Clockwatch: Royals 2-1 Plymouth
Posted on: Tue 09 Feb 2010
Reading 2 (Long 51, 90 pen)
Plymouth 1 (Fletcher 68)
The Royals defeated Plymouth in a dramatic encounter and we've got details here with our minute-by-minute clockwatch.
Reading: Federici, Bertrand, Griffin, Ingimarsson, Khizanishvili, Howard, McAnuff, Karacan (Kebe 61), Gunnarsson, Church (Robson-Kanu 73), Long.
Subs: Hamer, Pearce, Cisse, Rasiak, Thorvaldsson.
Plymouth Argyle: Stockdale, McNamee (Mason 69), Arnason, Sawyer, R Johnson, Judge (Noone HT), Clark, D Johnson, Fletcher, Mackie, Fallon (Cooper HT).
Subs: Larrieu, Wright-Phillips, Barker, Summerfield.
Yellow: Noone, Arnason, Clark
Referee: Mr O Langford
Att: 15,484 (1,231 away fans)
19:28pm: Team news is in and the Royals make two changes to the side that won at Doncaster this past weekend. Matt Mills serves a one game ban after collecting a red card at the Keepmoat and is replaced by Zurab Khizanishvili. Jimmy Kebe drops to the bench, with Simon Church making up a two pronged attack.
2 mins - Gunnarsson wins the ball in midfield and passes it into Church's run. He powers towards the edge of the area and lays it off for McAnuff to his right. He delivers a deep cross towards Long at the far post and his header and follow up toe-poke earn the Royals a corner off keeper Stockdale.
5 mins - McAnuff does well to turn his man from a throw on the right and deliver another deep cross. Two Argyle men bundle it away from danger and a few half appeals for a handball go up to no avail.
7 mins - All Reading at the moment. Long's low cross seems to bobble off a Plymouth hand - Church is convinced but the referee sees nothing.
14 mins - Bertrand's first corner is headed out, but his second has Stockdale flapping at air. It bounces of Ingimarsson's head and wide though.
16 mins - Gunnarsson wins the ball with a meaty challenge in midfield and he slides a great ball through the Argyle defence for Church. He's in here but Reda Johnson gets back to block his left-footed effort and Stockdale mops up before Church can get a second bite.
20 mins - Superb defending from Khizanishvili is followed by a great ball out to Bertrand on the left. He wins a corner but Ingimarsson nods McAnuff's deep delivery wide of the far post under pressure.
25 mins - Church wins a free kick on the right and Griffin delivers a good outswinger. Stockdale can't come for it and Ingimarsson wins the header but Stockdale breathes a sigh of relief as he sees it drop just wide of the left upright.
30 mins - A glorious opportunity wasted. Excellent work from McAnuff and Long sees McAnuff swing an early cross into Church in space on the left side of the box. He comes inside his man and the ball sits up for him to shoot but he snatches at it and skies it over the crossbar.
35 mins - It's snowing.
38 mins - For a second, Griffin and Ingimarsson have to scamper back into position and prevent Mackie shooting on target. His edge of the area effort goes well wide.
40 mins - Ingimarsson concedes a corner and it's swung in from the right. Fallon rises highest and gets a good head to it 8 yards out, but thankfully it flies over the bar. A slight let-off.
45 mins - Fallon wins another header from Stockdale's lump forward. It falls for Judge to shoot on the edge of the box but it sails over. Another half chance - Plymouth have worked their way back into this game in the last ten minutes.
HALF TIME - Reading the better side in a fairly drab first 45 minutes.
46 mins - Two changes for Plymouth at the break. Kenny Cooper and Craig Noone are on. Rory Fallon and Alan Judge go off.
47 mins - Andy Griffin does really well to stop Jamie Mackie as he got a clear run toward goal. Important and impressive defending.
50 mins - A superb touch from Cooper allows Mackie to run at the edge of the area. He shoots and Federici pulls off a good save low to his right and he and Khizanishvili scramble it out for a corner. From the set piece Sawyer has a golden opportunity to score but he smashes it at Federici at a saveable height.
