Brentford 1-3 Reading FC: Player Ratings

Jonathan Bond - 6

Bond had a relatively quiet match yesterday afternoon which I suppose is a good thing. He was solid when called upon to make some routine saves and couldn't do much about Vibe's goal. His kicking was considerably less rushed and much more accurate from what we saw against the MK Dons while his general distribution was notably improved.

Chris Gunter - 6

The Welshman was another player to have a relatively quiet yet positive impact on the fixture. Like Obita, Gunter joined attacks down the flank to providing some much-needed width. However, Gunter was lucky not to receive punishment for a number of reckless fouls and needs to control his temper a little better. Other than that the right-back was competent defensively and his communication with Bond and McShane impressive.

Paul McShane - 7

McShane was less involved than Ferdinand but still put in a very solid performance. His quick feet enabled him to retain possession when under pressured while the Irishman was just as commanding in the air. The centre-back also commanded his defence well and looks a very good addition to the squad.

Anton Ferdinand - 7

The former QPR defender had a very good game yesterday. Ferdinand was physically strong in aerial battles, remained on his feet well and made a number of important interceptions. One definite positive from his display was the fact that after his interceptions he looked up with the intent to initiate a Reading counter-attack. After years of hoofball it was refreshing to see a defender get the ball down and play it, while his partnership with McShane was excellent.

Jordan Obita - 6

Obita, like Bond, was less involved in the tie against the Bees. At left-back he looked encouraging when going forward and overlapping Stephen Quinn and Hal Robson-Kanu whenever the two midfielders switched positions. A quiet but effective game for the youngster.

Danny Williams - 8

The German-American midfielder had a fantastic game in the centre of Reading's midfield. He was always involved when going forward and had some superb solo runs through the Brentford defence. He was unlucky not to score on a few occasions and his performance definitely merited a goal or two. Hopefully he can repeat these types of performances after the international break.

Oliver Norwood - 7

Much like Quinn, Norwood put in a decent display. His passing controlled Reading's attacking build-up and his defence splitting through balls nearly led to three goals in the first 20 minutes. The Northern Irishman showed just how valuable he is to the side and should to be central to any plans going forward if he can continues to play this well.

Stephen Quinn - 7

The former Hull midfielder was clever wit his passing and movement while his low centre of gravity enabled Quinn to manoeuvre out of pressure when on the ball. His tricky feet got the better of the Brentford defence on numerous occasions and gave Quinn the chance to release some accurate through balls towards Orlando Sá and Nick Blackman.

Nick Blackman - 8

It wasn't just his goals that were impressive, his general game was pretty good too. Blackman's movement on and off the ball wouldn't have looked out of place in the Premier League and his link-up play with Orlando Sá was pleasing as well.

Orlando Sá - 7

Orlando Sá will have been happy to get his first goal for Reading yesterday afternoon and his performance certainly merited a goal. However, other than his goal the Portuguese striker was pretty isolated up front which led to him coming deep to see more of the ball, leaving us light in the box. Hopefully, Steve Clarke noticed this and will look for a pacey striker to partner Sá, one that can run at opposition defenders.

Hal Robson-Kanu - 7

The Welsh winger was substituted for Garath McCleary at half-time despite a reasonably good display on the left flank, with the move later being revealed to be a slight injury niggle. Robson-Kanu's positional interchange with Stephen Quinn was admirable and the Welshman played considerably better than in recent weeks.

Substitutes

Garath McCleary - 7

'G-Mac' made a positive contribution to the team after replacing Hal Robson-Kanu at half-time. He was close to scoring after a this-way-that-way run past three defenders. His pace was again a cause of concern for the opposition and his performance reiterated how much we miss the quick Jamaican winger when he's unavailable.

Sub Two: X

'Tish' came on with just eight minutes of normal time remaining which meant he didn't really have long enough to make a big impact. His passing was accurate and he made a few decent interceptions.

Sub Three: X

Like Tshibola, Hector had very little time to make any sort of impact on the pitch. This may be a blessing in disguise as speculation has been circulating around social media suggesting he is attracting interest from Premier League clubs.

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