FULL TIME: Reading 0 - 0 Cardiff City
Sportsdesk • Published 13 May 2011 17:00
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Full time: Reading 0 - 0 Cardiff City
READING were held to a goalless draw by Cardiff City to leave their Championship play-off semi-final balanced on a knife edge.
There was no end of endeavour and effort on show in a closely-fought first leg clash at Madejski Stadium.
But neither side could find their touch in front of goal after an evenly matched battle.
Royals arguably shaded the 90 minutes, but clear-cut opportunities were kept to a minimum by two well-drilled defences.
Bluebirds may feel they have the advantage now going into Tuesday's night's second leg in South Wales.
But they could be without Craig Bellamy after the Wales striker limped off after just 17 minutes with a hamstring strain.
Royals, on the other hand, hope that flying winger Jimmy Kebe will be fit by then after a thigh problem and could reclaim his place from Hal Robson-Kanu, who also suffered an injury.
90+4 mins. Cardiff fans on their feet and celebtrating like a victory. Maybe that's how it feels for the visitors who have home advantage in the second leg.
90+4 mins. Reading corner again. This time Bywater catches.
90+3 mins. Reading corner comes to nothing. But they recycle it until McAnuff's clever pass outfoxes everyone - including his own players. Reading piling on the pressure.
90+1 mins. Final Bluebirds change as Jason Koumas replaces Emmanuel-Thomas.
90 mins. FIVE minutes of time added on. A Reading goal right now would, needless to say, be perfect.
89 mins. Dekel Keinan is down holding his back after coming off worse in an aerial challenge with Long. The City defender has played well tonight. He's helped out McNaughton in his battle with Long.
88 mins. Important block by Khizanishvili from Chris Burke's shot.
86 mins. A steady flow of fans are leaving now. Think they've given up on anything other than 0-0 tonight.
85 mins. Cardiff also make a change, Lee Naylor replacing Paul Quinn who took a knock.
85 mins. Second Reading change as Brian Howard replaces Noel Hunt.
83 mins. And we're still waiting for a goal - not just tonight, but in the Championship play-offs in general.
81 mins. Superb defending from Mills to snuff out Bothroyd and win his header from a Cardiff cross. Royals' skipper has been excelllent tonight.
79 mins. READING chance. Harte drills a corner into the heart of the Cardiff box. No-one spots Matt Mills' run, but the ball, once again, is an inch over his head with the goal at his mercy.
7 mins. Bluebirds keeper Bywater was alert to clear the danger after Long outmuscles McNaughton for the umpteenth time tonight.
73 mins. It's hard to see where a goal is coming from at the moment. Plenty of perspiration, little inspiration out there.
71 mins. Reading reply, Manset cuts inside a defender but his 20-yard shot lacks power.
70 mins. Paul Quinn plants a header on target for Cardiff, but that's no trouble for Federici.
67 mins. Cardiff City almost go in front. Mark Halsey looked like he was in Whittingham's way, but the Cardiff midfielder adjusted before letting rip with a 25-yarder than flew just wide of the far post, with Federici struggling.
64 mins. Still no sign of our first goal, and still no real clear-cut opportunities to really speak of. That tells you how closely matched these sides are.
61 mins. Another slick move from Reading. Plenty of passes and they win a corner. City just about defend their lines.
59 mins. Reading really pressing now. Great work from Manset and Long whose cross is just too high for McAnuff.
56 mins. Now Bothroyd looks like he's struggling after Long appeared to stand on his foot, albeit while going for the ball.
55 mins. Superb work from Reading and Karacan in particular to hussle Cardiff off the ball and win possession back.
53 mins. Tonight's attendance is 21,485 including 2,100 Cardiff fans.
52 mins. Robson-Kanu is forced off with a knock, could be his ankle. Anyway, Mathieu Manset has come on instead - attacking substitution that. Hunt has pushed out to the right.
50 mins. Robson-Kanu has gone down in midfield. Not sure why, but Mathieu Manset is stripping off.
48 mins. READING chance. From a corner, Long nods it back across goal and Mills is an inch away from heading it in. Mills has come close a few times now. He's a real threat at set pieces tonight.
