Harte will show no mercy towards Pompey pals
Anthony Smith • Published 1 Apr 2011 09:15
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IAN Harte insists Reading and Portsmouth will put friendships firmly aside when they clash in Saturday's near sell-out at Madejski Stadium (3pm ko).
Players from both clubs enjoyed a relaxing holiday in Dubai during the international break.
And relations remain strong with the south coast club who also boast former Reading players Dave Kitson, Ibrahima Sonko, Greg Halford and Jamie Ashdown in their ranks.
But it will be back to business this weekend as Reading try and break into the Championship play-offs, and ruin Pompey's hopes in the process.
Harte explained: "We had a few days off so some of the lads went over to Dubai for a few days. Noel Hunt was there with his girlfriend and Jem Karacan with his. My three kids spent more time with the two lads than me, they were good as gold.
"We also saw some of the Portsmouth players who had been given eight days off. We saw David Cotterill, Greg Halford and David Nugent who were there with wives and children. It was a nice few days away but now we have to get back to business."
And he insisted: "We're all raring to go against Portsmouth. The break has been nice, especially after a very important win against Barnsley which wasn't a great pitch or performance that day. We were also missing key players, but it shows the strength and depth of the squad to go there and get a win."
** For full report pick up a copy of the Reading Chronicle this week **
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