, Okowski, Sammi, Lowe, Taylor and.....Noone gets decked and we get a free kick. A quick one leads to our corner. O'Neil and......and....another poor one. We get lucky and....and....the keeper dives and smothers it.

[TANGODANCER]

And now....Okaowski, O'Neil and......Donaldson...Connel and he gets a shot in that goes wide off the deflection via Donaldson. Throw us again and.....and.....a shot from Lowe goes wide from a bit of distance. A try, nevertheless. They set off and sally at us and.... Olivers hits the deck trying for a penalty. He rises like a black Phoenix, then....that ends with a throw to us. Lively start....

[TANGODANCER]

Free kick us now, then.....Tayor is decked. Connel ....well, nothing because our cross goes for a goal kick. Their keeper getting called for messing about by mic man. Then....Wheats nods it back to Matthews. Sammi slips up on a good cross from Connel. Lowe now, Connel.....Olivera sallies at us and.....Vacuna, Barrow, Aluko and.....Olivera and.....etc, etc. How about an early goal for us lads? The Royals come again and....swap some passes and....go offside.

[TANGODANCER]

22 mins gone and...some chat. They come we sally, they send it back. Martinez now and....Sami gets nut -megged and it all ends back with their keeper. Sammi. O'Neeil, Connel and.....we get a throw. And....Sammi, Okowski.......throw again and...and...O'Neil loses out then....Olivera...but we win a dodgy throw. Fourth official gets and earful. Noone, Sammi......Lowe.....and..it fizzles out for a throw.

[TANGODANCER]

Matthews...some mic chat about this and that. Moore for them and Okowski lets it go for a throw to us. Back with Martinez now, Moore, Vakuna, Aluko, Moore and Vacuna again. All very nice but no cigars on show yet. Moore again and....we press them high and back they go. Donaldson has a sprint practise, then it goes back to them. Some scores of irrelevance, then......Matthews had to dash forth and gives away a free kick in not a good place and.....it ends high over the bar via Donaldson. Sammi does well, but we can't capitalise. And now.....

[TANGODANCER]

Martinez kiks one and set them off. Farrel goes offside. Okoski....Wheats long and....Donaldson does well. O'Neil gets a lucky throw. Martinez catches it and off they go again. Barrow comes, Swift and...Connell wins it and clears. This and that, chit and chat, then.....Noone gets a cross in and.....Vacuna wins a free kick for them and Noone gets a greeting card from the ref. Sammi, they win it and.....Connell wins it back....

(Glances furtively at watch.).....meanwhile....mic lads chat and....chat a bick more. Aluko escapes a booking irritating the fans. Finishing doesn't sound top class right now. Farrle tries, Wheatrs intecepts and.....we break and....Noone's cross goes at the keeper with men free.

[TANGODANCER]

Lemons time approaches as Okowski gets blocked...Wheats, Sammi....hits one and the keeper sees it and saves. Wheat did well there. Taylor now, Hobbs, back and.....Noone collects the clearance and....the Royals play it away. They break and....play keepball for a while. Come on lads, let's go in with a goal....and an Aluko shot is blocked over by Matthews. Sammi got left for dead there. More possession them, then we get it back and hack it away. Mic man talking that the Royals might already have three. Olivera lashes one well over.

[TANGODANCER]

Matthews wallops.....they lose it and....the ref gives them a free kick. Mic lads chat a couple of minutes away, then Connel, Lowe, Taylor....Connel (one min added)...and that's Part One over. Brew time....

[Harry Genshaw]

That was a shocking first half.

[DJBlu]

Oh dear PP.

How to lose all the fans in one foul swoop.

[enrdentw]

Very quiet on here tonight.

Was never a penalty.

The Connell decision is simply unforgivable (if he isn't injured).

[nelson66]

my blood and piss are boiling........ Parky out

[DJBlu]

Hobbs. Get in.

[nelson66]

Delighted we've got an equaliser --- Parky out

[Jim_McDonuts]

Blimey - goal'n'that
1-1

[Jim_McDonuts]

Hobbs scored btw

[Enoch]

Hope Tango's ok.