CONSTANT CRAVEN Fulham 0-1 Reading

For the third weekend in a row Reading faced London opposition and delivered a dose of Capital punishment. Getting a result at the home of middle-of-the-road rich-kids of SW6 is just the kind of business we need to be doing if we want to stay entrenched in our mid-table comfort zone, but with yesterday's result leaving us a mere point away from a Champions League place it is hard not to dream.

Once again, Reading had a large and vocal travelling support behind them as all tickets for the Putney End had sold out so a good many Berkshire folk packed out the neutral stand as well. There hasn't been much to cheer about on our travels in recent weeks so the Blue Army certainly enjoyed themselves yesterday, giving the team good backing and totally outshouting the mute home support to make it feel like a home match. And we had plenty to shout about in the early stages as we consistently got in behind the Fulham back four to pull dangerous balls back across their goal mouth, alas the finishing touch was missing throughout much of this game.

The winner came before the twenty minute mark and was a result of good work from Seol and Little with Harper providing an incisive pass to put Doyle in on Niemi at an angle. Ian Pearce had other ideas and instinctively brought down Doyle as he was about to shoot, with the net result an obvious red card and a penalty. DOYLE stepped up and sent Niemi the wrong way and we had ober an hour to try and make our lead more comfortable against a depleted side. It is to Fulham's credit as a decent footballing side and also down to our own wastefulness that we never truly had this game won until referee Gallagher's last whistle.

Gallagher himself, as if to make up for the fact that he had to give a mandatory red card to a Fulham man, tried to even things up. A month until Christmas and you'd expect Mr Gallagher to have sent his cards out already, he certainly delivered several yellow ones to Reading players yesterday. The decisions against Harper in the first half and Sonko in the second were particularly ridiculous; Sonks had his name taken for little more than a shove in the back to a Fulham man up on the halfway line. It's a man's game isn't it? We also had to suffer injuries to Sidwell and Little which hampered our progress at the footballing home of Harrods, but the replacements Gunnarsson and Oster played their part in a good, solid Reading performance with their only grumble being that we never killed the game off.

Time and time again we got to the byline and pulled the ball back where - usually - precisely no-one was waiting to pull the trigger and if you don't make the most out of such good opportunities at the top table you usually get punished. Certainly then ten men were a well-oiled outfit who tested us on ocassion with Hahnemann having to plunge low to keep out a header from his fellow american Brian McBride in the first half and Ingimarsson had to kick the danger clear early in the second after Collins John - who sounds like a Dynasty actress but is in fact a half decent footballer - had poked an effort past Hahnemann during an alarming scramble. Reading however were more than threatening down the other end in an end-to-end game mystifying devoid of finishing finesse, Seol in particular was leading Fulham a merry dance and he made the home side feel more stretched than Farepak. Doyle advanced in on Niemi and was denied at the near post whilst the ball seemed to fizz across the Fulham goal far too often without a telling finish for Floyd on Football's liking.

McBride hit an absolute howitzer late on which looked to have the trajectory but ultimately beat the upright as well as Hahnemann and we were safe, another three points takes us more than halfway towards survival now you'd expect and the Reading supporters jubilantly danced their way out of the Putney End and down the Stevenage Road into Bishops Park singing songs of praise.

Reading: Hahnemann, Murty, Shorey, Sonko, Ingimarsson, Little (Oster, 37), Sidwell (Gunnarsson, 33), Harper, Hunt, Seol (Lita, 90), Doyle. Subs not used: Federici, Bikey.

Floyd's Favourite: Seol. Will tear you apart. Again.

CHARLTON PATHETIC Reading 2-0 Charlton Athletic

It had all the ingredients of a classic Reading cock-up. Bottom of the table Charlton arrived without an away win to their name in the week in which they had sacked a manager who had lasted less than six months. Ultimately, however, we racked up what was a pretty routine easy win against dispirited opposition and in doing so moved 11 points ahead of the basement side and more importantly 9 points clear of the relegation zone into 8th place.

At the start of the season the pundits forecast heap big trouble for Reading but Big Chief Coppell insisted he had faith in his squad and as supporters we debated amongst ourselves whether we could find 3 weaker sides than us in the Premiership. Given that we have currently double the wins of fellow promotee's Sheffield United and Watford combined you'd expect that our old friends have two of those dreaded three drop zone places sewn up and on the evidence of yesterday you'd expect Charlton to finish well below a Reading side - not at their best by any means - who made light work of the Addicks yesterday.

