By Stuart Kidson
November 23 2003

Reading were visitors this weekend for the live game on SKY. Could the Baggies send the home fans away happy to continue the celebrations of England's Rugby World Cup victory ? Or would the Berkshire Boys be going home happiest ? West Bromwich Albion (0) v Reading (0)
The Hawthorns, Saturday 22nd November 2003

Albion kicked off their home game against Berkshire side Reading, this evening knowing that the teams around them had either been beaten or had drawn their matches earlier in the day. A victory would have seen a 4 point lead open bewteen first and second place and given the home side a small cushion on which to launch their winter campaign in the race for the title.

The crowd at a cold and miserable Hawthorns were still celebrating the Rugby World Cup win of England and the unfamiliar chant of 'Swing Low, Sweet Chariot' echoed around the ground as both sets of fans paid tribute to Martin Johnson and his men Down Under.

Reading came to make life difficult for the hosts by using a 4-5-1 formation and playing deep from their own half to combat the usual 3-5-2 favoured by Gary Megson. Danny Dichio made a surprise return to the team after his loan spell at Derby County and was given a warm reception by the home fans.

It was Dichio who almost gave the league leaders an early lead after 8 minutes when his header from a Jason Koumas free kick went over the crossbar at the Smethwick End. Moments later Rob Hulse went agonisingly close as his header from a Koumas cross went inches wide of the post.

Koumas, who suffered European heartache with Wales mid-week, was beginning to become a problem for the Royals as he tormented their defenders. The Welsh international again beat his man to send across a low ball from the right but with no-one in the box to poke home the ball, his effort went out for a goal kick as the ball inched its way past the far post.

Albion were passing the ball around the park with confidence and despite stray passing, were looking to be in control of the game. Koumas again went looking for the opener, beating Scott Murray and then former Dingle, Ivar Ingimarsson, before letting rip with a 20 yard effort but US keeper Marcus Hahnemann was able to collect the ball withease as the shot was straight at him.

Albion had contained Reading and allowed them little in the way of attacks, but poor distribution had gifted the visitors possession on numerous occassions bringing groans from the home fans and the taunting chant of 'Top of the League, You're having a laugh' from the visitors support.

Hulse tried his luck with a thunderous left footed shot but Graeme Murty managed to strecth his leg out and send the ball out for a corner. Koumas sent over a wonderful centre and found Johnson rising above Hahnemann. Unfortunately the former Forest midfielder managed to send his powerful header straight down and bounce over the crossbar from the edge of the 6 yard box. Albion had missed another golden oppurtunity to take the lead.

It was Johnson who was involved in the Baggies next effort, when he hit a speculative shot from the edge of the area, but Dichio could not get out of the way of the goalbound shot and the ball was deflected out for a goal kick. Reading had done little to trouble Russell Hoult up until now but Murty fired a right footed shot just wide of the upright on 35 minutes to record the visitors first real attack. Steve Sidwell then tried to break the deadlock minutes later with a long range effort but Hoult was untroubled by the effort. Hulse then forced a good near post save from the Roayl's keeper as the Albion's frustrations in front of goal continued.

Dichio required attention from the bench just before the break following a late tackle from Sidwell and despite attempts to run the injury off Gary Megson was forced into replacing the former Sampadoria striker with local hero, Lee Hughes.

Following the break, the Baggies continued to pressure the Reading defence and James O'Connor could have opened the scoring when he found space behind the Reading defence just 6 yards out and met a well placed Hughes cross. Unfortunately the diminutive midfielder could not direct his header downwards and the ball went out for a goal kick.

As the hour mark approached Koumas again was instrumental in the baggies next chance when he sent over yet another cross. This time it fell just right for Swiss international Haas, but somehow he managed to screw his shot wide of the upright in front of the Brummie Road End from 6 yards out.

Albion were again passing the ball about with confidence, and were not afraid to go all the way back to the keeper to start the process again as they probed and poked at the Reading defence to find a way through. Johnson was running himself into the ground in midfield, along with Koumas, but unfortunately it was in front of goal that the Baggies were lacking. Hughes sent across a low drive across the face of goal but no striped shirt was in the area to poke the ball past Hahnemann.

Haas must have had thoughts of deja vu minutes later as he watched his his effort, from exactly the same spot as before, fly over the bar after screwing his shot from a low Neil Clement cross.

Clement had replaced Paul Robinson and was seemingly enjoying playing against his hometown side, unfortunately for the former Chelsea player he was unable to find the back of the net after Hulse had laid the ball off for him to fire a shot from outside the box.

The Baggies were in danger of losing their grip on the match minutes later when former Crystal Palace player John Salako sent over a corner which Hoult did not collect as well as he would have liked. The loose ball fell to James Harper, but Harper could not direct the shot and Albion couldbreathe a collective sigh of reilef as the ball sailed high into the crowd.

Artim Sakiri replaced O'Connor as Megson went looking for the elusive goal to calm the nerves of the 21,000 fans who had made the effort to come and watch the game instead of watching from home on SKY, but it was Salako who almost stole the 3 points for the Berkshire side when he volleyed Nicky Forster's cross just wide of Hoult's upright.

Hulse, hero of Upton Park, had the chance to settle the game for the home side but he completely missed his shot as he tried to convert a loose ball just inside the Reading area. Minutes later, in the dying stages of the game, the former Crewe forward added to the frustartions of the home fans when he headed high over the bar after Hughes had flicked on Clement's cross.

Albion fans were in two minds as to whether the game was 2 points dropped or 1 point saved on the BBC Radio WM phone in after the game, with some saying that it had been a decent performance, whilst others were saying that it was a poor performance for the Baggies. Either way there did look to be some room for improvement from the team, with far too many passes going astray and not enough effort put into the final ball.

The baggiesworld.co.uk Man of the Match went to - Andy Johnson

TEAMS
Baggies: Hoult, Gregan, Gaardsoe, Gilchrist, Haas, Johnson, O'Connor, Koumas, Robinson, Hulse, Dichio
Subs Sakiri, L. Hughes, Clement, J. Chambers, Murphy

Royals: Hahnemann, Newman, Murty, Ingimarsson, Shorey, A. Hughes, Harper, Sidwell, Salako, Murray, Forster
Subs Savage, Young, Mackie, Tyson, Watson