Reading 0:0 QPR
I sensed early on that we could actually go on and win this game, but we just lacked that little bit of composure in the final third to create that one golden opportunity that I think we’d have taken had it arrived.
But there’s no point dwelling on what could have been, because this was a very good performance for so many reasons. It’s been a long time since I remember that I really felt like the players were playing for the shirt, or for Gareth, or maybe both!
I came away from the stadium feeling very proud that they were prepared to win as many of those 50-50 tackles as possible and it really meant something to them.
We were playing 4-5-1 again, which seemed sensible given Reading’s home form but we looked a lot more balanced out there. This is the type of defensive performance you want; full of passion and with a tempo that let the opposition know that they were in for a game and that we were ready to pounce if we could.
But we were more balanced too. Martin Rowlands looked a lot better in the holding midfield role and we retained the ball and possession much more freely as a result. Sure, we never really fashioned out any serious chances on goal, but on another day, some of the long range strikes may have come off.
I thought Samuel Di Carmine did well and showed a different type of style to how Dexter Blackstock plays in that system. Di Carmine seems to have a little more tactical movement though Dexter offers more threat in the air at this time. Daniel Parejo also plays better off the frontman, and he can be pleased with his shift even if he did tire a little towards the end.
I thought Mikele Leigertwood was superb at right-back and he set the tone for the team, winning several tackles and along with the others, wasn’t afraid to put his foot in. Stephen Hunt didn’t get a look in all game and even swapped to the other wing for a little bit in the first-half. We seem to have a thing for right-back’s and caretaker manager’s… when Mick Harford was in charge in his first game away to Colchester, he stuck Rowlands there in a surprise move.
With Matthew Connolly being at left-back, we definitely made better use of the ball from our full-back positions and is something that I’ve been going on about for a while. Even Fitz Hall played some lovely inside passes to feet rather than the switch pass he tends to opt for. But the full-backs being better passers definitely helped us maintain our shape and helped with our ball retention too.
Lee Cook wasn’t quite on his game and was a little slugglish and sloppy at times, but really all it needed was him or someone else to sparkle a little and we may well have made that clear cut chance we were looking for. Akos Buzsaky was a little more threatening and I did like the moments he picked and chose to come infield, but we could have got him on the ball in more effective positions to make better use of him.
Still, I’m not going to pick on those details. The defensive display was excellent and Gareth Ainsworth has every right to be proud of the way the team responded in what is obviously a difficult time for us right now.
It was a very good point and a performance full of spirit. Perhaps we didn’t deserve to win the match, but by the same token, we didn’t deserve to lose either and was definitely a performance that everybody at the club should be pleased with as it’s a good platform to build on for Tuesday against Birmingham.
