Connolly got into good spaces on a number of occasions but didn't get the passes he needed to make any impact. Once again Ricky was providing some really good passes, that if he had been on the end of, might have scored! Reading did tire at the end and we were fitter than them at the end but with only ten men we could not make it count.
True connolly didn't do much either, but then did lambert do much more?. I think reading just completely marked them out the game with their fast play hurrying style of play. De ridder was brought on at about the right to when reading started to tirer. All in all im pleased with the point.
Without a doubt. I wanted a point before the game even started, so to have been 1-0, down to 10 men, and completely outplayed, a point really is good going. Putting the performance to one side, the simple fact - as has been mentioned by a few on here already - is that winning your home games and drawing your away games is promotion form. Beat Boro on Saturday, and this month would have rewarded us with 3 wins and 2 draws from our 5 league games. In this division that's a good month in anyone's book, but especially so when you look at who we'd have played over the month.
Yep it's promotion form think it's just some of us (including me) were annoyed at the display. The result was great tho.
Teams that gain promotion have to very good and also a bit lucky. The harder you work the luckier you get. Playing till the end of the match will be worth a few points to us.
Gotta say Reading did their game plan well, but it is well documented about Saints tenacity coupled with the new fitness regime. Very very glad of the point. No, we didn't deserve it but then "Lesta" didn't deserve the 3 points against us; this stuff happens. At the start of the week would you take 4 points....oh yes! Just panned out differently
So, trying to summarize what everyone has said; We put in the worst performance of the season so far, against one of the best teams in the division, away from home, had our captain sent off, Guly was having an off day, and we got a point. Oh, and our best player didn't even make the bench. I can't be too disappointed really.
I think back to Walsall away last season. We should have won that game 5-0, maybe more; we had that many chances. But we lost 1-0. That's football.
I said that would be happy with 6 points minimum from the 4 league games, Derby (a) West Ham (h) Reading (a) Boro (h)....we have 5 points with a game against Boro at home to come. The run of games after are potentionally a lot easier, so, to still be top after the Boro game is a huge bonus. Also, we are unbeaten in these games, therefore not conceding points to the chasing teams.
Really pleased for Martin. Got a good half under his belt and the way Fonte was playing I am sure we would have gone down to ten men sooner had he stayed on.
Adkins described it as a point gained. He reckons it was one game too far and he should have rested more players. I thought six points would be a decent return from this difficult month and we have five already. Now need to maintain our home form against Boro and we could stretch that lead.
