An astonishing night in the West Midlands saw Reading march into the Sixth Round of the FA Cup for the first time since 1927 courtesy of a 3-2 victory over West Bromwich Albion. In a dramatic game Brian Howard grabbed a late equaliser to force extra time. Gylfi Sigurdsson then scored a wonderful winner to leave Albion feeling absolutely stunned by Reading’s wonderful fight-back.
Reading’s leading goal scorer Gylfi Sigurdsson scored a late winner to send Reading marching into the last sixteen of the FA Cup. Yet again the Royals took a Premier League scalp as Burnley was sent packing from the Madejski Stadium. Reading’s caretaker manager Brian McDermott would have done his prospects of a permanent appointment no harm at all, as Reading make it into the Fifth Round of the FA Cup for only the sixth time in 85 years.
Reading concluded 2009 with a 4-1 West Country drubbing at the hands of Plymouth Argyle. The Pilgrims, who lay below Reading in the Championship table at the start of the game showed Brian McDermott’s men that their impressive Boxing Day win at Cardiff City was not a fluke. A brace from Alan Judge and further goals from Kari Arnason and Ashley Barnes completed a miserable end to the year for Reading. In response to the Plymouth avalanche Reading’s consolation goal, was bagged by Gylfi Sigurdsson.
Reading completed their final league game at the Madejski Stadium of 2009, with a 1-1 draw against Swansea City. Swansea grabbed seven minutes before half time through Darren Pratley, but Reading were able to peg back the Swans during first half injury time thanks to a brilliant free kick from Gylfi Sigurdsson. The match left Reading with a record of just three league wins at the Madejski Stadium in 2009.
Reading’s quest to eradicate their poor home form in 2009 brought them to a meeting at the Madejski Stadium against Neil Warnock’s Crystal Palace. Palace has had their problems of late, but those problems have mainly been concentrated off the pitch. A 3-0 hiding at the hands of Doncaster Rovers on Saturday at Selhurst Park cannot have helped matters though. Reading had a much better tale to tell in their respective clash with a Yorkshire side, namely their impressive 2-0 victory against Sheffield Wednesday at Hillsborough.
After nearly eleven months of trying, Reading finally got a victory at the Madejski Stadium. Like a man crawling through a desert, an oasis finally displayed itself and it did not turn out to be a mirage. Blackpool lost 2-1 thanks to goals from Gylfi Sigurdsson and Grzegorz Raisak. The result was greeted with the kind of jubilation normally reserved for Cup Final winning celebrations and Championship victories. After the drought suffered by Reading’s fans, they can’t be blamed for drinking in such a significant result with such gusto.
Coca Cola Championship
13/03/2010
Coca Cola Championship
16/03/2010
Coca Cola Championship
27/03/2010
Coca Cola Championship
05/04/2010
Coca Cola Championship
13/04/2010
