SkyBet Championship: Reading FC

Hillsborough Stadium, Sheffield.

Ground: Hillsborough, Sheffield
Attendance: 20,368

With Reading sitting comfortably in an early season play-off spot Royals' fans come to Hillsborough in confident mood, Wednesday on the other hand were languishing bottom of the table and win-less all season. A resurgent Matty Fryatt leads the line after extending his loan deal from Hull City and is partnered by former loanee Connor Wickham, who this week surprisingly signed on loan from Sunderland and was quoted as saying had 'unfinished business' with the Owls.

As expected the away side started brightly and within two minutes Chris Kirkland was forced into a save - denying Jordan Obita the opening goal after a precise pass by Pavel Pogrebnyak. Only two minutes later and Kirkland is again on hand to deny the Royals - this time keeping out a driven Chris Gunter shot, low in the corner. The Owls force their own attack on the fifth minute and earn a corner off of Alex Pearce which results in Wickham seeing his right-footed shot blocked and cleared. Reading look to sweep aside Wednesday and in the ninth minute a Garath McCleary shot is blocked for a corner which they duly waste.

Reading fans at Hillsborough.

The tide is with the away side and Chris Baird sees a sixteenth minute effort blocked before the game sees its opening goal. A long ball out of defence by Kamil Zayatte cuts out the midfield and is collected and controlled by Michail Antonio, he holds up the ball and plays in Fryatt who duly places the ball home - beating the man on the line and giving the Owls the lead. Reading look for a quick reply but see efforts by McCleary and Pogrebnyak go begging before surprisingly, Wednesday double their advantage. Seyi Olofinjana plays a brilliant ball out wide to Antonio and the winger skillfully evades Stephen Kelly by lifting the ball over his head, he then runs at goal and places a shot with finesse past the sprawling Alex McCarthy, scoring against his former club.

The Owls, roared on by a jubilant support almost make it three moments later, Wickham plays a brilliant ball over the top of the defence to his strike partner and Fryatt tries to place the ball past the keeper but it narrowly creeps wide with Antonio close to latching onto it with the visiting defence looking a shambles. On the half hour mark, McCleary and Antonio are guilty of wasting chances before Reading put together a nice move which sees Hal Robson-Kanu latch onto a good ball by McCleary and fire wide of Kirklands post. The travelling fans do have reason to cheer moments later though as on the thirty-fourth minute Gunter floats a teasing ball into the box and the 6ft 2inch Russian Pogrebnyak heads the ball in courtesy of the post to give Reading a life-line.

Michail Antonio celebrates for Sheffield Wednesday. 

Wednesday force two corners in quick succession and when they are cleared Antonio sends a through-ball to the feet of Wickham and the loanee sees his driven shot well saved by McCarthy only for the rebound to hit the attempted block of captain Sean Morrison and somehow roll back into the net, giving Wednesday their two goal cushion back. A right-footed shot by Wickham is blocked in the final action of the first half and the referee brings it to a close.



HT REVIEW: An outstanding half-time score! I doubt a single fan, home or away would have expected that at the interval. Reading have played well and started brightly but the Owls weathered the threats and have scored with two good goals and a fortunate own goal. The away sides goal was a classy finish by Pogrebnyak but Wednesday reacted well and stayed on the front foot.

Connor Wickham thumps home the Owls' fourth!

Just as they did for the first half, Reading start brightly as Nigel Adkins' side look to reduce the deficit as early as possible - Gunter finding Pogrebnyak only for the striker to shoot wide. They come even closer in the next attack, Kelly sets up a ferocious strike by Danny Guthrie and the former Newcastle United midfielder watches his shot fly inches wide. When Robson-Kanu blazes a shot over the bar in another Wednesday let off, the Owls are motivated by the home support and a long ball down the flank by Lewis Buxton is collected by Antonio who drives a cross into the box, a deflection from the defender loops it up and Wickham smashes home a half-volley to give the Owls a massive 4-1 lead.

Just before the hour mark injury carrying Stephen McPhail is replaced by Giles Coke just before Jeremy Helan sends a beautiful cross into the box that Fryatt heads wide. As Reading attack in the 62nd minute, a through-ball by Morrison is cut-out by Reda Johnson, the right-back then cuts a ball up-field to Wickham on the half-way line and a delicate touch by him sends Fryatt through one-on-one. Racing from his own half he collects the ball and runs through the middle of a poor defence, nonchalantly 'dinking' the ball over the out-coming keeper and sending Hillsborough into raptures as Wednesday lead 5-1.

Adkins reacts by replacing Guthrie with one-time Wednesday target Adam LeFondre and McCleary with former Sheffield United striker Nick Blackman. However it's Wednesday who almost score another, Buxton finding Antonio and the fan favourite fires wide as travelling fans look on in disbelief. In the 78th minute Dave Jones replaces Fryatt to a standing ovation with the enigmatic Jermaine Johnson and within seconds the Jamaican international fires a shot just wide. Four minutes later and Blackman squanders a good chance for Reading when he fires a shot over the crossbar from inside the box - much to the amusement of the home support.

Connor Wickham - back at S6 with a bang!

Another standing ovation takes place for Antonio when he is replaced in the 84th minute by Atdhe Nuhiu. A disastrous back-pass by Alex Pearce is collected by Wickham who races forward and under pressure fires a low shot that McCarthy does well to keep out before Nuhiu lifts the rebounded shot over the bar. As Reading launch a late attack down their right, Roger Johnson is adjudged to have brought down Pogrebnyak in the box - penalty to the Royals. Former Rotherham United striker LeFondre steps up and beats Kirkland low into the bottom corner and even though the keeper gets a hand to it, Reading have their second goal.

After Reda Johnson collects a yellow card for a foul on Blackman and nothing comes of the free-kick, a header by Pogrebnak is blocked and Wednesday break. Jermaine Johnson picks up the ball on the edge of his own box and takes the ball the whole length of the pitch before rifling a low shot that McCarthy saves well.  

Statistics: (home / away)
Shots: 18 / 16
On target: 7 / 4
Corners: 4 / 2
Fouls: 10 / 4
Possession: 47% / 53%

FT REVIEW: What a way to earn a first win of the season! Confident attacking play by Wednesday in a performance that has been on the cards for a while. It could have been many more too but for good saves by the visiting keeper - the England U21 number 1. Reading's defence were poor throughout and caught out way too easily but Wickham and Fryatt exploited that with ease and Antonio returned to the form that has been lacking of late. Brilliant.

Owls Man of the Match: Connor Wickham / Matty Fryatt

Managers reaction:
Dave Jones: "I feel its the reward for the players - for the hard work that they've been doing. We just needed to turn the draws into wins and everything that could go for us went for us and these are the days you have to enjoy. It's been coming. All that frustration and bad luck came good. I can't fault the players and they should enjoy it because on Monday we'll batter them for the mistakes they did make!"

Reading FC goalscorer, Pavel Pogrebnyak.

Nigel Adkins: "I thought we started well and played some good football but goals change the complexion of the game. We were good for the first twenty minutes and then Wednesday scored a goal against the run of play. The goals are shocking from our point of view and they changed the game. We did well in periods but in the end we just got thumped 5-2 away from home." 


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