LIVE - Reading v Sheffield Wednesday

Sportsdesk • Published 27 Feb 2010 14:00 0 Comments

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FULL TIME. Reading 5 Sheffield Wednesday 0.

What a result for the Royals and what a superb week's it's been.

Late first-half goals from Jimmy Kebe and Grzegorz Rasiak edged Brian McDermott's side in front.

Simon Church made it 3-0 shortly after the restart before Rasiak and Kebe grabbed their second goals of the game to complete the rout.

It was a sensational display for the Royals who have now won five of their last six league games.

It puts them above QPR and Scunthorpe and up to 18th in the table, four points above the relegation zone.

The Owls, meanwhile, drop into the bottom three after losing four of their last five games.

Royals have now beaten Wednesday 5-0 and 6-0 in their last two encounters at the Mad Stad.

86 mins. Reading fans are loving this. And who can blame then? 2009 was a tough year but 2010 just gets better and better.

Into the quarter finals of the FA Cup and surely survival in the league is guaranteed of they keep playing like this.

Brian McDermott still hasn't lost a game at the Mad Stad in any competition. Incredible!

83 mins. Leon Clarke fires wide from distance. It still gets an ironic cheer form the visiting fans.

Sean McAllister has come on for Owls skipper James O'Connor.

79 mins. Reading make their last change with Marek Matejovsky replacing Sigurdsson who gets a massive cheer from supporters.

This has been a quality performance from Reading, though Wednesday have completely folded in the second-half.

76 mins. So that's 11 goals Reading have put past Wednesday in their last two games at the Mad Stad.

It was 6-0 last season and they have five today. That's not mentioning the 2-0 win at Hillborough in December.

Needless to say, hundreds of Wednesday fans have already left. They've seen enough.

73 mins. Kebe comes off to a standing ovation from Royals fans.

He's been outstanding again today, but so have Reading all round.

James Henry replaces him, while Hal Robson-Kanu is on for Church.

71 mins. GOAL!!!!!!!! Reading 5 Wednesday 0.

Unbelievable stuff as KEBE nets his second of the day.

Reading had a three on one break but Kebe didn't need any help as he smashed it high into the net, giving poor Grant no chance.

So that's five in five for Kebe now and he and Rasiak are both on hat-tricks.

65 mins. GOAL!!!!!!! Reading 4 Wednesday 0.

Don't adjust your monitors, but Reading have scored a fourth and RASIAK has his second of the afternoon.

But what were Wednesday doing????? Kebe had lods of time to pick out Simon Church with a cross.

The Wales star flicked it on and Rasiak waltzed through a static defence to tap-in from two yards.

That's seven for the season for Rasiak now.

59 mins. James O'Connot hits the side netting with a rare effort from the Owls.

Today's attendance is 17,573 including 1,784 unhappy Owls fans.

53 mins. GOAL!!!!!! Reading 3 Wednesday 0.

And SIMON CHURCH has surely put this game to bed now with his fourth goal in five games and ninth of the season.

He had loads still to do when he took posession of the ball. But he used his body to hold off Hinds before cutting back inside and curling a superb left-footed shot that beat Grant and went in off the post.

Scunthorpe also losing now. Royals will go above them into 17th if it stays like this.

50 mins. Sigurdsson tests Grant with a 25-yard free-kick but the owls keeper catches.

At the moment, Crystal Palace, QPR, Plymouth and Peterborough are all losing. This could be a great day for the Royals.

46 mins. Wednesday boss Alan Irvine makes two changes for the second-half.

Tommy Miller replaces Michael Gray while Leon Clarke is on for Tom Soares.

The visitors have nothing to lose and have also gone 4-3-3.

HALF TIME. Reading 2 Wednesday 0.

What was a frustrating first half for the Royals suddenly got a whole lot better with two goals just before the break.

Jimmy Kebe broke the deadlock with a deflected effort in the 42nd minute then Grzegorz Rasiak added a second in injury time.

