The disappointment of last night’s defeat at the hands of Burnley will have left Reading fans feeling slightly distressed this morning. However, the announcement of Steve Coppell’s decision to resign was equally upsetting.
Reading’s hopes of a Wembley showdown with Sheffield United evaporated during the second half of their Championship Play Off Semi Final second leg, as two tremendous goals from Burnley broke Reading hearts. The first came from Martin Paterson and the second from Steven Thompson left Reading needing to find four goals to turn the game round with time running out. It wasn’t to be as Burnley proved too strong for Steve Coppell’s men.
A few minutes of madness from Andre Bikey mean that Reading have an uphill task on Tuesday night to overcome Burnley and a place in the Championship Play Off Final at Wembley.
Reading’s chances of automatic promotion were finally extinguished at the Madejski Stadium as Birmingham City clinched the Championship runners-up spot with a 2-1 victory over Steve Coppell’s men. Keith Fahey and Kevin Phillips scored the goals for the Blues with Marek Matejovsky grabbing Reading’s goal. The score-line means Reading finish in fourth place of the Championship, but have another bite of the promotion cherry through the Play-Offs, where they now face fifth placed Burnley.
Coca Cola Championship
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Coca Cola Championship
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Coca Cola Championship
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Coca Cola Championship
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