51 mins - GOAL - Long is found by a slick pass from midfield and he's in space to the right of the Pilgrims box. He uses his pace to power past the nearest defender and coolly slots it wide of Stockdale and inside the bottom left corner.
55 mins - Good power from Long sees him win the ball in midfield and he is clearly fouled as he stabs it through to Church in acres of space. Church is flagged marginally offside but the referee fails to bring the ball back for a free kick on Long.
58 mins - Karacan wins a free kick but Stockdale makes sure Howard's set piece is pushed wide of the left upright.
61 mins - Howard toes a good ball into the path of Long who is bursting into the box. He has a shot on goal but stabs his right-footed effort across the face of goal and wide. He should have made Stockdale work there.
61 mins - Royals sub: Jem Karacan is replaced by Jimmy Kebe.
68 mins - GOAL! The scrappiest goal of all time has just been scored. Reading fail to clear it from Cooper's charged down strike and Carl Fletcher races into a crowded box and stabs it through a host of bodies and past Federici from 10 yards out.
71 mins - Griffin twice plays it low into Long's feet and continues his run. Gunnarsson finds him with a good threaded ball but instead of hitting it first time the right back tries to take a touch inside which an Argyle defender reads.
73 mins - Royals sub: Church is replaced by Hal Robson-Kanu.
76 mins - McAnuff wins a free kick on the left and Bertrand delivers an inswinger. Ingimarsson glances it on and Stockdale has to be down sharply to his right to save.
84 mins - Arnason leads with an arm in the air against Robson-Kanu and Reading have a free kick on the edge of the box. McAnuff drills it through a gap in the wall and Stockdale can't hold it. Long is there to bundle it goalwards but it bobbles off the base of the right post and Argyle scrap it clear!
90(+2) mins - PENALTY! Hal-Robson-Kanu does brilliantly to win the ball in the air, turn his man and scamper into the box. He is in between two defenders and he is tripped by a stray Clark leg. Penalty! Long grabs the ball and steps up to the spot. He sends Stockdale the wrong way and scores inside the left post!
FULL TIME - A few nervy long balls forward are survived and the Royals have three more points. Other results haven't gone our way so the Royals remain in the bottom three, but Shane Long's last gasp penalty has secured the Royals three valuable, valuable points.
Plymouth 1 (Fletcher 68)
The Royals defeated Plymouth in a dramatic encounter and we've got details here with our minute-by-minute clockwatch.
Reading: Federici, Bertrand, Griffin, Ingimarsson, Khizanishvili, Howard, McAnuff, Karacan (Kebe 61), Gunnarsson, Church (Robson-Kanu 73), Long.
Subs: Hamer, Pearce, Cisse, Rasiak, Thorvaldsson.
Plymouth Argyle: Stockdale, McNamee (Mason 69), Arnason, Sawyer, R Johnson, Judge (Noone HT), Clark, D Johnson, Fletcher, Mackie, Fallon (Cooper HT).
Subs: Larrieu, Wright-Phillips, Barker, Summerfield.
Yellow: Noone, Arnason, Clark
Referee: Mr O Langford
Att: 15,484 (1,231 away fans)
19:28pm: Team news is in and the Royals make two changes to the side that won at Doncaster this past weekend. Matt Mills serves a one game ban after collecting a red card at the Keepmoat and is replaced by Zurab Khizanishvili. Jimmy Kebe drops to the bench, with Simon Church making up a two pronged attack.
2 mins - Gunnarsson wins the ball in midfield and passes it into Church's run. He powers towards the edge of the area and lays it off for McAnuff to his right. He delivers a deep cross towards Long at the far post and his header and follow up toe-poke earn the Royals a corner off keeper Stockdale.
5 mins - McAnuff does well to turn his man from a throw on the right and deliver another deep cross. Two Argyle men bundle it away from danger and a few half appeals for a handball go up to no avail.
7 mins - All Reading at the moment. Long's low cross seems to bobble off a Plymouth hand - Church is convinced but the referee sees nothing.
14 mins - Bertrand's first corner is headed out, but his second has Stockdale flapping at air. It bounces of Ingimarsson's head and wide though.
16 mins - Gunnarsson wins the ball with a meaty challenge in midfield and he slides a great ball through the Argyle defence for Church. He's in here but Reda Johnson gets back to block his left-footed effort and Stockdale mops up before Church can get a second bite.
