Gutted we lost... but...

an entertaining messageboard (despite the fact that they won't let me join) used by mainly sensible Reading types have highlighted pbutler's comments on one of their threads, they don't seem to agree, however there are balanced opinions aired there. 

I'm pretty useless at match reports due to never remembering much detail, concentrating more on the overall feel of things, but for Hudley...

Met up with/bumped into ben, deepsea and insom at various points pre-match and, of course sampled some of the many real ales on offer at the Nag's Head, that goes without saying.  So I won't. 

Reading started the match on top but after about ten minutes it settled down to a more even encounter, both teams playing cautiously and using the counter-attack.  Rangers definitely seemed more physical than in previous matches under Colin.  As the half wore on I felt as if Rangers were getting the upper hand and Simpson was denied the opening goal by a very good save from Federici, who seemed less dodgy than I remembered.  Stewart's dismissal was inevitable and stupid bearing in mind he was on a yellow, albeit an undeserved one.

Second half Reading started off looking uncertain as to how they should force their advantage in numbers, Rangers kept looking like a break may be on but momentum kept drying up before we got into really telling areas.  Reading switched their entire attentions to our right back area, we'd clear the ball and stand-off in our own half, the Reading central defender would edge forward with the ball and then lump it down their left, often out of play, sometimes directly to our man and occasionally would set up an attack for them.  The Reading fans started to have a go at the inaccurate hoofer and he responded angrily which intensified the abuse.  It was one of those matches when it felt like their goal was inevitable and the clock just would not count down quickly enough.  There were two superb goal-line clearances, both of which I thought were in and then of course the penalty nailed the coffin lid down.

On the bus back into town I was quite surprised that the consensus among Reading fans was that the penalty was dodgy, from the far end it looked fairly standard stuff.  Other comments heard on the bus were that our support was loud, that we looked threatening until the sending off and that we defended very well.  But mainly how pleased they were to beat Warnock with what they saw as a dubious penalty.