Six Is The Magic Number

The Royals returned to winning ways in somewhat spectacular fashion with today`s mauling of West Ham United. For the first time in well over a decade, and the first since moving to the Madejski Stadium, the mighty Reading put six goals past their hapless opponents, who were, in truth, lucky to escape without the score being stretched even further.

On a day in which Reading fans will have waved away the greatest year in the club`s history with a saddened but overly proud look on their faces, the team ensured that 2007 got off to the best possible start in their attempts to surpass what was achieved during the calendar of 2006.

Returning home after two extremely testing away trips, and having not taken maximum points since claiming the scalp of Bolton Wanderers back in early December, it was clear what the doctor was ordering for his first fixture of the new year; and with Nicky Shorey and Steve Sidwell taking turns in conducting the onslaught, the doctor would get exactly as he pleased.

Ironically it was the visiting Hammers who started the game the brighter of the two teams. After a neat passing move Lee Bowyer made his way into the Reading area but goalkeeper Marcus Hahnemann saved his tame shot comfortably, despite the fact he dived the opposite way. Irons` skipper Nigel Reo-Cocker then hit a shot directly at Hahnemann soon after.

Leroy Lita, having scored in each of his last two games, unselfishly teed up Steve Sidwell for the Royals` first attempt on goal but the commanding midfielder fired over from 30 yards.

In the twelfth minute, however, Brynjar Gunnarson cranked open the rusty floodgates to score his first ever Premiership goal.

Welsh defender Danny Gabidon`s over-enthusiastic hold on Kevin Doyle rewarded the Royals with a crossing opportunity from a set piece on the right hand side. With Nicky Shorey and Glen Little standing over the ball, the former sent an inviting delivery sailing into the box, to which Icelandic midfielder Gunnarsson applied the perfect nodded finish and put his jubilant team ahead, securing the first of the day`s many goals.

The home crowd had barely finished celebrating their side`s first when they were prompted into jumping back up from their seats and joining Stephen Hunt in marking his first goal in the top flight just three minutes later.

Again, good work from Kevin Doyle was the catalyst as his tenacious play found Glen Little on the right-hand touchline. The Royals winger played a delicately chipped-pass into the run of Sidwell who stood a near-perfect ball up at the back stick. It was from here that Hunt would apply the unlikeliest of headed finishes, guiding the ball past a stranded Robert Green.

West Ham simply had no answer for the rampant Royals, and the their afternoon took a considerable turn for the worse when midfielder Bowyer suffered a dislocated shoulder and had to be replaced by Shaun Newton, back from a seven-month drugs ban. Doyle then tried his luck from range but dragged his shot narrowly wide.

In the 29th minute their day would get worse still. From another Nicky Shorey free kick, this time whipped in towards the near post, calamity defender Anton Ferdinand headed through his own net, under pressure from the towering Ibrahima Sonko, to push the deficit up to three.

Minutes later the Royals were again on the attack as the whole team were seemingly queuing up for a slice of scoresheet cake. Irish winger Stephen Hunt floated a brilliant ball across the box after turning his marker inside out, and but for a deflection from Danny Gabidon, Glen Little would have too netted his first Premier League strike.

At the opposite end of the field, Israeli captain Yossi Benayoun`s desperate penalty appeal was turned down after going to ground from a challenge by Hunt.

In clinical fashion the Royals then made the score 4-0 inside thirty-five minutes. The fantastic Nicky Shorey collected a loose ball halfway down the park, before venturing on a mazy run past a number of visiting players. Upon breaching the penalty area, Shorey unselfishly slid the ball through to James Harper who fizzed a dangerous cross speeding across the face. With both Leroy Lita and Kevin Doyle on hand to apply the finish at the back post, it was the Irishman who was the quicker to react as he prodded the ball home with a simple side-footed conclusion.

Going in at the break 4-0 to the good was certainly a luxury the Royals don`t experience too often, but all the signs were pointing to a very encouraging half of football that had almost come to be expected here at the Madejski Stadium during 2006.

West Ham manager Alan Curbishly sent his wounded troops out with a clear message after the interval – damage limitation. The replacement of striker Marlon Harewood, the club`s leading goalscorer of the past two seasons, with defender Jonathan Specter, certainly highlighted this approach to the second half.

Displaying an obvious hunger for more, Reading began the half in complete control of their opponents. With 52 minutes played, Leroy Lita decided it was time to continue his goalscoring run and duly hit the onion bag for his side`s fifth of the day.

Some brilliant work from Doyle down the right allowed Steve Sidwell to get forward, and the midfielder crossed low into the area. Lita showed great anticipation to reach the ball ahead of the Hammers defence, and stabbed the ball goalwards. Robert Green, who was required to retrieve the ball from his net just the four times when his Norwich side were brushed aside here at the Madejski last season, was unable to keep the ball out as it spun off his arm and clearly crossed the line.

With the game seemingly out of sight, Steve Coppell took the opportunity to give Sonko and Little a well-deserved rest, with Andre Bikey and John Oster their respective replacements for the remaining half an hour.

With his first contribution to the game, Oster almost created a sixth for Lita. Sidwell, who didn`t put a foot wrong for the whole match, found the winger with an excellent cross-field ball on the half volley. Oster, with oceans of space ahead of him, raced clear and played an enticing ball on the angle. His pass was a fraction too strong, which allowed Green to smother before Lita could connect.

Green produced a wonderful save on 66 minutes to deny Doyle after another great Reading move with flowing football full of panache and confidence. The Royals were getting forward at will, with West Ham completely unable to deal with them.

Shorey found himself in an advanced position on the left and played a ball in towards Leroy Lita. The striker controlled the ball on his chest before Doyle duly smashed it towards goals. Green showed his quality with a sharp save down to his right.

The score was 6-0 on 78 minutes, and again Shorey was the provider. His whipped corner was headed on by Bikey before Doyle applied the final touch at the front post.

Bobby Zamora almost capitalised on Hahnemann’s loose punch with two minutes to go, but his powerful effort clipped the bar, summing up his team’s day.

Reading lost Gunnarsson through a late injury, and were forced to play out the remaining minutes with just ten men, but this was only a minor mark on a fabulous and historic day; the first time Reading had ever scored six at Fortress Madejski.