Match Report
| Fulham | Fulham |  |  | Reading | Reading | ||||||||||||||||
| Craig Thornburrow | Craig Thornburrow | Aleksandar Nikolov | Aleksandar Nikolov | ||||||||||||||||||
| Alvaro Burgos | A. Burgos |  | 77 | G |  | 1 | | G | 80 |  | Vegard Soltvedt | V. Soltvedt | |||||||||
| Gregory Raymond | G. Raymond |  | 77 | D |  | 2 |  | D | 73 |  | Gary Allman | G. Allman | |||||||||
| Nicholas Jones | N. Jones |  | 77 | D | | 3 | | D | 80 | | Adam Vassell | A. Vassell | |||||||||
| Steven Severs | S. Severs |  | 76 | D | | 4 | | D | 77 |  | Martin Boban | M. Boban | |||||||||
| Stan Bailey | S. Bailey | | 84 | D | | 5 | | M | 85 | | Shaun Godber | S. Godber | |||||||||
| Morris Bailey | M. Bailey | | 88 | M | | 6 | | M | 82 | | David Lawton | D. Lawton | |||||||||
| Guillermo Leon | G. Leon |  | 92 | M |  | | 7 | | M | 88 | | Stephen Mendez | S. Mendez | ||||||||
| Rui Douglas | R. Douglas |  | 80 | A | | 8 | | M | 82 | | Kemal Haynes | K. Haynes | |||||||||
| Alun Eustace | A. Eustace | | 79 | A | | 9 | | | A | 79 | | John Bishop | J. Bishop | ||||||||
| Mark Pearce | M. Pearce | | 88 | A | | 10 | | A | 80 |  | Helder Lopes | H. Lopes | |||||||||
| Eoin Newby | E. Newby | | 80 | A | | 11 | | A | 84 | | Duarte Moutinho | D. Moutinho | |||||||||
| Alexandru Codrea | A. Codrea |  | 76 | D | | 12 | | M | 80 | | Marcel Vander | M. Vander | |||||||||
| Ivo Koroglu | I. Koroglu | | 82 | M | | 13 | | M | 81 | | Danny Cottee | D. Cottee | |||||||||
| Stuart Johnstone | S. Johnstone |  | 78 | A | | 14 | | A | 83 |  | Bernard Wome | B. Wome | |||||||||
 today's match is sponsored by ALAC |
Match Report
It is a thoroughly wet and miserable day here at Craven Cottage where Fulham play host to Reading. A crowd of 19,051 fill this 21,000 capacity stadium.
The pitch is in poor condition.
Fulham are playing in a 4-2-4 formation while Reading appear to be shaped for 3-4-3.
Today's match is refereed by Marc Milligan.
The pitch is in poor condition.
Fulham are playing in a 4-2-4 formation while Reading appear to be shaped for 3-4-3.
Today's match is refereed by Marc Milligan.
0.00
0-0Fulham kick off and get the first half underway!
2.26
0-0Nicholas Jones flicks a high pass forward. Guillermo Leon controls it well on his chest. Guillermo Leon threads the ball through to Morris Bailey. Morris Bailey makes a defence splitting pass to Rui Douglas. Rui Douglas cuts inside the defence and shoots at goal but somehow Vegard Soltvedt manages to keep it out.
6.30
With great vision, Morris Bailey plays the ball forward to Eoin Newby. Eoin Newby knocks in a cross ball towards Rui Douglas. Rui Douglas gets a glancing touch on the cross ball. Solid save from Vegard Soltvedt.
8.52
Stan Bailey takes it forward alone. Stan Bailey flicks a high pass forward. Rui Douglas holds off his marker to collect the ball on his thigh. Rui Douglas tries a spectacular long range effort. Vegard Soltvedt gets down and covers it.
9.40
1-0Guillermo Leon flicks a high pass forward. Alun Eustace controls it well on his chest. Alun Eustace knocks in a cross ball towards Eoin Newby. Eoin Newby flicks the ball with his head. The ball edges just beyond the reach of the keeper, thudding into the back of the net. Goal!!
