Kitson Fails to Uncork Clarets

By Longsider
October 4 2004

The game against Reading was one of the big fixtures in the Championship and we can now bring you some press reports that covered the game.

COPPELL LEFT FRUSTRATED

Daily Telegraph

Steve Coppell celebrates a year in charge of Reading this week and, despite yesterday's disappointing draw with Burnley, can look back on 12 months of steady progress.

Few expected the side he inherited from West Ham-bound Alan Pardew to be in such an elevated position at this stage of the campaign after winning their first five home games. Burnley's astute young manager Steve Cotterill was well aware of this and could be forgiven for basing his tactics on a rock-like defence. His game plan was vindicated by another solid showing by his side.

One big disappointment for Reading - or at least their chairman John Madejski - was the number of seats left unfilled in the stadium that bears his name. He had spent the latter part of the week trying to rouse the Berkshire public by banging the drum in the local media about his club's early-season form.

Perhaps the fans had noticed that they were up against one of the meanest defences in the division, Burnley having conceded only a solitary goal on their travels to date. John McGreal, a summer import from Ipswich, soon gave evidence of their obduracy by blocking Dave Kitson's path in uncompromising fashion.

With only the accomplished Robbie Blake up front, the visitors posed little threat until the Senegalese defender Ibrahima Sonko, deputising for injured Wales international Adrian Williams, inadvertently presented the ball to Blake but his shot lacked venom.

Kitson thundered wide at the other end almost immediately but the concern for Coppell must have been the absence of any composure in his side's build-ups. There was also hesitancy at the back where Sonko once again miskicked to let in Blake whose attempted lob landed on the roof of the net.

Reading at last strung a fluid move together just past the hour, Paul Brooker's final pass setting up Nicky Forster whose drive cannoned back off Danny Coyne's legs. Burnley responded with a swift break that saw Ian Moore almost get on the end of a near-post cross and Moore then forced a diving stop from Marcus Hahnemann. It might well have been a travesty if Cotterill's well-drilled troops had sneaked victory. But an inability to penetrate a massed defence will be a worry for Coppell.

Kitson fails to uncork Clarets

Independent

Reading were forced to sacrifice their place at the top of the Coca-Cola Championship table after being thwarted by a stubborn defensive performance by Burnley at the Madejski Stadium.

Reading were simply unable to break down Burnley's back-line, although striker Dave Kitson came closest for the home side with a late header disallowed for offside.

Persistent pre-match drizzle and the absence of injured captain Adie Williams did not dampen the spirits of a sparse crowd, with the club sitting sp pretty at the start of the day.

Nicky Forster and Kitson, the Reading front pairing, have run roughshod over rival defences this season, netting 13 goals between them. In complete contrast Burnley have based a surprise push towards the promotion places on the second tightest defence in the division.

The match started nervously with Micah Hyde's quick feet and vision initially helping to push Reading back, but the home side were presented with the first clear-cut chance when Kitson controlled a long ball only to see his effort saved by Danny Coyne.

Kitson then headed straight at Coyne from point-blank range before strike partner Forster blazed over wastefully after piercing Burnley's defence with a 30-yard run.

Burnley's Richard Chaplow forced Marcus Hahnemann into his first save of the game with a low shot on 23 minutes before Robbie Blake blasted over after a mistake by the leaden-footed Ibrahima Sonko. Kitson fired inches over for Reading from 40-yards, but Burnley had the better of the play in the closing moments before half-time.

Chaplow and Blake were the persistent, biting engine-room behind Burnley's early dominance after the interval, but it was Jean-Louis Valois who almost put the visitors in front with a on 55th-minute miss from too tight an angle.

Reading sparked into life on the hour when Forster fed James Harper, whose low shot was blocked away. Sonko then headed wide with a brave diving effort.

The closing 10 minutes were hectic as both sides fought for the win, within Reading coming the closest. Firstly Kitson headed home a Nicky Shorey cross only for the goal to be disallowed for offside, before Harper had a shot from 12-yards blocked away by a despairing lunge from Mo Camara. Honours even.

Reading 0 Burnley 0

Sporting Life

Reading relinquished their 100% home record, and with it their status as league leaders, as they were held to a draw by Burnley at the Madejski Stadium.

Only Ipswich have scored more goals on their own turf in the Championship than Reading, but the Royals' failure to find a way past a Burnley rearguard that is rapidly becoming recognised as one of the most sturdy in the country allowed Wigan to usurp them at the top of the table.

If a draw broke a sequence of five wins from five league matches for Reading, travelling Burnley fans are becoming accustomed to a 0-0 scoreline, having seen four out of six away games finish goalless.

Manager Steve Cotterill will take considerable pleasure from the fact that the Clarets have been breached just once in nine hours' football on opposition soil, but a solitary goal at the other end represents scant value for their supporters.

Dave Kitson and Nicky Forster - boasting a combined tally of 11 goals this season - were kept at bay, if not comfortably then without undue alarm, while Robbie Blake wasted Burnley's best chance in the first half.

Reading's frustration was underlined when Kitson handled the ball into the net late on, an act which earned him a yellow card.

Though Reading enjoyed the majority of the possession, they had only a deflected Kitson shot to show for their efforts in the first quarter of an hour.

Jean-Louis Valois, who sent a volley wide from just outside the penalty area, wasted Burnley's best chance while Forster blazed over the crossbar when well placed.

Burnley goalkeeper Danny Coyne was forced into a save by Ibrahima Sonko, but he was largely untroubled in an opening period containing precious few moments of quality.

Marcus Hahnemann, Coyne's opposite number, was called into action by Richard Chaplow midway through the half and a poor ball from Sonko allowed Ian Moore to feed Blake, who cut inside before sending a left-foot shot high into the stand.

Kitson responded for Reading with a low 25-yard drive past Coyne's left-hand upright, but it was a measure of the lack of guile going forward from both sides that that represented the last attempt on goal in the first half.

Burnley demonstrated renewed purpose upon the restart, Graham Branch shooting wide and Blake rounding Hahnemann before shooting into the side-netting from a tight angle.

Reading, however, went closest to breaking the deadlock just after the hour when Coyne's fine save with his legs kept out Forster's goalbound effort.

Sonko was on hand to clear the danger after Hahnemann failed to hold on to Moore's shot, while Blake tested Hahnemann before Kitson's illegal attempt was ruled out.

But for Hahnemann's fine save to deny John McGreal in the last minute, Reading would have come away with nothing.

Teams

Reading Hahnemann, Murty, Shorey, Sonko, Ingimarsson, Brooker (Convey 72), Sidwell, Harper, Hughes (Little 69), Kitson, Forster (Goater 78).

Subs Not Used: Young, Newman.

Booked: Sidwell, Kitson.

Burnley Coyne, Duff, Camara, McGreal, Sinclair, Valois, Chaplow, Hyde, Branch, Blake, Moore.

Subs Not Used: Jensen, O'Neill, Grant, Duffy, Sanokho.

Booked: Camara, Duff.

Att: 15,400

Ref: A Penn (W Midlands).