2:38pm
It was better from Albion though. Forster-Caskey helped work LuaLua into a great position on the byline but he could not pick out a colleague and his low cross was blocked away for a corner.
LuaLua took the flag kick and put it right on the head of Calderon - but the full-back mistimed his header and sent it looping gently off target.
Karacan had another go at the other end a couple of minutes later but this time his curler went too high.
Barnes went on after an hour, replacing David Lopez.
2:37pm
It was better from Albion though. Forster-Caskey helped work LuaLua into a great position on the byline but he could not pick out a colleague and his low cross was blocked away for a corner.
LuaLua took the flag kick and put it right on the head of Calderon - but the full-back mistimed his header and sent it looping gently off target.
Karacan had another go at the other end a couple of minutes later but this time his curler went too high.
Barnes went on after an hour, replacing David Lopez.
2:33pm
Forster-Caskey and Andrews were involved in a neat move which got LuaLua away down the left. David Lopez got on the end of his low cross with a brilliant first touch to take him beyond his marker - but got his second all wrong and sent the ball squirting tamely across the goalmouth*from*a great shooting position.
2:29pm
Bridge had given Reading more cutting edge and they looked the more dangerous side now.
2:27pm
Bridge was quickly on the attack. He got past Calderon easily and drove in a cross which was parried by Kuszczak and had Albion scrambling to clear. The ball was eventually worked to Karacan who again tried his luck and again Kuszczak parried, this time high to his left.
2:24pm
Kuszczak had to dive to his left in the opening seconds of the half to turn away a low 25-yarder from Karacan and Albion defended the resulting corner strongly.
2:22pm
Bridge and Robson-Kanu were on for*the second half in place of Kelly and Drenthe.
Second half is in progress.
2:05pm
There were boos for the ref at half-time.
2:05pm
Calderon was next in the book, for a foul in stoppage time.
But Guthrie's resulting free-kick was overhit and sailed over everyone for a goal kick.
Neat work in midfield by Crofts and Andrews allowed Albion to win a corner and, as the attack continued, Greer had a close range header parried on the goal line by McCarthy:
Half: Reading 0 Albion 0
2:00pm
LuaLua then cut inside and had a go from 30 yards. His shot bounced up into the arms of Pearce, who held it easily.
1:59pm
LuaLua was now Albion's lone striker. He helped make room for Forster-Caskey, who made ground as Reading backed off but then swirled his shot wide.
1:57pm
Albion then suffered a hammerblow when Ulloa raised his boot as a ball bounced up in front of him and caught Pearce high. Ulloa was shown red as players converged quickly.
The distraught Albion striker shook hands with Pearce before leaving the pitch.
1:52pm
With tempers running high, LuaLua chose a poor time to slide in for a ball he was struggling to reach moments later. He was shown a yellow card for his foul as home fans called for a red.
1:50pm
Pogrebnyak went down believing he had been tripped but Scott ruled it was a dive and showed yellow - then the subsequent red.
1:48pm
Ulloa was just off target with a clever backwards header after Calderon had nodded the ball into the penalty area as Reading claimed offside.
Then the match well and truly came to life.
1:47pm
Ref Scott played advantage when Drenthe caught Andrews late.
The next stoppage was a foul by Pearce on Ulloa. Scott booked Pearce, then went back and showed Drenthe yellow as well.
1:46pm
That corner came to nothing - but another soon after was laid back to Andrews, who stood the ball up to the far post.
Ulloa got to it but his header came off a defender for another flag kick.
This one was cleared as far as LuaLua, whose 25-yarder was blocked by a defender in the penalty box.
1:43pm
Pogrebnyak was booked for a foul just inside his own half and, when* McCarthy's miscued punch from the resulting free-kick gifted Albion a corner, they seemed to come alive.
A squall of pressure ended when LuaLua chipped a superb ball across to David Lopez on the right and his cross was met by a powerful diving header from Crofts which flew narrowly wide of the near post.
Roles were reversed next time as David Lopez made the running and passed to LuaLua for a low shot which deflected about a yard wide.
1:37pm
Albion fans amused themselves by coming up with a new song for Oscar Garcia
1:33pm
It was generally a low-key start - with a low-key atmosphere from home fans.
Drenthe won a free-kick and, with team mates expecting a cross, went for goal from the set-piece.
Kuszczak got across to ball at his near post but fumbled what looked a simple cathc and was lucky not to concede a corner.
1:27pm
Drenthe certainly had plenty of the ball in the opening exchanges.
He won a free-kick off LuaLua, which came to nothing, and also curled a cross too close to Kuszczak.