12.00
With imagination, Shaun Godber picks a pass forward to Helder Lopes. Helder Lopes whips in a cross ball towards Duarte Moutinho. Duarte Moutinho finds space and glances the ball goalwards with his head. Duarte Moutinho scores for Reading!!
15.01
1-1Adam Vassell knocks the ball to his team mate, Stephen Mendez. Stephen Mendez chips the ball to his team mate, Kemal Haynes. Kemal Haynes passes the ball forward to Stephen Mendez. Guillermo Leon comes in with a late challenge on Stephen Mendez. That's got to be a penalty! No, the referee isn't even looking in that direction!!
16.22
1-1Nicholas Jones comes in with a late challenge on Stephen Mendez. Nicholas Jones is given a warning by the referee! Stephen Mendez runs off the knock.
18.48
1-1Guillermo Leon threads the ball through to Alun Eustace. Alun Eustace lofts in a cross ball towards Eoin Newby. Eoin Newby makes a looping header on goal but it slams into the crowd!
24.47
1-1Morris Bailey clumsily knocks into Stephen Mendez. The referee calls over Morris Bailey and shows him a yellow card! Stephen Mendez hobbles a bit, but should be okay.
27.41
Steven Severs hacks John Bishop from behind! The referee brings Steven Severs to one side and gives him a warning! John Bishop runs off the knock.
28.58
Guillermo Leon hacks Adam Vassell from behind! Guillermo Leon is shown the yellow card! Adam Vassell runs off the knock.
30.45
1-1Steven Severs threads a neat ball through to Guillermo Leon. Guillermo Leon threads the ball through to Rui Douglas. Rui Douglas puts a great ball through. Eoin Newby runs beyond the defensive line but is deemed offside!
40.13
Morris Bailey brings the ball forward. Morris Bailey plays a scrappy one-two with Guillermo Leon and advances towards the goal... Morris Bailey rockets a shot on goal. The ball clips the underside of the bar and bounces just over the line. The fans cheer wildly!
44.32
With some swift thinking, Guillermo Leon plays the ball forward to Rui Douglas. Rui Douglas controls the ball perfectly and tries a long range shot on goal. The ball dips but the keeper is a match for it. Nice keeping!
45.00
The first half ends with the referee blowing his whistle!
Both teams emerge for the second half. Fulham appear unchanged since the first half. Reading also appear unchanged since the first half. The Reading players look more motivated than they were before.
45.00
Reading kick off!
49.27
Adam Vassell kicks a strong pass forward to Shaun Godber. Shaun Godber controls the ball well before passing to his team mate, Kemal Haynes. Kemal Haynes lofts in a cross ball towards Helder Lopes. Helder Lopes gets a glancing touch on the cross ball. Magnificent save by Alvaro Burgos!
51.32
Stephen Mendez flicks the ball to his team mate, Kemal Haynes. Kemal Haynes rushes past Nicholas Jones! Kemal Haynes side-steps and rifles a shot at goal. The ball curls but the keeper is able to reach it. Nice save!
54.57
Stephen Mendez hits a low pass to Kemal Haynes. Kemal Haynes shoots from long range but it is miles over!
55.23
Gary Allman knocks the ball to his team mate, Duarte Moutinho. Duarte Moutinho knocks the ball beyond the defensive line but Stephen Mendez is offside!
59.18
Shaun Godber kicks a strong pass forward to Helder Lopes. Helder Lopes runs straight at the defence! Helder Lopes comes through the middle and smashes a shot from 11 yards out but Alvaro Burgos is on top of it.
60.31
2-1Reading have made 3 substitutions with Marcel Vander replacing David Lawton, Danny Cottee replacing Shaun Godber and Bernard Wome replacing John Bishop .
61.38
Steven Severs makes a beautiful solo run. Steven Severs flicks a high ball forward to Morris Bailey who takes it down. Morris Bailey lofts in a cross ball towards Mark Pearce. Mark Pearce rises majestically and gets a header on goal. It's there!! Vegard Soltvedt has to pick the ball from the back of the net!
