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Town 0-1 Reading - Match Report
Saturday, 21st Feb 2015 17:12

Jamie Mackie’s 14th minute goal was the difference between the sides as Reading defeated the Blues 1-0 at Portman Road. The Scotland international was given time to shoot from 25 yards and his effort just crept inside the post, while the Blues never really looked like getting back on terms.

Town boss Mick McCarthy named an unchanged side with new signings Richard Chaplow and Luke Varney on the bench.

Teddy Bishop, who signed a new contract until 2018 yesterday, was on the right of midfield with Daryl Murphy up front wearing a mask to protect his nose, which he broke at Fulham last week.

The 21-goal Irishman was the first player to threaten when he brought the ball forward from halfway having been found by strike partner Freddie Sears in the sixth minute.

Murphy looked to return the ball to the ex-Colchester man but it ricocheted back into his path off a defender and he took it on into the the box before hitting a right-foot shot which failed to test Adam Federici in the Reading goal.

Three minutes later Kevin Bru unleashed a well-struck 25-yard effort which Federici saved down to his left with the Blues starting the stronger of the two sides.

On 13 Murphy broke away down the left and held off Alex Pearce before crossing to Sears, who flicked his header well wide. Moments later, after good work from Bru and Tabb, the ex-West Ham youngster hit a shot straight at Federici from the edge of the box.

Despite the Blues having had the better of the early stages, the Royals went in front in the 14th minute via their first shot of the game.

Tyrone Mings stood off Mackie and allowed him to shoot from 25 yards, the ball creeping into the corner of Bartosz Bialkowski’s net with the keeper likely to feel he might have done better.

Two minutes after going behind the Blues felt they ought to have been awarded a penalty when Murphy’s cross from the right struck Pearce on the arm. Spot-kicks have certainly been awarded for similar incidents in the past.

The Royals went close to going two up when Mackie beat Mings down the Reading right before cutting the ball across to Hal Robson-Kanu, who shot well over when he should have done better.

Town weren’t too far away from an equaliser in the 21st minute when Sears sent over a deep cross from the right and Tabb, facing his old club on his 31st birthday, headed wide from a tight angle.


There was another scare for the Blues in the 29th minute when Robson-Kanu played a chipped pass over the top for Mackie, whose first touch on what was a difficult dropping ball took it through to the advancing Bialkowski.

The Town players claimed another penalty in the 36th minute when Bishop fed in Mings on the left and the full-back sent over a cross to the far post from where skipper Luke Chambers nodded down to Sears, who turned his shot against Pearce. Referee Eddie Ilderton indicated that he felt the ball had struck the ex-Norwich loanee’s thigh.

Three minutes later Pavel Pogrebnyak sent Robson-Kanu away on the left but the Wales international failed to find Mackie with his cross with the former QPR man in acres of space breaking into the Town box.

On 40 Simon Cox hit a shot on the turn which scruffed through to Bialkowski, then at the other end a Sears effort from inside the box was blocked.

In the penultimate minute of scheduled time Sears again failed to get enough on a cross from the left, then Bishop skipped his way into space in the area but failed to trouble Federici with his shot. Neither side threatened again before referee Ilderton brought the half to a close.

Town had started brightly and had created a couple of openings before Mackie’s against-the-run-of-play goal. From there the Blues’ performance had deteriorated somewhat and with the Royals having carved out a couple of openings from which they might have increased their lead.

Three minutes after the restart Mings played a ball into Sears’s path on the left of the area, but the striker hit his shot wide.

On 50 Nathaniel Chalobah forced Bialkowski to save down to his left from a 25-yard freekick.

Town should have made more of a 53rd minute break after Sears had sent Murphy away down the centre. The striker cut back inside but couldn’t find space to shoot. Tabb eventually moved the ball on to Bru, whose effort from distance was straight at Federici.

Tabb had another chance to score against his old club - as he did on the opening day of last season - in the 54th minute after Sears had flicked on a long diagonal ball from the right to the left of the area. The midfielder slid in but cut the ball between the far post and his on-rushing team-mates.

Town were beginning to create chances with greater regularity and on 58 Bishop saw a strike from the edge of the box deflect wide. A minute later, after a Tabb freekick from the left had been half-cleared to the edge of the box, the 18-year-old screwed another effort well past the post.

With 25 minutes remaining Blues boss McCarthy switched Tabb and Bishop for Paul Anderson and Jonny Parr, the Norwegian going to left midfield. Two minutes later, Bru was booked for a foul on Danny Williams.

Cox shot through to Bialkowski, then at the other end Murphy fed Anderson, who failed to significantly test Federici with a low shot. The Australian keeper’s time-wasting was increasingly frustrating the home crowd but not yet leading referee Ilderton to take action.

The Blues continued to press and on 73 Anderson cut the ball back from the right to Sears but the striker turned the ball straight at Federici.

On 79, after the Royals had switched Garath McCleary for Robson-Kanu and Hope Akpan for Cox, Varney was handed his Town debut in place of Sears.