46 mins. Early Cardiff chance as Bothroyd flicks a header just wide.
8.50pm. And we're away again. Reading were definitely on top as the first-half ended - can they keep the momentum going?
HALF TIME: Reading 0 - 0 Cardiff City.
NOTHING to separate the sides at the interval after a lively, if goalless, first-half.
Royals keeper Adam Federici made an excellent early save from Craig Bellamy.
But the Bluebirds striker hobbled off clutching his hamstring in the 17th in a blwo for the visitors.
Reading gradually got on top after that with Robson-Kanu and Jobi McAnuff going close.
But the deadlock-breaker never arrived, although Reading will be the slightly happier, especially now that Bellamy is off the field and could miss the second leg on Tuesday.
44 mins. Superb counter-attack from Reading. Karacan threads the ball throughto Robson-Kanu. A better touch would have sent him clean through on goal but Cardiff's defence caught up with him. Reading recycle the ball, but McAnuff is an inch offside.
41 mins. BELLAMY UPDATE - taken off as a precaution. Scan tomorrow. Could be okay for Tuesday.
40 mins. Huge ironic cheer from Reading fans as BOTHROYD is booked for kicking the ball away.
They feel Halsey has been a bit harsh against Reading in the last few minutes, booking Mills and letting off Chopra.
38 mins. MILLS booked for Reading for lunging at McNaughton. Harsh on Readinig as Chopra just got away with a nasty one on Karacan when the linesman had already flagged for offside.
But of an edge to the game now.
36 mins. READING chance as Karacan gets around the back of the defence this time. He cuts it back to Robson-Kanu whose clever backheel drifts just wide.
32 mins. READING chance, as Cardiff give the ball away deep inside their own half, Robson-Kanu gets around the back of the defence and dinks over a clever cross that somehow evades every Reading player before it is cleared.
30 mins. Brian McDermott is fuming on the touchline after Long, yet again, is too strong for McNaughton in the air. Looked a fair, shoulder-to-shoulder challenge, but Halsey blows up for foul to Cardiff.
Shame as Long was in clear space down the right with the ball at his feet.
28 mins. Raking 50-yard pass from Mills is just too strong for Noel Hunt as he bears down on goal. Close that.
26 mins. JOBI McANUFF is the first name ijn Halsey's book. Late tackle on Chopra. No complaints really.
22 mins. Long wins yet another header against McNaughton. He simply can't contain the striker.
21 mins. Khizanishvili treads of Bothroyd's toes and gives away a free-kick in a dangerous position.
Whittingham smashes it into the wall and Reading survive.
20 mins. We've got Royalty here tonight - well sort of.
Carol Middleton, mother of Catherine, is a guest of John Madejski.
18 mins. Superb defensive header from Mills from a dangerous Whittingham free-kick.
16 mins. MASSIVE NEWS - Craig Bellamy is forced off the field. He's holding his hamstring - and that won't heal before the second leg.
Big break for Royals that - though Bluebirds replace Bellamy with £5 million striker Michael Chopra.
13 mins. READING chance. The hosts soak up the pressure, hit Bluebirds on the counter and win a corner.
Harte's delivery is superb, the ball flies through Stephen Bywater's hands and Matt Mills looks certain to score.
But Royals skipper didn't expect such a gift, and can't get his head to the ball.
12 mins. CARDIFF close. Swift counter attack ends with Bellamy's angled shot forcing a fingertip save from Adam Federici.
10 mins. Shane Long is causing problems already. McNaughton can't handle him. Could be an interesting battle.
8 mins. Shane Long cleverly 'wins' a free-kick a few yards outside the box. very little contact between him and McNaughton, but referee Mark Halsey buys it.
Ian Harte steps up to take - good connection but a foot over the bar.
7 mins. Jay Bothroyd takes an accidental whack in the ribs from Jem Karacan. But's back on his feet.
5 mins. Bellamy whips over a free-kick but it's too strong and goes out for a goal-kick.
Still Bluebirds on top at the moment.
3 mins. Reading forced to defend a couple of corners, and they hold strong despite a header from Peter Whittingham deflecting just over.
