READING v WATFORD Venue: Madejski Stadium Date: Saturday 20 December Kick-off: 15:00 GMT Reading Team News: Steve Clarke has inherited an injury-hit Reading squad for his first game in charge against Watford. Winger Hal Robson-Kanu needs a fitness check on a hamstring problem while strikers Jamie Mackie (hamstring) and Pavel Pogrebnyak (calf) are also struggling. Jem Karacan is back in training after a long-term knee injury but is still some way from being considered while Hope Akpan (shoulder), Anton Ferdinand and Danny Guthrie (both calf) remain on the sidelines. Clarke could recall defender Alex Pearce, who started on the bench in last Saturday's 6-1 defeat at Birmingham which cost previous manager Nigel Adkins his job. Watford Team News: Watford have a doubt over Joel Ekstrand, who has been sidelined lately with a problem in his lower back and is still being assessed. Fellow defender Gabriel Tamas is the only definite injury absentee as he continues to recover from cruciate ligament damage. Back-up goalkeeper Jonathan Bond will be on the bench having been passed fit following a collarbone injury. Boss Slavisa Jokanovic is likely to stick with the side which recorded successive victories over Fulham and Wigan to get their promotion bid back on track. Facts: ⢠Watford are unbeaten in the last four games at the Madejski Stadium, winning one. Reading's last win at home was 4-0 in January 2009. ⢠Reading have lost one of their last four home games. ⢠Watford won their last away game 5-0 against Fulham on 5 December - their first win in four attempts on the road. ⢠Reading have won one of their last five games. Their only victory since early November was 2-1 at Norwich on 29 November. Will Steve Clarke manage to provide something new to a team that the fans are not happy with? Will the Watford team put in one of their better performances and not lose the game with defensive errors? Only time will tell!
Nice one OFH and thanks for taking the time. Good away win for me and going for my old fav 3-1 victory.. 5*'s for the thread.
The referee for this Saturday's match against Reading, will be Surrey based official Gavin Ward. Ward officiated the Hornets once last season, which came in the Golden Boys 3-0 home victory over Leeds United in April. So far this season, Ward has refereed 17 matches across The Football League as well as cup competitions, handing out 65 yellow cards and 2 red. The majority of these matches have been in League 2, and this will only be Wards 4th Championship game of the season.
Thank you for the thread OFH. Even by our standards it's been a strange season so far but we are in the top 6 and close enough to the automatic places to worry everyone. The form book says away win so hopefully it is right. Exciting times ahead!
Would be nice to have a result that matches our form...... Funnily enough I have done really well in the prediction leagues over several years by a form based 'system' ... the same approach has left me floating downwards this season..... I think we need to start putting some points away in the next couple of months... Could be a dog fight in April....
Just the two changes - Gomes (GK); Angella, Bassong, Cathcart; Anya, Tozser, Guedioura, Abdi, Pudil; Deeney (c), Vydra. subs Bond (GK), Doyley, Paredes, Murray, Dyer, Forestieri, Ighalo. Munari injured apparently - could make all the difference...
From Wiziwig - Very unsure if this game has coverage as last week the betting sites removed all tv coverage for the 3pm games. So far just one game (Ipswich v Middlesbrough) is being covered...
TEAM NEWS: Reading v ‪#‎WatfordFC‬ Slavisa Jokanovic has been forced into changing his starting line-up here at Reading this afternoon - and opts for one more alteration of his own choosing to make two in total. A hamstring tweak, nothing serious, is enough to keep midfielder Gianni Munari out so in comes Adlene Guedioura for a first start. Meanwhile, Daniel Pudil returns to make his 100th Hornets' appearance in place of Juan Carlos Paredes - who drops to the bench. Steve Clarke also makes two changes in his first game as Royals' manager - Alex Pearce and Nick Blackman come in for Jake Cooper and Stephen Kelly. HORNETS: Gomes (GK); Angella, Bassong, Cathcart; Anya, Tozser, Abdi, Guedioura Pudil; Deeney (c), Vydra. Subs: Bond (GK), Doyley, Paredes, Murray, Dyer, Ighalo, Forestieri. ROYALS: Federici (GK); Gunter, Obita, Hector, Pearce (c), Norwood, Williams, McCleary, Blackman, Cox, Murray Subs: Andersen (GK), Cummings, Kelly, Cooper, Taylor, Stacey, Tanner.
Well Hornet Player is up and running, but my Internet speed is very low at present, so wouldn't be surprised if I have some breaks. Pudil for Paredes seems right at present as I haven't seen any real final result from him recently. Munari does seem like a bit of a loss.
Game underway, yellow shirts and black shorts today. Sloppy start from Watford. Murray shoots over for Reading.
