Reading 1-0 Bristol Rovers: Cooking With Gas
Sam Smith’s second-half goal is enough to see off 10-man Rovers.
As summer signs off and night closes in on the dark winter ahead, there is always one final saving grace to look forward to: The World Series - I mean, Reading playing twice a week.
Actually, I mean both. I’m enjoying a bit of a feast right now with my two favourite sports, travelling down to Exeter City for a midweek nail-biter win ahead of the Fall Classic kicking off around the Royals’ attempt to make it three victories in a row against Bristol Rovers.
Game one of my Saturday didn’t disappoint: a two-outs bases-loaded extra-innings grand-slam walk-off home run producing one of baseball’s zenith moments. Top-level football has stopped producing this kind of magic but, down in the unpredictable League One play-off battle, there was hopefully more than enough to wake up a sleepy day game down in Berkshire.
Reading were on top from the first pitch, making quick plays and operating a slick, unfussy defence. Rovers catcher Josh Griffiths was called into action first by Harvey Knibbs, producing a fine stop, before smart play from Ben Elliott brought Lewis Wing to the plate - only for Reading’s clean-up hitter to ground out. A delightful set-up had Wing in with the chance to drive in a run in the 34th, swinging big but only into the gloves of Griffiths.
The home team should have gone into the break one up but Smith couldn’t hold up before his score was chalked off and Knibbs really should have laid one up for a teammate when heading for home, instead failing to get his effort past Griffiths.
It was more of the same after the restart, Kelvin Ehibhatiomhan striking out without swinging when clean through in the 53rd before Rovers’ Shaq Forde was ejected by the umpire.
Reading soon made their dominance pay. Elliott is in many ways the perfect lead-off man - good speed, good contact, great vision - and he demonstrated all those tools with a perfect assist for Smith to get the first run across with 25 left to play.
The Royals didn’t look too likely to add any insurance, Wing blooping a shot into foul territory in the 77th as they focused on keeping the visitors at bay while dipping into their bullpen for Charlie Savage and Chem Campbell.
Joel Pereira smothered one in the dirt as Rovers began to run out of outs and the fans behind the visitors’ bullpen grew tetchy, particularly with the umpire. A superb line drive from Clinton Mola, back at his old ballpark, drew the best out of Pereira at the death before another great play kept his shutout intact.
This time, it was the defence which survived the late drama to chalk up the W. Smith’s dinger was enough for the Ding and genuine hope of a spot in the post-season continues to become a reality for this plucky ball club.