FA Cup third round/Reading 3 Burnley 2:It says much about Reading's strength in depth that Steve Coppell can play his reserve team and still triumph over Championship opposition. Coppell has much more class at his disposal than many would imagine and no one evinced that promise more than Shane Long, whose goal was worthy of a greater stage.
"Are you West Ham in disguise" rang around this stadium after Long wonderfully converted from wide on the right.
That was unfair to Burnley, who had started brightly only to be punished for their wastefulness in front of goal. Reading, with Leroy Lita and Long forming a potent forward line, were never likely to be as generous, both strikers scoring before the interval. Sam Sodje's first Reading goal effectively secured the prize of a fourth-round tie at either Birmingham City or Newcastle, despite Burnley's admirable attempts to salvage a late comeback. Premiership survival remains the priority for the Reading manager but his fringe players will relish the opportunity the FA Cup provides.
Reading, mindful of a visit to Goodison Park in five day's time, fielded a skeleton side. Only Lita and Ivar Ingimarsson survived from the starting XI which inflicted a 6-0 defeat on West Ham on New Year's Day, with Coppell giving first starts to Scott Golbourne and Adam Federici.
Two excellent goals in the space of 10 first-half minutes provided a welcome buffer at the interval. Lita scored the first, ably set up by Long, before the former England Under-21 returned the compliment. There was still much to do when Long raced on to Lita's lofted pass but after taking one touch that took him beyond Brian Jensen he produced a stunning drive from an acute angle that had shades of Mark Hughes in his pomp at Old Trafford.
Ten minutes after the break Golbourne volleyed a deep cross into the area and Sodje timed his run perfectly to thunder a header into the roof of the net.
Reading were cruising but when Ade Akinbiyi pulled one back in the 69th minute and substitute Garreth O'Connor grabbed a second in injury time, panic began to set it.
READING:Federici, De la Cruz, Sodje, Ingimarsson (Pearce 74), Golbourne, Ki-Hyeon, Oster, Bikey, Convey, Lita (Kitson 60), Long. Subs not used:Hahnemann, Hunt, Harper. Booked:Bikey. Goals:Lita 27, Long 37, Sodje 55.
BURNLEY:Jensen, Thomas, McGreal, Foster, Harley, James O'Connor, Noel-Williams (Lafferty 70), McCann, Elliott (Garreth O'Connor 84), Jones (Mahon 70), Akinbiyi. Subs not used:Branch, Spicer. Booked: McGreal. Goals:Akinbiyi 69, Garreth O'Connor 90.
Referee: R Styles(Hampshire).