With seven minutes left on the clock Varney was fouled by Michael Hector just outside the area but Anderson curled his freekick just over.

Mackie missed a good chance to seal the win for his side in the 83rd minute when he scuffed wide at the far post after McCleary found him following a Reading break.

As the game entered four minutes of injury time Anderson sent over a freekick from the left but Murphy’s flicked header bounced just wide of Federici’s left post.

Federici blocked Murphy’s shot, Reading sub Jake Cooper doing well to get to the loose ball to nod it behind.

From the resultant corner, Chambers headed it back into the danger area, Varney nodded it down and Murphy shot against a defender, the Town players again appealing for a penalty, although perhaps more out of frustration on this occasion.

Soon after, referee Ilderton’s whistle went to confirm the Blues’ second home league defeat of 2015.

Having started on top, the visitors’ goal against the run of play rather knocked the wind out of Town’s sails.

In the second half the Blues huffed and puffed against a Reading side happy to sit back on their lead, but were never really convincing. Reading keeper Federici saw a lot of the ball but without having to make any over-taxing saves.

The defeat and results elsewhere see Town stay in fourth but now five points behind new leaders Derby, who beat Sheffield Wednesday 3-2.

Second-placed Middlesbrough were defeated 1-0 at home by Leeds and Bournemouth in third lost 3-1 to seventh-placed Brentford, who are now only two points behind the Blues, while Norwich, who Town face in the East Anglian derby at Norwich next Sunday, are now fifth just a point behind McCarthy's men.

Town: Bialkowski, Chambers (c), Smith, Berra, Smith, Skuse, Bru, Bishop (Parr 65), Tabb (Anderson 65), Murphy, Sears (Varney 79). Unused: Gerken, Stewart, Chaplow, Clarke.

Reading: Federici, Kelly, Obita, Pearce (c), Hector, Chalobah, Williams, Mackie (Cooper 90), Robson-Kanu (Akpan 77), Cox (McCleary 77), Pogrebnyak. Unused: Andersen, Norwood, Blackman. Referee: Eddie Ilderton (Tyne and Wear). Attendance: 21,298 (Reading: 433).


Photo: Action Images



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Andy32Cracknell added 17:16 - Feb 21
Just a throw out there comment . If your 0-1 down at home why would you bring on Parr to play on the left wing when you have Stewart sitting on the bench with blistering pace and the ability to beat a player?
31

rendoblue added 17:17 - Feb 21
So frustrating yet again lack of creativity, one option of hoof ball to Murphy. Skuse and sears did well, Mings terrible today, what Parr has to do to start I'll never know and it's an absolute joke that we are sticking with a professional players who cannot use two feet. Hope for better on Tuesday.
27

tractorfact added 17:21 - Feb 21
yeah cant understand why Parr doesnt start. Mick's doing the best with what he has got, we really need Dids to come back firing to help Murphs.
Derby showing ambition by getting Benty and look how its working for them...........
Marcus??
17

Witchesaswell added 17:23 - Feb 21
God that was sh1te to watch, couldn't keep the ball or put to passes together, hugely disappointing!
9

del45 added 17:23 - Feb 21
Rubbish once again when we have a great chance to get into the top 2 or 3 big letdown by the players to the club and supporters.
14

SamWhiteUK added 17:24 - Feb 21
No tractorfact, it's Darren
3

bluefeast added 17:26 - Feb 21
3 teams below us all won , top 8..
1

essexboy added 17:30 - Feb 21
Is this club just a plaything for M.E. This is the best chance we have had in years to get promotion and the way we are going it looks as though we will fail once again.I don't blame MM,he is doing the best he can.What really annoys me is other clubs at the top can afford to invest in quality players and now they are reaping the rewards and we just stand still.This is really p......g me off,the support is back but the backing from ME is not.
10

runaround added 17:32 - Feb 21
Thought we did ok for 12 minutes then they get a goal out of nothing & we revert to the bad Ipswich. Balls hoofed aimlessly up in the air, no forward movement from midfield, a right sided centre back who can't use his right foot & panicky misplaced passes galore. Add to that a ref who kept on at Reading about their time wasting but then didn't add the time on although we could have played all night & wouldn't have scored.
A very frustrating match & many more of those will see us outside the top 6. I echo other posters in why does Parr not start when Mick's favourites Tabb & Smith get in whatever.
Must win Tuesday
11

Ipswichlove added 17:33 - Feb 21
Lack of determination.
2

NoCanariesAllowed added 17:33 - Feb 21
Bloody feeble. Felt like sticking a firework up half our players' backsides in that last twenty minutes. Seems to me like we felt we could just turn up and beat a team 18th in the league after a couple of wins on the bounce. Granted Reading were playing that kind of horrible stifling, timewasting gameplan for a huge proportion of the match, but we were 1-0 down with the clock ticking down and there was no movement, no energy, no ideas... Pathetic.

Think what hurts the most is that a performance like that comes after the performance we put in at Fulham. Looked like we might've pulled out of the slump and then we just drop straight back into a lacklustre showing like that. Awful timing too - play like that at Carrow Road and we're getting smacked.

