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Reading returned to the Mad Stad in league action, and what was billed as the acid test of the season against a high flying Boro side on a 7 game league and cup winning streak. After 15 seconds a bullet header from Danny Williams virtually settled the game and gave Reading a deserved win. The reaction from the Boro' faithful was predictable, mostly concerning the referee and team selection and a couple of digs at "that song".
Social
Most of the comments from the Twittersphere largely surround the team selection. Aitor Karanka might be from the Jose Mourinho school of football, but his team choice did leave a few of the Boro' fans scratching their heads in confusion. The best is below...
I hope Karanka has a decent excuse for leaving the likes of Nugent and Adomah on the bench. #frustrated #UTB
— Claire Bloomfield (@DifferentClaz) October 3, 2015
If Kike in for Nugent is down to injury, fair enough. If it's Aitor trying to out think football again then he should be sectioned #borolive
— Paul Edwards (@pjeuk) October 3, 2015
We need to keep this good run going so he drops nugent and adomah. Good one aitor #borolive
— Dan Christlow (@Dan_Christlow) October 3, 2015
So before the game there are questions – after 15 seconds……..
Doh! 14 seconds on the clock and Reading lead 1-0. Nightmare start for the Boro. Need to wake up. #UTB
— Lynne Pape (@lynne_pape) October 3, 2015
Understatement of the year award...
Have I missed anything? #borolive
— Boro_Hamster (@BoroHamster) October 3, 2015
Reading have the most shots on target and the meanest defence. I suppose that puts this comment into perspective!
The Reading launrdy woman loves us. No need to wash their GK shirt. #borolive
— Nikeboro (@Nikeboro) October 3, 2015
Seems like the ball boys (and girls) had the easiest job of the day
The ball boys behind the Reading goal have been the rest of the afternoon off #borolive
— Paul Edwards (@pjeuk) October 3, 2015
The Ref! The Ref! My kingdom for a decent Ref
We've had three handballs waved away, first chance he has he gives them a penalty. Homer-tastic. #borolive
— jamie d (@jamspangle) October 3, 2015
I'm assuming Reading players need to handle the ball with both hands for ref to give a penalty.... that's 2 handballs in the box #borolive
— ROJOR (@ROJORMUSIC) October 3, 2015
It seems that the whole of the football world has an opinion on "that song"
Must be time to give this another spin, the cheesetastic Eurovision entry from Madejskistan http://t.co/woZxlWi62V #NulPoints #borolive
— anthony vickers (@untypicalboro) October 3, 2015
(Ed, can we run a campaign for this to be our Eurovision Entry?)
However this is a little harsh!
'13 Reading Fans'. This following on from their club anthem... Cringiest team in England? #royals #readingfc #utb pic.twitter.com/15hL5SGuIo
— Infant Hercules (@MFCHercules) October 3, 2015
Seems tho there is still a little faith in Boro from their fans
"@_katieliv: Disappointing but not the end of the world, onwards and upwards! #utb" Still walk the league, if Karanka stops changing team
— Steven O'Sullivan (@StevenOSulliva4) October 3, 2015
Media
Given that we are just under a quarter of the way through the season (well give or take a few games!), a meeting of two sides in the top 4 positions was going to generate a bit of coverage in the news outlets.
The one thing I love about a Danny Williams goal is that the Americans quickly jump onto it and we get coverage! This week Soccer America Daily say that Danny scored what was the winning goal after 11 seconds in a 2-0 win. OK, pause reading this article and just think about that for one second… The Irish Examiner also do a piece highlighting Paul McShane’s contribution to the team.
OK, back to sensible reporting! Starting with the mainstreams, and the Daily Mail - it seems that we are fast becoming a favourite of theirs as they continue to give us good write-ups. The Guardian are getting totally on the Reading bandwagon, with their comment that "there was a sense that something special could be developing".
The press in the North East don’t pull any punches with the Tees Gazette calling it disappointing and that Boro’ didn’t really make us work for it, whilst the Yorkshire Post pick up on Aitor Karanka’s comment about not conceding early. The Northern Echo also echo(!) this, highlighting Reading’s affinity for quick starts.
Looking at the national outlets then, Sky Sports as always have their video roundup, and I must say viewing that – it was some pretty nifty work from Hal Robson-Kanu to set up Danny Williams. They go on to to make comments about the pace running through the team. The BBC’s effort is a little dry, mainly sound bites to the game itself, but they do say that we are full of confidence and carry the now well-repeated quote from Karanka about not conceding in the first minute!
A few other outlets to mention; Clubcall lead with Clarke telling the players and the fans not to get carried away, Sporting Life are very similar although they call it a comfortable win. Football League World say that it was a convincing win from a solid Reading side and Shoot give us 5 lines!
As always, don't forget to check out our own The Tilehurst End and Get Reading for all things Reading FC including video, stats and verdicts! Finally, on the Football League Website we feature in their "6 talking points from the weekend" article - yep, you guessed it, a certain American scoring after 15 seconds!
That’s it for this week and I will be back after the Charlton game with all that’s being said on social media and the media world, hopefully reporting on a Reading side that’s in an automatic slot!