Monday 30th April 2012 ko 6pm

Reading League Senior Division

SOUTH READING 3 (Lyden 37 86 A Kingsbeer 90)

COOKHAM DEAN 1 (Lennon 41)

Att 32 (h/c)

Entry FREE

No Programme

It’s fair to say that Whitley Wood isn’t the most salubrious part of Reading. In fact when I entered the Reading half marathon, and my ex-wife discovered that the race starts here, she commented that was because no-one in their right mind would run towards the place. Not that there’s anything much wrong with the facilities on the Basingstoke Road, a clubhouse, car park and a roped off pitch. At this level, what else do you need? There was also a the backdrop of Reading FC Madjeski stadium as a backdrop. I do like the small game/big ground visual gag!

This was a game with something riding on it too, as South Reading with 3 games left were 8 points from leaders Westwood, who’ve finished their fixtures. Also in the mix are Woodcote/Stoke Row who are 6 points behind with 2 to play. I’d seen South Reading before, winning easily away at Bisham Abbey against Marlow United. That day they’d featured former Farnborough bad boy Ray Spence, and they won that day at an arrogant canter. That was a division down, bizarrely called the “Premier Division” and it was clear at the outset that the arrogance has disappeared now they’re not winning every game easily. Spence incidentally is now at Reading Town.

In fact while this game was eventually won, and won well, it was as much down to profligate finishing from Cookham Dean then any great superiority on the hosts part. Chief culprit for the visitors was Xavi Etienne who miss a hat trick of gilt-edged  chances IN EACH HALF. Ben Lyden eventually opened the scoring for the hosts who were were almost immediately pegged back by Cookham’s John Lennon; it was all coming together nicely as a spectacle.

But then the ideas just stopped. The game needed an inspiration and it came from Ben Lyden. A decent cross arrived from the right, and he did well to steer the ball into the net. He was immediately substituted due to work commitments, and he just got changed when referee Peter Hitt gave a great advantage to allow Adam Kingsbeer to race through in stoppage time to give the score a slightly flattering feel.