Destination Mad Stad for weary Saddlers.

By 4two
January 12 2003

A home tie against Wimbledon and the realistic prospect of making it in to the fifth round awaits the winner of the tie. The last game was an unexciting encounter played out on a substandard playing surface. Rest assured this game should be a lot more entertaining than the last.

Reading Vs Walsall
Competition : FA Cup Round 3 (Replay) Date, Time & Location: 14.1.03 - 8.00pm - Madeski Stadium, Reading.
Tickets: The tickets are reasonably priced at £15 Adults, and £10 Concessions (Incl Students). It is not all ticket, and you can buy one when when you get their. Its hard to say what kind of crowd may turn up with it being a replay, and on an evening.
	Directions (Road): From the North join the M4 or take the A34 from Oxford. From all directions turn off the M4 at junction 11, and head along the A33 towards Reading. If you're coming from the South then take the A33 which runs North into Reading. In the summer of 1999 the new A33 relief was, at last, completed - which means in a matter of minutes (well less than the hour it took last season) you'll find yourself driving straight towards the stadium. The A33 runs right past the ground so you can't go wrong. If you're coming from the M4 direction just keep in the left hand lane and when you hit the ground take the first left up the hill if you're parking at the ground. Click on the map on the right for a bigger map. For available car parking information see below - the official car park at the stadium is always sold out in advance now. (www.royals.org)
News: Leitao is back, and it is likely that Lee will make plenty of changes. Corica should come back in the side and either Carbon or Hay be left on the bench if we revert back to a 4-4-2. Birch is certainly out, and Junior will certainly partner Leitao. It will be interesting to see what kind of role Emblen plays
News: , Murty, Williams, Hughes and Henderson are all giving Pardew selection problems, as they have been carrying knocks in recent weeks. With a number of quality strikers Pardrew seems to be rotating them. Forster sat out the last cup game, while it was Cureton turn against the Owls on Saturday...Who will it be this time?
Forward Focus - Forster Vs Junior
Nicky Forster 10 Junior 25 7 Goals 8 21 Games Played 21 0.33 Goals Per Game Av. 0.38 5  Games Scored In 7 4 Games Scored 1 Gls 6 0 Games Scored 2 Gls 1 1 Games Scored 3 Gls 0 2 Scoring Run (games) 2 9 Dry Spell (games) 6
one2watch: Jimmy Walker will want to get back to business after last Saturdays unfortunate mistake against Wolves.  In 10 seasons at the Bescot fans have never seen the keeper make such a mistake with his kicking. The fans still back Jimmy, as does Colin Lee.
one2watch: After an unsuccessful spell at Fulham Marcus Hahnemann moved to the Bescot in the summer for a trial, the two parties were unable to come to an agreement, and Marcus must have known that it was going to be tough to dislodge player of the season Jim Walker from between the sticks. He moved on Reading where he has become a firm favourite with the fans, and is playing an important part in their play off push.
The Last 10 Games.... Reading       Walsall Ven Versus Pos A 2 - 3 Sheff Wed L 23 H 2 - 1 Derby W 15 A 0 - 2 Coventry L 9 A 0 - 2  Forest L 3 H 0 - 2 Sheff United L 7 H 0 - 0 Portsmouth D 1 A 1 - 0 Brighton W 24 A 1 - 0  Palace W 11 H 1 - 0 Watford W 5 A 1 - 0 Gillingham W 12 Ven Versus Pos H 0 - 1 Wolves L 10 A 1 - 1 Nottm Forest D 5 A 2 - 3 Ipswich L 16 H 0 - 1 Sheff United L 5 A 1 - 2 Norwich L 4 H 2 - 0 Wimbledon W 11 H 3 - 1 Grimsby W 21 A 2 - 3 Portsmouth L 1 H 1 - 0 Gillingham W 15 A 2 - 3 Wimbledon L 15
Last Time 0-0 4/1/02 - FA Cup Third Round.
The Verdict: It would be nice to get an away win under our belts, it could really boost confidence and allow us to get our season back on track after a recent run of bad form. The Royals lost out to Sheffield Wednesday at the weekend, a game that saw Martin Butler grab his first goal since August. Both sides will have something prove, it could well come down the keepers again who have been highlighted as the ones2watch by TheSaddlersFC. Its extra time and penalties if it ends up all square, and we are expecting a late night!
PREDICTION:  Reading 0-0 Walsall (aet) (Saddlers win on penalties)
What do the Reading Say? 1871.net