News and Views

Royals Work Hard For Second Win

29 December 2012
By Hob Nob Anyone?

Reading secured a vital second win of the Premier League season to provide a slight glimmer of hope in the battle against relegation. And this certainly was a battle for the Royals as they put in maximum effort in a feisty fixture of seven yellow cards, to beat West Ham United by a single goal. The only goal of the game came after just five minutes when a underhit back-pass enabled Pogrebnyak to run through and finish with style across the goalkeeper and into the far side of the net.

After nearly keeping a clean sheet at Manchester City followed by ending the losing run with a point after 0-0 against Swansea, it was all about an impressive defensive display again. The whole side deserve credit for holding out for 85 minutes even though it was close at times. The visitors really should have scored but somehow headed wide from close range. Federici had another great game with some top drawer saves to keep Reading ahead. Down the other end Karacan nearly doubled the lead with a powerful effort that crashed against the crossbar. With other teams picking up points, the Royals remain five points adrift in the relegation zone but this level of determination could see an improvement in the second half of the season.

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