Reading 1 – 0 Derby County

With both teams’ “against columns” hardly looking flattering it was a game were both sides were looking to keep it tight.

Reading were looking anxious top get off to a good start in the early stages and created a great opening after 3 mins. Doyle and Kitson linked up well to see Hunt come inside from the left to get on the end of a chance he ballooned over. Derby were unable to get any sort of foothold in what was a messy opening period.

On 20mins, Hunt had another chance to open the Reading’s account but glanced his header wide after a perfect cross from Doyle. The home fans started to get behind their team having been noticeably anxious for the first quarter of the game as it became a more evenly contested affair.

It was Doyle who was to have the best chance of the half, on 28mins, only to head over from close range. The visitor’s best effort came soon after, Griffin cutting in from the left to unleash a dangerous looking shot across the face of goal and wide with the keeper beaten.

The most noteworthy incident of the match came after 36mins when a Reading corner failed to be cleared and Murty’s resulting shot was clearly blocked by McEverley’s arm. The only man on the park who failed to notice was the referee however.

The second half was thankfully more entertaining than the first. Reading applied the early pressure but it was Derby who began to look the more likely to break the deadlock. On 50mins Oakely’s half-volley curled just wide of the Reading goal. 6 minutes later another volleyed effort, this time from Pearson, followed from some good work by Mears down the right, but it too was wide of the mark.

Derby’s good spell seemed to stir the home side into life and just after the hour they had the lead, Doyle getting on the end of Murty’s cross to head the ball back across the face of goal and into the bottom corner.

What followed was the most exciting spell of an otherwise lacklustre game. Derby made some positive substitutions bringing on Earnshaw, Barnes and Lewis to bolster the attack and were soon seeing a noticeable improvement. Reading began looking nervous of their slim lead which only spurred the visitors on.

Derby repeatedly looked to spring Earnshaw who injected some much needed pace into the side. It was he who had their best attempt when on 76mins he turned well on the edge of the box only to shoot just wide of the right hand post.

Derby piled men forward in the closing stages with Pearson getting on the edge of a cross only to volley well wide on 84mins.

The home side began to look more comfortable after that as it appeared Derby had run out of steam, Doyle getting a chance on 86mins but shooting straight at Bywater. But the visitors should’ve equalised at the death when, following an incisive move on the left, the ball was swung in for Miller but the Scot badly miscued his header and saw it cleared.

A poor match featuring two sides displaying a lot of effort and hard work but minimal creative ability. Whether that will be enough come the end of the season I can only speculate it will not.

Man of the Match: Graeme Murty – typified Readings work ethic and got involved in most attacks