1:24pm
Reading got the ball to the dangerous Drenthe, starting on the right, in the opening minutes but Albion had two men closing him down and he ran the ball out for a goal-kick - to the delight of away fans at that end of the Madejski.*
David Lopez curled a free-kick into the Reading box but it was headed away from Ulloa - and Drenthe's subsequent overhead kick to complete the clearance turned into a through ball for Le Fondre. The striker got to the edge of the box and teid to check inside the covering Ward, who took the ball off him with a perfectly timed tackle.
Andrews was then spoken to by the referee a foul as Reading made quite a bright start.
1:19pm
Albion looking like this...
******************* ** KUSZCZAK
CALDERON* GREER* UPSON** WARD
************************ ANDREWS
***********CROFTS*************** JF-C
D.LOPEZ********************************* LUALUA
************************ *ULLOA
1:16pm
Match is in progress
1:16pm
Bridge was given a warm ovation by Albion fans when his name was read out kust before kick-off.
Albion, in all yellow, will defend the away end in the first half.
1:14pm
This has not been a happy hunting ground since then for the Seagulls, though. They have conceded 11 goals on their three most recent visits.
My information from Reading is that they have played some very good stuff in patches this season, especially here, without quite clicking as Nigel Adkins would like.
1:10pm
This is not the first time Sky have chosen to televise this fixture. They did it back in 2002-03, when Reading were chasing a place in the top flight and Albion were in relegation danger.
It led to to these memorable end-of-match scenes...
1:08pm
Although it was billed as a comfortable home win that day, Albion actually created chances to make it a lot closer. Craig Noone made a big impact off the bench as left winger. Can LuaLua do something similar from the off today?
1:06pm
Here's what happened here on Albion's most recent visits - almost two years ago....
1:05pm
Well, we started off in warm sunshine from Brighton and it got gradually colder, darker and wetter as we moved north.
We now have grey but dry skies overhead as kick-off nears.
It's a 1.15pm start today in case you were wondering.
1:03pm
Got to start with that one!
More than nine years ago now. Nicky Forster got the winner for Reading that day as it finished 3-2.
1:01pm
I'm guessing many of you following this will be doing do because you don't have access to Sky Sports. I've thought of that and will be offering you TV highlights of Reading v Albion here today.
Just not today's Reading v Albion!
12:55pm
Here we go then - the international break well and truly over and a few talking points in Oscar Garcia's line-up.
http://www.theargus.co.uk/sport/10676202.Big_day_for_Jake_as_Albion_make_changes/
Original article
It was better from Albion though. Forster-Caskey helped work LuaLua into a great position on the byline but he could not pick out a colleague and his low cross was blocked away for a corner.
LuaLua took the flag kick and put it right on the head of Calderon - but the full-back mistimed his header and sent it looping gently off target.
Karacan had another go at the other end a couple of minutes later but this time his curler went too high.
Barnes went on after an hour, replacing David Lopez.
2:37pm
It was better from Albion though. Forster-Caskey helped work LuaLua into a great position on the byline but he could not pick out a colleague and his low cross was blocked away for a corner.
LuaLua took the flag kick and put it right on the head of Calderon - but the full-back mistimed his header and sent it looping gently off target.
Karacan had another go at the other end a couple of minutes later but this time his curler went too high.
Barnes went on after an hour, replacing David Lopez.
2:33pm
Forster-Caskey and Andrews were involved in a neat move which got LuaLua away down the left. David Lopez got on the end of his low cross with a brilliant first touch to take him beyond his marker - but got his second all wrong and sent the ball squirting tamely across the goalmouth*from*a great shooting position.
2:29pm
Bridge had given Reading more cutting edge and they looked the more dangerous side now.
2:27pm
Bridge was quickly on the attack. He got past Calderon easily and drove in a cross which was parried by Kuszczak and had Albion scrambling to clear. The ball was eventually worked to Karacan who again tried his luck and again Kuszczak parried, this time high to his left.
2:24pm
Kuszczak had to dive to his left in the opening seconds of the half to turn away a low 25-yarder from Karacan and Albion defended the resulting corner strongly.
2:22pm
Bridge and Robson-Kanu were on for*the second half in place of Kelly and Drenthe.
Second half is in progress.
2:05pm
There were boos for the ref at half-time.
2:05pm
Calderon was next in the book, for a foul in stoppage time.
But Guthrie's resulting free-kick was overhit and sailed over everyone for a goal kick.
Neat work in midfield by Crofts and Andrews allowed Albion to win a corner and, as the attack continued, Greer had a close range header parried on the goal line by McCarthy:
Half: Reading 0 Albion 0
2:00pm
LuaLua then cut inside and had a go from 30 yards. His shot bounced up into the arms of Pearce, who held it easily.
1:59pm
LuaLua was now Albion's lone striker. He helped make room for Forster-Caskey, who made ground as Reading backed off but then swirled his shot wide.
