Reading beat Preston North End 2-1 to move closer to play-off spot: Npower Championship update
Reading beat Preston North End (PNE) 2-1 in an Npower Championship encounter at the Madejski Stadium on Tuesday evening. The win moved the Royals to sixth position in the league table, whereas PNE slipped further into the relegation zone.
Reading made only one change to the team that beat Portsmouth 2-0 in their last league game. http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Andy-Griffin-c6036 replaced Brynjar Gunnarsson in the right full-back position, and Shane Long started as a lone striker in a 4-5-1 setup.
On the other hand, PNE also made one change to the team after their recent 2-1 win over Swansea City. Adam Barton replaced http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Ricardo-Gardner-c30990 in the midfield. While Eddie Johnson and Ian Hume started upfront in a 4-4-2 formation.
The game got off to a sedate start as both teams looked to pass the ball around in the opening exchanges. The first chance of the game fell Reading’s way in the 13th minute, when Brian Howard fired a long-range effort on goal, but PNE goalkeeper Ian Turner fisted the ball away to safety.
The hosts looked the stronger of the two sides in the early minutes and they proved their strength with a goal in the 21st minute. Shane Long played a high ball into the box, which took a deflection off Barry Nicholson and fell into the path of Jimmy Kebe, who headed it into the goal to make it 1-0 for the hosts.
The game dried up for major portions of the game after the goal and neither side could create any clear-cut scoring opportunity in the half.
The second half started at a brisk pace and the visitors found themselves on level terms in the 52nd minute. Keith Treacy’s swinging free-kick was headed towards the goal by http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Eddie-Johnson-c11841, before it ricocheted off the post and took a huge deflection off Reading goalkeeper Alex McCarthy, and went into the goal to make it 1-1. Johnson claimed the goal but it was registered as an own-goal in the books.
Soon after the equaliser, Reading made a double substitution to step up their chances of finding a winner. Mikele Leigertwood and Mathieu Manset replaced Jay Tabb and Brain Howard respectively.
Just before the hour mark, the Reading players made a huge appeal for a penalty after Ian Ashbee had handled the ball inside the penalty area, but the referee could not see it and waved play on.
Ten minutes from the full-time whistle, after huge confusion in the PNE box, Hal Robson-Kanu smashed his shot into the top corner of the net to make it 2-1 for the Royals.
The hosts managed to cling on to their slender lead and completed their fifth consecutive victory.
Reading will play Nottingham Forest in their next game on 9th April, while Preston North End will take on Portsmouth the same day.
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