JEEPERS KEEPERS Non-league friendly fun

Reading began their preparations for the Premiership on Friday night with a comprehensive swatting of Southern League Didcot Town which felt a little like jogging to the corner shop to get your newspaper in readiness for tackling the London Marathon.

A strong side triumphed 9-1 in South Oxfordshire having actually fallen behind. With tricky winger Seol Ki-Hyeon debutising down the left flank Reading led 3-1 by half time with Gunnarsson turning in Seol's centre for the equaliser and strike partners Kitson and Doyle getting into the groove with a goal apiece. There were more changes to the Reading team at half time than the Seria A fixture list with an entirely different outfield line-up forcing in another 6 goals to complete a satisfactory evening's work; Lita back from his ankle injury looked lively and greedily gobbled up 4 goals with young livewire Shane Long helping himself to a couple.

A somewhat weaker and less experienced squad travelled to Bromley and ground out a 1-0 win with a goal courtesy of 3rd choice goalkeeper Adam Federici. Following an injury to Aaron Brown and with all the outfield subs having been used, Federici was thrown up front and (according to Floyd on Football's man at the game) beat his man to finish tidily into the corner for our solitary score. The warm-up matches come thick and fast now with a visit to Rushden & Diamonds on Wednesday and fixtures with Northampton, Millwall and Swindon within the next fortnight.