Surely Reading will not let a two-goal lead slip as they look to climb away from the relegation zone????? We'll soon see.

45 mins GOAL!!!!!!!!. Reading 2 Wednesday 0.

And the Royals double their lead through GRZEGORZ Rasiak.

Sigurdsson made a smart run into the box before feeding Church. His shot was blocked by Beevers but Rasiak snaffled up the loose ball, drilling past Lee Grant with no shortage of skill. That's seven for the season for the Polish striker.

42 mins. GOAL!!!!!!! Reading 1 Wednesday 0.

And JIMMY KEBE breaks the deadlock with a slightly fortunate goal.

Again, referee Hegley let off Beevers for shoving Simon Church in the back.

But Royals recycle the ball and Kebe tries a speculatuive effort from 25-yards that deflects off Hinds' heel and wrong-foots Lee Grant in the Wednesday goal.

A bit lucky, but the home fans won't mind a bit. That's kebe's sixth of the season now.

38 mins. Rasiak is flagged for offside even though he's put through by a Wednesday player.

His shot was saved anyway but a strange decision by Hegley.

34 mins. Crucial block-tackle by Beever on Sigurdsson as the Royals youngster was about to pull the trigger.

32 mins. Nearly a Wednesday OG there.

A cross came in and the ball flicked off Richard Hinds' boot and flies an inch wide.

30 mins. Sigurdsson is back on and will try and run it off. That's a relief. He's looked Reading's most creative player.

28 mins. Now Sigurdsson has taken a knock and is having treatment on the sidelines. Royals down to 10 for the moment.

25 mins. Rasiak comes off for treatment for a blood injury following a whack in the mouth from Mark Beevers.

Referee Grant Hegley has a word but keeps his cards in his pocket. He's let Wednesday get away with quite a lot already and the crowd don't like it.

22 mins. Grant makes a decent save to keep out Rasiak's header.

Royals looking more dangerous now.

20 mins. Reading waste a decent chance there.

Jimmy Kebe was pulled back just outside the box, but Brian Howard's free-kick sailed over everyone.

15 mins. It's all gone a bit quiet and both sides are cancelling each other out. The games needs a spark.

10 mins. Adam Federici passes his first test of the day with a smart near-post save to deny Michael Gray,

8 mins. Reading go close through Rasiak.

Lee Grant flapped at Gylfi Sigurdsson's cross and Rasiak's back-post header looked like looping back over the Owls keeper until he tipped it over the bar.

3pm. And we're underway. Wednesday wear their bright yellow kit. Hopefully this won't be a banana skin for the Royal.

2.45pm. The teams are in and two changes for the Royals.

Zurab Khizanishvili returns to the starting line-up in place of the injured Matt Mills.

And Jobi McAnuff ias suspended following his red card at the Hawthorns so McDermott hands Grzegorz Rasiak a start alongside Simon Church in attack and goes 4-4-2.

Reading-born Tom Soares is in the Wednesday side.

Reading: Federici - Griffin, Khizanishvili, Ingimarsson, Bertrand - Kebe, Tabb, Howard, Sigurdsson - Rasiak, Church. Subs: Matejovsky, Henry, Robson-Kanu, Pearce, Bignall, Thorvaldsson, Hamer.

Wednesday: Grant - Nolan, Hinds, Beevers, Spurr - Soares, O'Connor, Potter, Gray - Varney, Tudgay. Subs: Mills, McCallister, Esajas, Clarke, Simek, O'Donnell, Boden.

Good afternoon and welcome to the Madejski Stadium for another huge basement clash between Reading and Sheffield Wednesday.

With just one point separating the Royals in 20th position and the Owls in 21st this is certain to be a significant battle for both clubs.

Reading have won four of their last five Championship games and their confidence is sky high following their 3-2 victory at West Brom on Wednesday, a win which sent them into the FA Cup quarter finals fror the first time in 83 years.

Meanwhile, Alan Irvine's Wednesday are struggling at the wrong end of the table and have lost three of their last four.

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