2 mins. The game has starting at an electric pace, tackles flying in.
7.47pm. And Cardiff City kick-off, with Reading playing towards the south stand.
7.45pm. Not surprisingly, Craig Bellamy is roundly booed as the teams are read out. Suppose he's used to that.
Reading players in a huddle now, kick-off moments away.
7.43pm. The fanfare has ended, the handshakes are over and this, as they say, is SHOWTIME.
Forget the money, forget the Ferrari's - this is what every single player out there dreamed of doing when they were growing up. It's about the winning and about the glory.
Don't go away.
7.40pm. And a massive cheer goes up as Sir John Madejski steps out onto the pitch to thank the fans for their support. Not long to go now.
7.30pm. Told you - noise levels already on the increase. Reading are back in the dressing room after their warm-up but Bluebirds still out there at the moment.
So can Reading do this? Both games during the reagular season ended in draws, but there's a feeling that Bluebirds got away with murder in both.
Will justice prevail tonight? We're about to find out.
7.20pm. Strangely subdued atmosphere here at the moment as the players warm up in front of us.
But don't be fooled. That's gonna change - expect fireworks tonight.
By the way, we'll be the first Reading paper to bring you pictures of all tonight's action in next week's Reading Midweek. Don't miss it.
7.10pm. The teams are in an confirmation that Jimmy Keve misses tonight's game.
But Mikele Leigertwood has shaken off a knock and will start.
As expected, Royals boss Brian McDermott rings the changes and brings back his big guns as Andy Griffin, Zurab Khizanishvili, Jobi McAnuff, Noel Hunt and Shane Long all start.
As for the Bluebirds, looks like Craig Bellamy and Jay Bothroys will start up front so Michael Chopra makes do with a place on the bench.
Reading: (4-4-2): Federici - Griffin, Mills (c), Khizanishvili, Harte - McAnuff, Leigertwood, Karacan, Robson-Kanu - Hunt, Long. Subs: McCarthy, Gunnarsson, Tabb, Church, Howard, Pearce, Manset.
Cardiff (4-4-2): Bywater - McNaughton, Quinn, Blake, Keinan - Whittingham, Olofinjana, Emmanuel-Thomas, Burke - Bellamy, Bothroyd. Subs: Heaton, Hudson, Naylor, Rae, Parkin, Chopra, Koumas.
7pm. And a blow to Reading as Jimmy Kebe is OUT of tonight's game. Word has it the Mali winger has failed to recover from a thigh injury. Wales international Hal Robson-Kanu, scorer of Saturdau's winner against Derby, will start again.
6.45pm. A sprinkling of Reading and Cardiff fans have taken their seats and there's a bit of action around the touchline. Won't be long before the players are out.
6.20pm. The Cardiff City players have just arrived - led by Craig Bellamy.
Big players come alive in big games, or so the saying goes. If it's true, Bellamy could have a big influence tonight.
But Reading have shown that reputations count for little - just ask Everton, Liverpool, West Brom.
6.10pm. More than 100 journalists and photographers here tonight which shows you the importance of the game.
After all, we are talking nearly £40 million to the team which is promoted.
For those who fail, it's back to the Championship and, in the case of both Reading and Cardiff, probable cut-backs.
But that's for another day - this is what nine months of hard slog is all about.
Strap yourselves in.
6pm. Hello there. We're strapped in and ready to go - shame there's hardly anyone one here.
Traffic was fine coming in. Around 21,000 expected tonight and it's s shame Reading couldn't sell out.
So if you haven't got a ticket, and you have nothing to do, get down to the Mad Stad.
See wwwreadingfc.co.uk for ticket details.
Welcome to live coverage of tonight's Championship semi-final first leg from the Madejski Stadium.
Reading hope to make home advantage count and take a lead into Tuesday night's second leg.
A near-capacity crowd is expected for the clash which kicks off at 7.45 pm.
In the other semi-final, ex-Royals boss Brendan Rodgers' Swansea City drew 0-0 at Nottingham Forest last night after playing almost the entire game with 10 men.
This article appeared in Reading Chronicle 13 May 11
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