Sport: Local and national sport in and around Watford - Watford Observer

Reading vs Watford

• Kick off: 3:00pm Sat 26 Sep 09
• Referee: Mark Haywood
• Venue: Madejski Stadium

Final score:

Reading 1 - 1 Watford

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96:00: Final whistle Watford survived the late onslaught to secure a well-earned draw

91:00: Rasiak has a tame header saved by Loach

90:00: Injury times starts with Doyley making a crucial interception after a flick on from Hunt just before Robson-Kanu was set to arrive

87:00: Substitution Jon Harley on for Tom Cleverley

85:00: Red card Ellington has been sent off after a mistimed tackle in his own half. The initial yellow coming for blocking the goalkeeper

83:00: Kebe's cross was headed goalwards by Robson-Kanu but it hit the roof of the net

81:00: Ellington showed good skill to beat Ingimarsson on the edge of the area but his shot was always unlikely to beat Federici at his near post

79:00: Cleverley dispossed in his own half and Cummings ran to the edge of the Watford box before shooting, but effort saved easily by Loach

68:00: Substitution Jobi McAnuff for Noel Hunt and Hal Robson-Kanu for Brian Howard

67:00: A lovely cross from Eustace picks out Graham free in the box and the striker loops his header over Federici

67:00: Goal! Goal for Watford and it is Super Danny Graham again

66:00: Ellington won a corner after good build up with Graham but Cleverley's ball was cleared

63:00: Substitution Nathan Ellington for Lansbury

60:00: Former Hornet Brynjar Gunnarsson bundled his way through three players and after a penalty appeal for hand ball against Hodson, the midfielder's cleared cross was volleyed well wide by Howard

54:00: Substitution Former Hornet Brynjar Gunnarsson on for Gylfi Sigurdsson

52:00: Cleverley smashed a volley into the ground and after a deflection, Eustace found himself free in the box eight yards out but his own volley hit the bar and he was unable to bundle the ball in. The midfielder then seemed to dive but the ref wasn't buying it

50:00: Steady build up from Reading sees left back Ryan Bertrand shot over the near post from 20 yards

48:00: Cleverley has another shot from distance staright at the keeper and is easily saved but the visitors have started the stronger

47:00: Graham won a very tame free kick 30 yards out but Cleverley's free kick was weak and straight into the arms of Federici

46:00: Second half has started

45:00: Half time Half time. Reading started strongly but there is not a lot to seperate the two sides and Watford finished the half the stronger

45:00: Cleverley tees up Cowie but again his shot is blocked but a wild tackle from McAnuff gives Watford a free kick deep into Reading's half. Cowie's cross is flicked out for a corner but this is cleared and it is half time

45:00: In injury time, Watford put a smart move together but Cowie was adjudged to be offside. Had he not been, he would have been free to slip the ball across the goal to the unmarked Graham to score

43:00: Lansbury works enough space to get a shot away from the corner of the box but it is deflected into the arms of Federici

39:00: Loach can only parry Howard's low shot but the England Under-21 keeper gathered the second ball before the on-coming forwards

38:00: Cummings again gets forward from right back and the former Chelsea youngster delivers an excellent deep cross for Rasiak but Loach saves his header easily

35:00: Graham wins the initial header from Loach's kick and a knock down from Cleverley sees Graham shoot from 22 yards and it narrowly misses the far post

31:00: Good build up play from Watford creates space for Jenkins to shoot but it is well wide

28:00: A Watford corner by Cleverley is almost met by the diving Mariappa but it is deflected out for another corner. The second effort is eventually cleared at the fifth attempt

24:00: Reading corner is cleared by Lansbury and the resulting cross from Kebe by Mariappa

21:00: Kebe wins the ball off Doyley as the Watford full back tries to let the ball run out of play and Cummings sends in a deep right-footed cross which Rasiak heads on to the roof of the net

18:00: The game has quietened down now but an update on the songs front, the latest is to the 'Football coming home' and starts with 'Brendan's full of ....' I'll let you work out the rest

14:00: Good build up from Reading sees McAnuff switch the ball to Kebe and his cross can only be paried by Loach but Cathcart clears

13:00: A blocked Lee Hodson cross leads to another Watford corner but when it is cleared, Tom Cleverley smashes it into Row Z

10:00: Cowie corner is headed goalwards by Cleverley and cleared inside the six yards box for another corner but this time it is cleared

7:00: Another attack down the left sees the ball put into the box and Rasiak controls the ball and then from ten yards out fires a left foot shoot into the roof of the net

7:00: Goal! Rasiak has scored for Reading

3:00: McAnuff again causes problems and a cross from Howard is headed goalwards by Rasiak and Loach can only parry the ball in the air. The ball isn't cleared and Sigurdsson drags a shot from close range against the post and it is eventually cleared

1:00: McAnuff bursts down the left and pulls the ball back to Howard, who lays it off to Sigurdsson and he fires over

0:00: The game has kicked off with the Watford fans chanting 'If you all hate Rodgers clap your hands' and another one-worded song which I obviously cannot repeat

0:00: The Watford fans are doing their club proud so far. There has been almost continuous singing for the past ten minutes whereas Reading have yet to sing a single song. Lets hope the players match that support on the field

0:00: Malky Mackay has named an unchanged line-up for today's game against Reading after Heidar Helguson failed to recover in time. Helguson was unable to shake off the calf injury he sustained against Leicester City so it will once again be Henri Lansbury who partners Danny Graham upfront. The experienced old head of John Eustace will be in alongside Ross Jenkins in the centre of midfield, with Manchester United youngster Tom Cleverley and Don Cowie either side of them. As expected, Jay DeMerit is still suffering from an eye infection so Adrian Mariappa will captain the side at the heart of the defence, allowing 17-year-old Lee Hodson to keep his place at right back for the sixth consecutive game. Jobi McAnuff will make his debut for Reading following his move from Watford after playing 60 minutes for the Reserves midweek. Grzegorz Rasiak, who spent last season on loan at Watford, is also in the starting XI however. Reading: Federici; Cummings, O'Dea, Ingimarsson, Bertrand; Karacan, Sigurdsson, Howard; Kebe, Rasiak, McAnuff. Subs: Hamer, Mills, Gunnarsson, Tabb, Hunt, Church, Robson-Kanu. Watford: Loach; Hodson, Mariappa, Cathcart, Doyley; Cleverley, Jenkins, Eustace, Cowie; Lansbury; Graham. Subs: Lee, Harley, Bennett, Bryan, Hoskins, Sordell, Ellington.

0:00: Heidar Helguson has failed to make this afternoon's clash with Brendan Rodgers' Reading. The teams have yet to be announced but the Watford Observer understands that Helguson is still suffering with the calf injury he picked up against Leicester City and will miss out today. The Hornets legend, who is on a three-month loan from QPR, had an MRI scan on Wednesday and manager Malky Mackay said on Thursday that he hoped the striker would recover in time.