Coppell Load of That, United

According to reports, Reading manager Steve Coppell was a little disappointed that in the end his side had to settle for a point against the mighty Manchester United, the club with whom he made his name as a player. It shows how far Reading have come and how quickly they have adjusted to life in the rarefied atmosphere of the Premiership.

In this game, however, that adjustment was not apparent at the start. Understandably, it took Reading around 18 minutes to come to terms with who they were playing and to acknowledge their right to be there and to compete with one of the most famous football clubs in the world. During this period, Coppell sat in the stand, trying to look calmer than he felt as United dominated the early exchanges and Rooney twice came close to giving them the lead – first with a quick turn and shot in the second minute and later with a rather weaker effort from Ronaldo’s pass. It was a precarious time, full of insecurity – a time when goalkeeper Marcus Hahnemann in particular was so overawed he conducted himself with all the assurance of a rookie pilot caught in a cluster of enemy searchlights.

Then little by little Reading grew in confidence and composure as they defended effectively and began to impose their neat methodical football on their illustrious opponents. Half time came and at 0-0 Reading fans began to dare to hope, then within two minutes of the restart their prayers were answered. United skipper Gary Neville handled the ball and Kevin Doyle (who had missed a good chance from Bobby Convey’s cross earlier in the game) made no mistake from the spot. For a time, the unimaginable seemed possible, until with less than 20 minutes remaining the much booed, but nevertheless brilliant, Ronaldo cut in from the left and beat Hahnemann with a powerful right foot shot into the far corner to save United’s blushes.