Typical of the room and space we were afforded at our own manor yesterday was the opening goal. Hunt's backheel allowed Shorey-for-England ample opportunity to measure up a typically brilliant cross. SEOL was hopelessly unmarked 8 yards out to guide home a gift of a free header for a cheap opener and if you are conceding headed goals to our less than spring-heeled Korean then you must be a side in trouble. That's why you're going down, chorused the Reading fans in typically ungenerous mood and it was hard to argue with the sentiment as a couple of thousand Charlton fans sat in gloomy silence. Reading bossed this game throughout in truth but the performance level was never as high as against Spurs the previous week. Glen Little had an unusually quiet match and on the opposing flank Steven Hunt had his usual 98% perspiration 2% inspiration kind of game. Little put a more than presentable chance wide and another free header came Hunt's way but another good chance went begging. Doyle went clean through but failed to punish Charlton and halftime came and went with Reading well on top but only one goal to the good. Better sides will punish us for such profligacy.

Charlton's best response in an equally pathetic second half for easily the worst opposition we have faced so far was a curled effort easily gathered by Hahnemann from Dennis Rommedahl. Dennis Skinner would have carried more threat. Doyle wasted another one-on-one opportunity with unusual hesitancy and Hunt's volley from Shorey's cross was neatly executed but ultimately a rather tame effort which Scott Carson stopped. There was an air of inevitability about a second Reading goal which came with less than twenty minutes remaining as a result of high farce. The otherwise faultless Sidwell sliced his attempted shot at the edge of the area. The Charlton defenders reacted as much speed as Stephen Hawking over a cattle grid to allow DOYLE to nip in and banish all memories of his earlier wastefulness with a dink over Carson.

Murty cleared off the line at the other and but the damage had long since been done and the only other scare was when a useless fluffed cross from Ambrose almost caught Hahnemann out. Seol wrapped his foot around Lita's cross following Sidwell's dummy to send a shot high wide and about as handsome as former Charlton boss Iain Dowie whilst Hunt appeared to have been manhandled in the box by El Karkouri for an obvious penalty but referee Poll dismissed the appeal with trademark arrogance in the face of his own ineptitude. And that was that. Job done, banana skin removed safely from our path and another three points. The recent run of defeats at the hand of big budget opposition was looking a worry two weeks ago, but the best medicine for that kind of sickness is 6 points from two games. Viva le revival.

Reading: Hahnemann, Murty, Shorey, Sonko, Ingimarsson, Little (Gunnarsson, 88), Sidwell, Harper, Hunt, Seol (Oster, 88), Doyle (Lita, 75). Subs not used: Federici, Bikey.

Floyd's Favourite: Sidwell. The most dictatorial performance since Idi Amin.

SOLEMN JOL Reading 3-1 Tottenham Hotspur

The bubble has burst? You're having a laugh!

Reading shrugged off four league defeats on the spin and the concession of the opening goal in this game for a victory which was as satisfying as taking off a pair of tight shoes. It was a relief to get some points on the board and to do so in style with the best textbook example of how to come from behind this side of Brighton.

The re-introduction of Captain Marvel Murty was a big boost before the game, our right back had finally shrugged off troublesome hamstring injuries to lead his side with aplomb. The defensive 4-5-1 of last weekend was thankfully abandoned for a more familiar 4-4-2 with Seol supporting Doyle upfront. And Coppell's tinkering seemed to be working in the early stages; in each of the previous three league games - all lost - we have fallen behind inside the first fifteen minutes and been forced to chase the game, without success. Sidwell, flame-haired beacon of the Madejski midfield minefield, put Doyle through and his effort flashed across goal whilst a goaline clearance by Murty from Keane was the kind of stuff heroes are made of. It had been an entertaining first half of the first half with Reading more than holding their own, which made the Spurs opener even more disappointing.

Keane fed Ghally waltzing into the box and Sonko slid across and took out his man. Fury as referee Rob Styles, never a popular visitor to the MadStad, pointed to the spot but a stonewall certain decision in the opinion of Floyd on Football. It was a no-brainer of a decision and having no brain, Styles gave the chance for KEANE to put Tottenham ahead. Hahnemann had to save smartly from a Berbatov range-finder as Spurs momentarily looked the more likely to get the next goal. But it was Reading who crucially scored the second of the day; tricky Little fed a pass across to SHOREY who set himself up for a 25 yard pearler into the bottom corner. A glorious goal which lifted everyone.

And Spurs went in behind at half time to the gleeful acclaim of the patient Reading crowd who had not seen a home goal at the Madejski for well over 3 hours of football. The relentless Doyle earned a corner, swung in with typical Little quality for SIDWELL to crash home from 6 yards after the ball had flicked off Doyle. The comfort of a halftime lead for the first time in 6 weeks was an enjoyable experience to revisit, and the second half - which didn't always go Reading's way - was a good spectacle with Berbatov's criminally unmarked free header straight at Hahnemann, Doyle warming the palms of Robinson and substitute and perennial thorn in the Reading side Defoe being the the highlights of the half. That was until a thrilling Reading clincher which sparked an exciting final ten minutes when either side could have added to their tally.