20 mins - Superb defending from Khizanishvili is followed by a great ball out to Bertrand on the left. He wins a corner but Ingimarsson nods McAnuff's deep delivery wide of the far post under pressure.
25 mins - Church wins a free kick on the right and Griffin delivers a good outswinger. Stockdale can't come for it and Ingimarsson wins the header but Stockdale breathes a sigh of relief as he sees it drop just wide of the left upright.
30 mins - A glorious opportunity wasted. Excellent work from McAnuff and Long sees McAnuff swing an early cross into Church in space on the left side of the box. He comes inside his man and the ball sits up for him to shoot but he snatches at it and skies it over the crossbar.
35 mins - It's snowing.
38 mins - For a second, Griffin and Ingimarsson have to scamper back into position and prevent Mackie shooting on target. His edge of the area effort goes well wide.
40 mins - Ingimarsson concedes a corner and it's swung in from the right. Fallon rises highest and gets a good head to it 8 yards out, but thankfully it flies over the bar. A slight let-off.
45 mins - Fallon wins another header from Stockdale's lump forward. It falls for Judge to shoot on the edge of the box but it sails over. Another half chance - Plymouth have worked their way back into this game in the last ten minutes.
HALF TIME - Reading the better side in a fairly drab first 45 minutes.
46 mins - Two changes for Plymouth at the break. Kenny Cooper and Craig Noone are on. Rory Fallon and Alan Judge go off.
47 mins - Andy Griffin does really well to stop Jamie Mackie as he got a clear run toward goal. Important and impressive defending.
50 mins - A superb touch from Cooper allows Mackie to run at the edge of the area. He shoots and Federici pulls off a good save low to his right and he and Khizanishvili scramble it out for a corner. From the set piece Sawyer has a golden opportunity to score but he smashes it at Federici at a saveable height.
51 mins - GOAL - Long is found by a slick pass from midfield and he's in space to the right of the Pilgrims box. He uses his pace to power past the nearest defender and coolly slots it wide of Stockdale and inside the bottom left corner.
55 mins - Good power from Long sees him win the ball in midfield and he is clearly fouled as he stabs it through to Church in acres of space. Church is flagged marginally offside but the referee fails to bring the ball back for a free kick on Long.
58 mins - Karacan wins a free kick but Stockdale makes sure Howard's set piece is pushed wide of the left upright.
61 mins - Howard toes a good ball into the path of Long who is bursting into the box. He has a shot on goal but stabs his right-footed effort across the face of goal and wide. He should have made Stockdale work there.
61 mins - Royals sub: Jem Karacan is replaced by Jimmy Kebe.
68 mins - GOAL! The scrappiest goal of all time has just been scored. Reading fail to clear it from Cooper's charged down strike and Carl Fletcher races into a crowded box and stabs it through a host of bodies and past Federici from 10 yards out.
71 mins - Griffin twice plays it low into Long's feet and continues his run. Gunnarsson finds him with a good threaded ball but instead of hitting it first time the right back tries to take a touch inside which an Argyle defender reads.
73 mins - Royals sub: Church is replaced by Hal Robson-Kanu.
76 mins - McAnuff wins a free kick on the left and Bertrand delivers an inswinger. Ingimarsson glances it on and Stockdale has to be down sharply to his right to save.
84 mins - Arnason leads with an arm in the air against Robson-Kanu and Reading have a free kick on the edge of the box. McAnuff drills it through a gap in the wall and Stockdale can't hold it. Long is there to bundle it goalwards but it bobbles off the base of the right post and Argyle scrap it clear!
90(+2) mins - PENALTY! Hal-Robson-Kanu does brilliantly to win the ball in the air, turn his man and scamper into the box. He is in between two defenders and he is tripped by a stray Clark leg. Penalty! Long grabs the ball and steps up to the spot. He sends Stockdale the wrong way and scores inside the left post!
FULL TIME - A few nervy long balls forward are survived and the Royals have three more points. Other results haven't gone our way so the Royals remain in the bottom three, but Shane Long's last gasp penalty has secured the Royals three valuable, valuable points.
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