67.03
Showing composure, Stephen Mendez picks a pass forward to Marcel Vander. Marcel Vander whips in a cross ball towards Helder Lopes. Steven Severs catches Helder Lopes on the ankles. That's got to be a penalty! No, the referee isn't even looking in that direction!!
77.56
Guillermo Leon flicks a high pass forward. Mark Pearce controls it well on his chest. Mark Pearce knocks in a cross ball towards Alun Eustace. Alun Eustace powers a header at goal. Vegard Soltvedt didn't know what hit him as the ball comes off him at close range. The loose ball is scrambled clear by the defence.
78.36
3-1Kemal Haynes passes the ball forward to Marcel Vander. Marcel Vander knocks in a cross ball which is cleared by the defence.
81.19
Gary Allman controls the ball well before passing to his team mate, Danny Cottee. Danny Cottee flicks the ball to his team mate, Bernard Wome. Bernard Wome knocks in a cross ball towards Stephen Mendez. Stephen Mendez beats his man to it with a header. Alvaro Burgos gathers the ball up comfortably. Good keeping!
83.55
Adam Vassell kicks a strong pass forward to Bernard Wome. Bernard Wome whips in a cross ball towards Helder Lopes. Helder Lopes connects with a diving header. Magnificent save by Alvaro Burgos!
84.32
Stephen Mendez clumsily knocks into Rui Douglas. The referee calls over Stephen Mendez and shows him a yellow card! Rui Douglas hobbles a bit, but should be okay.
87.50
Stephen Mendez flicks a high pass forward. Duarte Moutinho holds off his marker to collect the ball on his thigh. Duarte Moutinho sees the keeper off his line and tries a speculative shot on goal. The ball clips the outside of the post and goes out!
90.00
The referee blows for full-time
Match Statistics
Goals
3
1
Shots on Target
8
6
Shots off Target
1
2
Offsides
1
1
Fouls
4
1
Yellow Cards
2
1
Red Cards
0
0
Possession
37.3%
62.7%
Play Area
32%
45.3%
22.7%
Scorers
Man of the Match
| The man of the match was awarded to Morris Bailey of Fulham |
Match Ratings
| 1. | Alvaro Burgos (GK) | 8 | |
| 2. | Gregory Raymond (DEF) | 6 | |
| 3. | Nicholas Jones (DEF) | 6 | |
| 4. | Steven Severs (DEF) | 6 | |
| 5. | Stan Bailey (DEF) | 6 | |
| 6. | Morris Bailey (MID) |   | 9 |
| 7. | Guillermo Leon (MID) | | 7 |
| 8. | Rui Douglas (ATT) | 6 | |
| 9. | Alun Eustace (ATT) | 7 | |
| 10. | Mark Pearce (ATT) | | 8 |
| 11. | Eoin Newby (ATT) | | 8 |
| 12. | Alexandru Codrea (DEF) | 0 | |
| 13. | Ivo Koroglu (MID) | 0 | |
| 14. | Stuart Johnstone (ATT) | 0 | |
| 1. | Vegard Soltvedt (GK) | 8 | |
| 2. | Gary Allman (DEF) | 6 | |
| 3. | Adam Vassell (DEF) | 7 | |
| 4. | Martin Boban (DEF) | 6 | |
| 5. | Shaun Godber (MID) | 7 | |
| 6. | David Lawton (MID) | 6 | |
| 7. | Stephen Mendez (MID) | | 7 |
| 8. | Kemal Haynes (MID) | 7 | |
| 9. | John Bishop (ATT) | 6 | |
| 10. | Helder Lopes (ATT) | 8 | |
| 11. | Duarte Moutinho (ATT) | | 8 |
| 12. | Marcel Vander (MID) | 6 | |
| 13. | Danny Cottee (MID) | 6 | |
| 14. | Bernard Wome (ATT) | 6 | |