The gamebreaker was delivered by Doyle who gave King and Dawson an uncomfortable time throughout. Hahnemann's goalkick, flicked on by lively Lita on as substitute into the past of DOYLE who finished low past England's goalkeeping buffoon Paul Robinson. This sparked the biggest mass exodus of Spurs fans since the days of Christian Gross as the away end emptied, disgruntled visitors being sent on their way with chants of cheerio cheerio cheerio ringing in their ears. The crowing Reading fans almost had more to celebrate as Lita's touch deserted him with Doyle unmarked in the middle. Leroy almost made ammends when his excellent header came back off the upright from another typically smark Shorey centre and the busy Lita made a chance which rolled behind the onrushing, determined James Harper who slumped to the floor in disappointment. Spurs responded with a Defoe cracker which came back off the inside of the post and resulted in Berbatov firing the recycled ball high into the North Stand. It was a lucky escape, but Reading had already earned their spurs.

Reading: Hahnemann, Murty, Shorey, Sonko, Ingimarsson, Little (Gunnarsson, 85), Sidwell, Harper, Hunt (Oster, 79), Seol (Lita, 74), Doyle. Subs not used: Federici, Bikey.

Floyd on Football: Sidwell. Played like the powerhouse we have missed in recent weeks.

SCOUSE NOUS Liverpool 2-0 Reading

We are on the crest of a slump. This was a much better Reading performance than of late but the defensive-minded attitude which Coppell adopted took even more edge of what attacking sharpness we have at the moment. Lining up 5-4-1 with three ex-Brentford centre-halves up against many millions of pounds worth of striking talent probably best explains why Reading have now suffered four straight league defeats in succession.

We had the best of the opening exchanges - a nice move involving Glen Little, at the hub of everything we did do well in attacking sense, left Harper with half a chance to crash an effort at goal with was blocked by Carragher. For the third game in a row, however, Reading conceded within the first quarter of an hour and were left to chase a game. Gerrard made himself time to pick out Crouch at the far post. Hahnemann came to punch but was nowhere near, leaving the freaky England striker an easy knockdown for the dutch international KUYT. If you are going to line-up defensively playing one striker you cannot afford to concede a soft goal so early on, and equally you cannot afford to wait until midway through the second half to make a change.

Hahnemann made a very good save from a Hyypia header soon after, but it was apparent that Liverpool were causing Reading all sorts of problems from almost every set-piece they were generously awarded through the home-biased incompetence of Uriah Rennie - Floyd on Football would have preferred Uriah Heep as referee, who would perhaps have been marginally less villainous. Kuyt was left with guilt-edged free headers twice in succession at the end of a drab first half as messrs Sonko and Sodje seemed to get in each others way more often than not. Too many cooks and all that.

Too often in the first half Reading sat back and allowed Liverpool's midfield to dominate. As a Premiership midfield partnership, Sidwell and Harper had about as much credibility during the first half yesterday as Trevor and Simon. The second half, to our credit, was a vast improvement on recent showings. Glen Little created perhasp the best chance early on in the second 45 minutes as his centre found Hunt lurking with intent but sadly failing to bring the ball under control with the Liverpool defence looking nervous. A penalty shout soon followed as Sodje and Gerrard jumped together, the ball appearing to hit the hand of the Liverpool man. Freekick to Liverpool - natch. Hunt almost weaved his own way through the Liverpool defence with an industrious run and another generous decision in the home side's favour soon followed as Hot Chocolate reject Rennie whistled early on for a foul on Reina as a long throw caused enough panic for the ball to be bundled into the net.

A matter of moments after that it was 2-0. Another Liverpool corner found the head of Crouch, Hahnemann woefully failed to gather and 9 million pounds worth of Dirk KUYT shouldn't and indeed didn't miss when the ball was dropped at his feet. Horse, stable door, bolted - Coppell soon made a couple of attack-minded substitutes introducing Seol and then belatedly Oster but there was no real sign of a goal-scoring response and it's now just one scored in the last four league matches. The final throes of an improved performance and another loss were played out in drab silence which was disappointingly typical of Anfield all afternoon truth be told. Our friends adjacent to us in the Anfield Road End provided a little entertainment late in the day with a few gobby scousers aiming a few choice insults in our direction as they left early to steal our hub-caps. For Floyd on Football, ever willing to put a contrary opinion despite the intervention of a friendly steward, it was a case of You'll Never Talk Alone.

Reading: Hahnemann, Gunnarsson (Seol, 79), Shorey, Ingimarsson, Sonko, Sodje (Bikey, 69), Little, Sidwell, Harper (Oster, 87), Hunt, Doyle. Subs not used: Federici, Long.

Floyd's Favourite: Little. Our most creative outlet.