Murph looked like he was having to hold back today. Didn't see him winning many headers. And it's alarming that when he's not doing that and giving our long ball legitimacy with his ability to bring it down and hold it up, we've not got many other ideas. Even with Bru, Bishop and Sears on the pitch, there was a worrying lack of positivity and creativity. Thought Chambers and Mings were pretty hopeless today too. A painful one to watch.

Wake up, lads. That gap between us and the rest of the pack is getting smaller and smaller...
11

iaintaylorx added 17:39 - Feb 21
the bigger WHY, is WHY is bishop starting on the right for goodness sake!?
5

unknown100 added 17:39 - Feb 21
Appreciate we can't win every game but how many more opportunities do they think they are going to get... Derby, Wigan, Brighton, Rotherham, reading? Could even say Nottingham forrest was 2 points dropped that could have put us top, got to buck up their ideas or we will drop out of the top 6, Watford and Norwich look strong, the 3 above us are better than us at the moment... And there hasn't even been the team that put a strong late run together and jump in...
2

unknown100 added 17:39 - Feb 21
Appreciate we can't win every game but how many more opportunities do they think they are going to get... Derby, Wigan, Brighton, Rotherham, reading? Could even say Nottingham forrest was 2 points dropped that could have put us top, got to buck up their ideas or we will drop out of the top 6, Watford and Norwich look strong, the 3 above us are better than us at the moment... And there hasn't even been the team that put a strong late run together and jump in...
2

martleshamitfc added 17:39 - Feb 21
Big difference being Derby were twice a goal down but came back to win, we just don't do that!
10

TimmyH added 17:40 - Feb 21
Hmmmm poor result - have to say fortress Portman Road not looking so much now, well this year anyway. Again creativity in midfield rears it's ugly head again, Reading got their noses in front and we didn't have what we needed to break them down as per Wigan, Derby etc.

Most worrying thing is the form since the new year W3 D1 L4 which is very average whilst teams like Derby, Boro and unfortunately Naarrcchh are continually now in the top 6 in the form table.

A long way to go and we know what the Championship is like and will continue to be like and no team will canter away into the automatic position by themselves but next month will be the make or break for us as a lot of BIG fixtures are coming up and then will be decisive if the lack of quality players comes to the fore (particularly in midfield).
8

backwaywhen added 17:41 - Feb 21
Not a time to moan too much , but we could be outside the top six by the time we play the Scum ...................now theres a thought !
-1

bluefeast added 17:42 - Feb 21
we have done so well with this squad ,which lacks , creativity ,pace and ball retention abilities. Its going to be so hard for us to stay in the top 6. If you look at the stats , the teams in the top 2 at christmas have only failed to go up on a couple of occasions. I hope we dont buck that trend. January was the time to strengthen with aspects of the team where we are weak. We didnt
15

itfc_nik added 17:44 - Feb 21
can't help but be left fuming after this result!!! once again we can't capitilise on teams slip-ups! I do wonder how we're in the top 6, if it wasn't for Murph we'd be around 10/12th a huge chance missed!!
12

NoelTheDub added 17:45 - Feb 21
Im not going to harp on to much as we are going to drop some points along the way.At 1 0 down bringing on Anderson for Tabb when Stewart or even Chaplow would have been more positive.Mick give this league a good go, be positive so take Anderson and Tabb out of there fast please..
6

hancockingoal added 17:47 - Feb 21
I cannot fault the effort! Every one gives their all but I fear A lack of quality when it comes to creativity will a ultimately cost us?
9

bluefeast added 17:55 - Feb 21
We are square pegs round holes. Defense ,left back is a centre half , right sided cenre back is left footed. Midfield ,bishop is not a right sided midfield player , Tabb is not a left sided midfield player. So we are imbalanced ,which is natural on pitch weakness , at this level of the game ,o pposition managers highlight this and target our weakness. The reason for so much hoof is simply down to the players in the positions they are in not being comfortable.
13

Ipswich58 added 17:56 - Feb 21
McCarthy. So stubborn. So blind. Dull, boring hoofball. 400 miles for that!And don't blame Evans. Blame MM. Why no Stewart or Parr, why Tabb an Anderson. So fed up
19

battyblue added 17:59 - Feb 21
Bishop now playing out of position ,Chambers out of position Parr out of position although does well in either position its an absolute diabolical disgrace he is not starting above DIFFERENT CLASS TABBY AND HOOF IT CHAMBERS,Smith is not playing well drop him stop accommodating your favorites Mick you have nearly blew it now ,,draw Tuesday and loose to Norwich who are now just one point behind when we were 8 above them a few weeks back,,who can see us beating them Holahan will tear us apart.
12

warktheline added 18:00 - Feb 21
Our dad said he's gone for a lay down in a very dark room, and won't come out till 7.45 Tuesday night!!!
Therefore he won't be taking any post until then, sorry for any inconvenience caused.
From harry and James.
7


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