READING marched on relentlessly towards the Barclays Premiership last night, a facile home victory against Southampton stretching their lead at the top of the Coca-Cola Championship to 13 points. No less impressive is the 24-point buffer that they have created for themselves to third place.
For Southampton, the torment goes on. In the Premiership last season, they now barely resemble a Championship side and have as good as given up hope of even a play-offs spot. It will not have escaped their attention, either, that they lie only seven points off the relegation zone.
Yet as formidable as Reading’s advantage is, Steve Coppell, their manager, still refuses to accept that the Madejski Stadium will be hosting the likes of Chelsea, Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester United next season. If his reticence is understandable, it is becoming a tad repetitive. “It is a step closer,” was all that Coppell, after his side had extended their unbeaten league run to 32 matches, would concede. “With the situation we are in, I suppose we could relax. But we still don’t want to get beaten and that keeps us going.”
Having lost 2-1 to Birmingham City in the FA Cup on Tuesday night, Coppell made eight changes from the line-up that started at St Andrew’s and, after a tepid opening, his reinforced troops took the lead.
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Nathan Dyer collected a wayward pass from Kevin Doyle but his concentration wavered and he allowed Glen Little to dispossess him. Little sped to the byline and crossed low for Leroy Lita to guide in his fourteenth goal of the season from close range.
Southampton, who have secured only five points from ten matches since George Burley succeeded Harry Redknapp as manager in December, retaliated with vigour. Yet Grzegorz Rasiak, making his debut after moving on loan from Tottenham Hotspur, made a hash of an easy opportunity, with only Marcus Hahnemann to beat, and Alexander Ostlund headed against the woodwork from Peter Madsen’s cross.
“Had Rasiak scored, it might have been different,” Burley said. He was also miffed at Reading’s use of the multiball system, which allows them to take throw-ins and goalkicks quickly. “It’s within the rules but it gives them an unfair advantage,” Burley said. “It’s up to the referee and I asked him to do something but he only stopped it after 50 minutes.”
Southampton were breached again in the 37th minute. It came via route one — not Reading’s usual mode of play. Hahnemann launched a massive clearance, Doyle collected it, controlled it and then, despite the attention of several markers, let fly with a left-foot shot that flew past Bartosz Bialkowski for his thirteenth goal of the season.
The second half amounted to little more than a Reading victory parade, with Coppell and his players now able to rest today and watch the rest of the Championship fight it out. “I like Friday night games,” Coppell said, “and if you win, it’s doubly special. When you wake up on Saturday, having done your work, the others have still got to play. You feel quite privileged.”
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READING (4-4-2): M Hahnemann — G Murty, I Sonko, I Ingimarsson, N Shorey — G Little, S Sidwell, J Harper, R Convey (sub: S Hunt, 81min) — K Doyle, L Lita (sub: D Kitson, 76). Substitutes not used: B Gunnarsson, J Oster, G Stack.
SOUTHAMPTON (4-4-2): B Bialkowski — A Ostlund, C Lundekvam, D Powell, D Higginbotham — N Dyer (sub: A Surman, 70), R Chaplow, J Wright, D Potter — G Rasiak, P Madsen (sub: K Jones, 81).
Substitutes not used: P Smith, C Baird, D Blackstock.
Booked: Ostlund.
Referee: A D’Urso.