the tilehurst end 
12-03-2024 14:02
12-03-2024 14:02
Stat Attack: Derby County
Garath McCleary returns, late penalty drama and a record attendance... on Saturday March 9 Reading faced Wycombe Wanderers at the Select Car Leasing Stadium. The home attendance was the highest on record for this campaign so far, having 15,038 Royals eager to watch a win in Berkshire!
Reading started the first half in an extremely sloppy manner, this helped the Chairboys find their first goal in the 16th minute, thanks to Nigel Lonwijk’s shot from inside the 18-yard box. The game had nothing more going for it in the first half - overall a very poor performance from the Royals.
The second half started to a much higher intensity: Reading had the ball flowing slightly more and found an equaliser thanks to Sam Smith firing one home with 16 minutes to go.
Just before Smith’s goal, in the 72nd minute, McCleary, a player who us Royals know and love, was substituted by manager Matt Bloomfield. He received an all-round standing ovation with his old chant being bellowed from all four stands, after he was at Reading for eight years, making 242 Royal appearances!
Just as Reading were holding on for a point, Clinton Mola made a daft challenge in the box, leading to Berylyl Lubala converting a penalty at the brink of the game. Wycombe took all three points back to Buckinghamshire.
On March 12 the Royals are facing the Rams at Pride Park, with points being needed for both teams at the opposite ends of the table. Derby County go into the game with three wins out of their last five. Paul Warne’s side beat Bristol Rovers 3-0 at the Memorial Stadium on Saturday, with goals from Dwight Gayle, Tom Barkhuizen and Martyn Waghorn assisting the Rams to secure the all-important win and three points in the South West. On the other hand, Ruben Selles’ Royals go into the game with a loss from the weekend, and only winning two out of their last five games. It will be a tough game for Reading, but with an away following of approximately 700 fans, the noise from the away end should help the players pull through and try and get a positive result out of the challenging game.
Comparing Reading’s away and Derby’s home playing styles, they are slightly different. Reading have 41% of their attacking runs coming from the right side of the pitch, having Femi Azeez there to convert balls into the opponent’s box. Azeez, who has scored six goals and grabbed seven assists this campaign, is a key player to Selles’ matchday tactics.
Slightly antagonising Reading’s right-hand attacks are Derby. The Rams this season at home have played 38% of their attacking runs equally down each wing this season. On Tuesday it will be vital for Reading’s back line to catch the wing-based attacking plays from Derby, as they have scored 19 open-play goals at home this season.
Reading’s away form in the last two seasons hasn’t been great, only picking up six away wins, including the recent 3-1 win over Carlisle United, with Smith and Harvey Knibbs getting on the score sheet.
Under Paul Ince’s control at the club, Reading struggled to keep possession away from home, leading to 17 defeats on the road last season. Although Reading have matched the three away wins from last season with five away games to go, the Royals have been prone to conceding late on. For example Shrewsbury Town away: being two goals up within 15 minutes seemed promising, but two late goals from Chey Dunkley and Jason Sraha gave the home side all three points in Shropshire.
In the last five meetings with Derby, Reading have won four. In the most recent fixture between the Royals and the Rams, Reading won at home 1-0 with a goal coming in from Paul Mukairu, who converted a shot from a rebound off Azeez’ effort which hit the post.
The last game played at Pride Park for Reading was in September 2021, when both teams were in the Championship. A goal from Craig Forsyth gave Derby all three points. Although Derby and Reading are at the polar opposite ends of the league table, Selles’ men will hope to keep the good form up against the Rams on Tuesday night.
Lineup-wise, I believe Ben Elliot deserves a start on Tuesday. When he came on against Wycombe, he created an instant impact on the game. Many ‘Ding fans have stated they would like to see David Button being dropped, but for another ‘keeper to start in the league against a big opposition is always risky. The ‘ideal’ replacement would be Joel Pereira, but only having three appearances this campaign, Selles most likely won’t want to risk it, especially when the game is away from home to such a strong side.
Reading started the first half in an extremely sloppy manner, this helped the Chairboys find their first goal in the 16th minute, thanks to Nigel Lonwijk’s shot from inside the 18-yard box. The game had nothing more going for it in the first half - overall a very poor performance from the Royals.
The second half started to a much higher intensity: Reading had the ball flowing slightly more and found an equaliser thanks to Sam Smith firing one home with 16 minutes to go.
Just before Smith’s goal, in the 72nd minute, McCleary, a player who us Royals know and love, was substituted by manager Matt Bloomfield. He received an all-round standing ovation with his old chant being bellowed from all four stands, after he was at Reading for eight years, making 242 Royal appearances!
Just as Reading were holding on for a point, Clinton Mola made a daft challenge in the box, leading to Berylyl Lubala converting a penalty at the brink of the game. Wycombe took all three points back to Buckinghamshire.
On March 12 the Royals are facing the Rams at Pride Park, with points being needed for both teams at the opposite ends of the table. Derby County go into the game with three wins out of their last five. Paul Warne’s side beat Bristol Rovers 3-0 at the Memorial Stadium on Saturday, with goals from Dwight Gayle, Tom Barkhuizen and Martyn Waghorn assisting the Rams to secure the all-important win and three points in the South West. On the other hand, Ruben Selles’ Royals go into the game with a loss from the weekend, and only winning two out of their last five games. It will be a tough game for Reading, but with an away following of approximately 700 fans, the noise from the away end should help the players pull through and try and get a positive result out of the challenging game.
Comparing Reading’s away and Derby’s home playing styles, they are slightly different. Reading have 41% of their attacking runs coming from the right side of the pitch, having Femi Azeez there to convert balls into the opponent’s box. Azeez, who has scored six goals and grabbed seven assists this campaign, is a key player to Selles’ matchday tactics.
Slightly antagonising Reading’s right-hand attacks are Derby. The Rams this season at home have played 38% of their attacking runs equally down each wing this season. On Tuesday it will be vital for Reading’s back line to catch the wing-based attacking plays from Derby, as they have scored 19 open-play goals at home this season.
Reading’s away form in the last two seasons hasn’t been great, only picking up six away wins, including the recent 3-1 win over Carlisle United, with Smith and Harvey Knibbs getting on the score sheet.
Under Paul Ince’s control at the club, Reading struggled to keep possession away from home, leading to 17 defeats on the road last season. Although Reading have matched the three away wins from last season with five away games to go, the Royals have been prone to conceding late on. For example Shrewsbury Town away: being two goals up within 15 minutes seemed promising, but two late goals from Chey Dunkley and Jason Sraha gave the home side all three points in Shropshire.
In the last five meetings with Derby, Reading have won four. In the most recent fixture between the Royals and the Rams, Reading won at home 1-0 with a goal coming in from Paul Mukairu, who converted a shot from a rebound off Azeez’ effort which hit the post.
The last game played at Pride Park for Reading was in September 2021, when both teams were in the Championship. A goal from Craig Forsyth gave Derby all three points. Although Derby and Reading are at the polar opposite ends of the league table, Selles’ men will hope to keep the good form up against the Rams on Tuesday night.
Lineup-wise, I believe Ben Elliot deserves a start on Tuesday. When he came on against Wycombe, he created an instant impact on the game. Many ‘Ding fans have stated they would like to see David Button being dropped, but for another ‘keeper to start in the league against a big opposition is always risky. The ‘ideal’ replacement would be Joel Pereira, but only having three appearances this campaign, Selles most likely won’t want to risk it, especially when the game is away from home to such a strong side.