Off to Cilla's boyfriend's place

Last updated : 29 August 2005 By Tony Scholes
Bobby Convey
It is one of the most comfortable of football grounds to sit in, nowhere else affords you such leg room, but for some reason it is always akin to watching in a library no matter how well Reading might be doing.

They are currently in second place, one place lower than on our last visit and go into the game after a televised 0-0 draw against Watford at tea time on Saturday.

Manager Steve Coppell has been able to bring in a number of new players over the summer and a number of them are familiar to Burnley fans for one reason or another and that includes his first two summer close season signings.

They were Irish strikers Kevin Doyle and Shane Long who were both signed from Cork City at a time when Burnley were being strongly linked with signing them both. And he added another striker in Leroy Lita who, according to local gossip, was all set for the Turf in what was going to be a record signing for the Clarets.

One player Coppell did sign was one we definitely wanted and that was John Oster who ended last season with us. He could still have been a Claret but turned down our offer and after a pre-season of trials here and there he finally settled for Reading just as Millwall thought they had secured his signature.

To add to these signings they have also brought in Steve Hunt from Brentford, Chris Makin who ended last season at Derby and Brynjar Gunnarsson who had most recently been with Watford.

After a defeat on the opening day of the season things have gone well for Coppell’s team and they have not conceded a league goal since, winning three of them before the draw at Watford.

A win at Vicarage Road would have seen them still top but they are now two points behind new leaders Sheffield United and will be keen to get back to the top. Last season we knocked them off with a draw there, today we will be trying to stop them going back to the top.

Click HERE to see Reading’s results this season.

Team News

Coppell was not particularly pleased with his side’s performance on Saturday but is not expected to make any changes and they are very likely to start with the same side as played two days ago.

That team was: Marcus Hahnemann, Graeme Murty, Ibrahima Sonko, Ivar Ingimarsson, Nicky Shorey, Steve Sidwell, James Harper, Glen Little, Bobby Convey, Dave Kitson, Leroy Lita. Subs from: Graham Stack, Brynjar Gunnarsson, Steve Hunt, Chris Makin, John Oster, Kevin Doyle.

Click HERE to see Reading’s full squad.

Steve Cotterill will have to make one change with Wayne Thomas now ruled out for three games following the ridiculous red card on Saturday. That is, if expected, we do not appeal.

Almost certainly loan signing Keith Lowe, who came on as a substitute almost immediately after the red card, will get his first start in place of Thomas in what should be an otherwise unchanged side.

Frank Sinclair, Wade Elliott, Danny Karbassiyoon and Kyle Lafferty are all still ruled out and the Burnley team is expected to be:

Danny Coyne, Michael Duff, Keith Lowe, John McGreal, Jon Harley, Garreth O’Connor, Micah Hyde, James O’Connor, Graham Branch, Gifton Noel-Williams, Ade Akinbiyi. Subs: Brian Jensen, Chris McCann, Mark Yates, John Spicer, Karl Bermingham.

Last Time

A year ago the Clarets came away from the Madejski with a well earned point from a 0-0 draw against a side that was scoring goals for fun and was, prior to kick off, top of the league.

Reading didn’t like it, Dave Kitson whinged about it, and it could have almost been worse for them had Ian Moore done better with a late opportunity. It all left Burnley with just one goal conceded from our first six away games.

The teams were,

Reading: Marcus Hahnemann, Graeme Murty, Andy Hughes (Glen Little 69), Ibrahima Sonko, Nicky Shorey, James Harper, Steve Sidwell, Ivar Ingimarsson, Paul Brooker (Bobby Convey), Nicky Forster (Shaun Goater 78), Dave Kitson. Subs not used: Jamie Young, Ricky Newman.

Burnley: Danny Coyne, Michael Duff, Frank Sinclair, John McGreal, Mo Camara, Ian Moore, Richard Chaplow, Micah Hyde, Graham Branch, Jean-Louis Valois, Robbie Blake. Subs not used: Brian Jensen, Richard Duffy, Tony Grant, Amadou Sanokho, Matt O’Neill.

Previous 20 Seasons

Season

Div

Ven

Result

Att

Scorers

1992/93

2

h

1-1

8,382

Harper

..

a

0-1

6,398

.

1993/94

2

a

1-2

5,855

Eyres(pen)

.

.

h

0-1

11,650

.

1994/95

1

a

0-0

8,150

.

..

h

1-2

9,841

Parkinson

1998/99

2

a

1-1

10,080

Payton

..

h

1-1

9,366

Reid

1999/2000

2

a

0-0

6,149

.

..

h

3-0

14,436

Davis Payton Wright

2002/03

1

a

0-3

12,009

.

..

h

2-5

14,420

I Moore West

2003/04

1

h

3-0

9,473

Blake Chaplow Chadwick

..

a

2-2

10,543

I Moore May

2004/05

C

a

0-0

15,400

.

.

.

h

0-0

11,392

.

Click HERE to see more results against Reading from the first meeting which was an 8-1 win at the Turf back in 1930.