1:57pm
Albion then suffered a hammerblow when Ulloa raised his boot as a ball bounced up in front of him and caught Pearce high. Ulloa was shown red as players converged quickly.
The distraught Albion striker shook hands with Pearce before leaving the pitch.
1:52pm
With tempers running high, LuaLua chose a poor time to slide in for a ball he was struggling to reach moments later. He was shown a yellow card for his foul as home fans called for a red.
1:50pm
Pogrebnyak went down believing he had been tripped but Scott ruled it was a dive and showed yellow - then the subsequent red.
1:48pm
Ulloa was just off target with a clever backwards header after Calderon had nodded the ball into the penalty area as Reading claimed offside.
Then the match well and truly came to life.
1:47pm
Ref Scott played advantage when Drenthe caught Andrews late.
The next stoppage was a foul by Pearce on Ulloa. Scott booked Pearce, then went back and showed Drenthe yellow as well.
1:46pm
That corner came to nothing - but another soon after was laid back to Andrews, who stood the ball up to the far post.
Ulloa got to it but his header came off a defender for another flag kick.
This one was cleared as far as LuaLua, whose 25-yarder was blocked by a defender in the penalty box.
1:43pm
Pogrebnyak was booked for a foul just inside his own half and, when* McCarthy's miscued punch from the resulting free-kick gifted Albion a corner, they seemed to come alive.
A squall of pressure ended when LuaLua chipped a superb ball across to David Lopez on the right and his cross was met by a powerful diving header from Crofts which flew narrowly wide of the near post.
Roles were reversed next time as David Lopez made the running and passed to LuaLua for a low shot which deflected about a yard wide.
1:37pm
Albion fans amused themselves by coming up with a new song for Oscar Garcia
1:33pm
It was generally a low-key start - with a low-key atmosphere from home fans.
Drenthe won a free-kick and, with team mates expecting a cross, went for goal from the set-piece.
Kuszczak got across to ball at his near post but fumbled what looked a simple cathc and was lucky not to concede a corner.
1:27pm
Drenthe certainly had plenty of the ball in the opening exchanges.
He won a free-kick off LuaLua, which came to nothing, and also curled a cross too close to Kuszczak.
1:24pm
Reading got the ball to the dangerous Drenthe, starting on the right, in the opening minutes but Albion had two men closing him down and he ran the ball out for a goal-kick - to the delight of away fans at that end of the Madejski.*
David Lopez curled a free-kick into the Reading box but it was headed away from Ulloa - and Drenthe's subsequent overhead kick to complete the clearance turned into a through ball for Le Fondre. The striker got to the edge of the box and teid to check inside the covering Ward, who took the ball off him with a perfectly timed tackle.
Andrews was then spoken to by the referee a foul as Reading made quite a bright start.
1:19pm
Albion looking like this...
******************* ** KUSZCZAK
CALDERON* GREER* UPSON** WARD
************************ ANDREWS
***********CROFTS*************** JF-C
D.LOPEZ********************************* LUALUA
************************ *ULLOA
1:16pm
Match is in progress
1:16pm
Bridge was given a warm ovation by Albion fans when his name was read out kust before kick-off.
Albion, in all yellow, will defend the away end in the first half.
1:14pm
This has not been a happy hunting ground since then for the Seagulls, though. They have conceded 11 goals on their three most recent visits.
My information from Reading is that they have played some very good stuff in patches this season, especially here, without quite clicking as Nigel Adkins would like.
1:10pm
This is not the first time Sky have chosen to televise this fixture. They did it back in 2002-03, when Reading were chasing a place in the top flight and Albion were in relegation danger.
It led to to these memorable end-of-match scenes...
1:08pm
Although it was billed as a comfortable home win that day, Albion actually created chances to make it a lot closer. Craig Noone made a big impact off the bench as left winger. Can LuaLua do something similar from the off today?
1:06pm
Here's what happened here on Albion's most recent visits - almost two years ago....
1:05pm
Well, we started off in warm sunshine from Brighton and it got gradually colder, darker and wetter as we moved north.
We now have grey but dry skies overhead as kick-off nears.
It's a 1.15pm start today in case you were wondering.
1:03pm
Got to start with that one!
More than nine years ago now. Nicky Forster got the winner for Reading that day as it finished 3-2.
1:01pm
I'm guessing many of you following this will be doing do because you don't have access to Sky Sports. I've thought of that and will be offering you TV highlights of Reading v Albion here today.
Just not today's Reading v Albion!
12:55pm
Here we go then - the international break well and truly over and a few talking points in Oscar Garcia's line-up.
http://www.theargus.co.uk/sport/10676202.Big_day_for_Jake_as_Albion_make_changes/
Original article