Reading 2-4 Swansea
Sportsdesk • Published 30 May 2011 18:15
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READING'S Premier League dreams were shattered by former boss Brendan Rodgers following an agonising 4-2 defeat to Swansea City at Wembley.
Rodgers, sacked by Royals just 16 months ago, got his ultimate revenge by guiding Swans into the top-flight at the expense of his former employers.
Reading, meanwhile, were left to rue what might have been following a nightmare first-half that left them with a mountain to climb.
Brian McDermott's men were 3-0 down by the interval and staring at a hammering. But they pulled it back to 3-2 during a sensational second-half and almost levelled it up when Jem Karacan hit the post.
However, Swans survived before man-of-the-match Scott Sinclair finally settled it late on with his third goal of the afternoon.
It means Reading are still yet to win promotion through the play-offs and this was the second time the clubs has lost at Wembley following the 1995 defeat to Bolton Wanderers.
With over 40,000 of their fans behind them at the national stadium, Royals started brightly and Jimmy Kebe, who passed a late fitness test to win a place in the starting XI, tested the Swansea backline with his pace.
Reading felt they should have had a penalty when Garry Monk appeared to handle a cross but in a matter of minutes the game was turned on its head.
First, Zurab Khizanishvili clattered into Nathan Dyer, resulting in Phil Dowd pointing to the spot and Scott Sinclair beating Adam Federici from 12 yards.
Then, moments later, Ian Harte's lack of pace was exposed by Stephen Dobbie, who raced down the line and put in a cross that Federici could only palm for Sinclair to tap in.
The quickfire double left Reading shell-shocked and things got worse when another cross was deflected out and Dobbie hit a first time shot past the goalkeeper.
Shane Long spurned a glorious chance to pull a goal back before half-time when he air-kicked from six yards out and Royals went into the break three goals down.
However, they came out firing in the second-half and got on the board when Noel Hunt met a corner at the near post and headed in.
Just as Swansea had done earlier, Reading turned one goal into two as Matt Mills lept highest at a corner and powered a header into the top corner.
The Welsh side looked stunned and Royals went agonisingly close to levelling the score when Karacan hit the post from outside the box and Hunt's rebound was superbly blocked by Monk.
It was to be the last real chance that Reading had before Andy Griffin fouled Fabio Borini in the area and Sinclair completed his hat-trick by beating Federici from the spot for the second time in the match.
This article appeared in Reading Chronicle 30 May 11
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