A crazy match saw 5 goals, 3 different referee's and 10 minutes added time even though the board never went up.
Reading scored from a corner that was gifted to them by Martyn Margetson. 39 minutes in and a shot from distance was parried away for a corner. Why Margetson didn't catch it I don't know. It didn't look that hard a catch. Play was held up as the initial referee Warren went for treatment for a pulled hamstring and was then replaced by another official. The few minutes lost cost City their concentration and Ingimarsson rose to head home unchallenged.
It took only 3 mins for City to pull level, Langley and Lee took turns to aim at the goal before Earnie tapped in from 2 yards out. Langley's first effort was off the line before Lee put the ball into Earnie's path.
Then disaster before half time. Another cross and Dave Kitson rose highest to head Readings second. This on the stroke of half time, the ref played 20 seconds after the restart before blowing for the interval.
I said to the guy next to me after 15 mins that we want stuffing if we do not win 2 or 3 nil. Reading looked as if they were going to sit back and allow up to have a go at them. When they realised we'd make a pigs ear of trying to break them down they were able to have go back at us.
As the second half started it became obvious that Reading would use all available delaying tactics to try and see out the game 2 - 1. But again because of City's inability to perform at pace and with incision Reading were able to come out of their shell and have a go back. The stats show both sides had 12 efforts on goal. Not bad for a Reading side looking to defend.
Lee Bullock scored on his debut. He replaced Willie Boland at half time and while he was not spectacular he never missed a pass and was on hand to shoot and score from 25 yards with 18 mins remaining. Then we had more drama, the reserve referee crocked himself, bring on ref No.3. That took over 5 mins to resolve.
City pushed forward while riding their luck at the back, John Robinson turned superbly in the box and set Earnie up, only a fantastic fingertip save steered the ball away from Earnshaw tapping into the empty net.
As the 90 mins came up Richard Langley lost possession, Reading surged down the left and a perfect cross found Morgan who gave Margetson no chance with his header.
Even then we played for another 10 mins. There was last second drama. Earnie was sent through one on one with the keeper, the City striker put the ball wide but the referee had blown for full time before he hit the ball. It was literally one second before Earnie shot that the whistle went. I dread to think what would have happened if Earnie had scored and it had been dis-allowed.
So it's mid table for City. It would take an extreme set of results to see us get into the play offs and an extreme set of results to see us relegated.
At the end of the day the table doesn't lie. We are in mid table becuase we cannot win enough games. Games that are there to be won have been thrown away.
We missed Paul Parry tonight, John Robinson did well in his place but I'm afraid their was a poor performance from Langley on the right hand side.
Gabbidon was playing every position on the pitch in cavalier fashion and not really succeeding in any of them and Earnie and Lee were not getting the right sort of service.
Now of course we will go and beat Crewe and be looking at the league table again to see whether we can actually still make the play offs.
Reading did their job tonight, allowed us to run around like fools without actually doing an awful lot and they took heart from our poor defending of crosses.
I was hoping that Lee Bullock would get the winner so I could title this piece the Dog's Bullocks but instead I'm afraid because of our defending it's the Dog's Dinner we find ourselves with.