Reading 1 Leeds United 0: Mac feels sick at late drama
YEP 19/9/13
by Phil Hay
Leeds United manager Brian McDermott faced up to an “awful feeling” after Adam Le Fondre struck deep into injury-time to ruin his return to Reading.
The United boss watched Le Fondre – a player he signed for Reading in 2011 – guide home a header in the sixth minute of added time to inflict Leeds’ second defeat of the season and wreck McDermott’s night.
Leeds were on the cusp of a deserved goalless draw when a foul by Stephen Warnock on Le Fondre earned the left-back a red card and created the chance which Reading’s dangerous forward dispatched clinically.
Moments earlier, Jason Pearce had come within inches of snatching a victory for United on McDermott’s first appearance at the Madejski Stadium since Reading sacked him as manager in March. Pearce’s last-gasp header flew wide of a post, giving Reading time for one last attack, and McDermott said: “It’s difficult to take. I thought we’d win it with 10 minutes to go, never mind lose the game. I didn’t think in a million years we’d lose it and we didn’t deserve to. It’s an awful feeling.”
Referee Neil Swarbrick indicated four minutes of stoppage time but allowed the match to run on following an injury to midfielder Danny Guthrie.
McDermott said: “We gave a soft free-kick away but the referee’s still playing at 95-and-a-half minutes for some reason. I really can’t understand that. There we go. We have to defend the free-kick better and I’m gutted for our fans because they travelled such a long way for this and they were excellent. No-one can tell me we deserved to lose that game but we’re in a results business. I thought it was done at 0-0. It just shows you what 30 seconds more can do.”
Warnock will serve a one-match ban during Saturday’s clash with Burnley following his two bookable offences last night.
by Phil Hay
Leeds United manager Brian McDermott faced up to an “awful feeling” after Adam Le Fondre struck deep into injury-time to ruin his return to Reading.
The United boss watched Le Fondre – a player he signed for Reading in 2011 – guide home a header in the sixth minute of added time to inflict Leeds’ second defeat of the season and wreck McDermott’s night.
Leeds were on the cusp of a deserved goalless draw when a foul by Stephen Warnock on Le Fondre earned the left-back a red card and created the chance which Reading’s dangerous forward dispatched clinically.
Moments earlier, Jason Pearce had come within inches of snatching a victory for United on McDermott’s first appearance at the Madejski Stadium since Reading sacked him as manager in March. Pearce’s last-gasp header flew wide of a post, giving Reading time for one last attack, and McDermott said: “It’s difficult to take. I thought we’d win it with 10 minutes to go, never mind lose the game. I didn’t think in a million years we’d lose it and we didn’t deserve to. It’s an awful feeling.”
Referee Neil Swarbrick indicated four minutes of stoppage time but allowed the match to run on following an injury to midfielder Danny Guthrie.
McDermott said: “We gave a soft free-kick away but the referee’s still playing at 95-and-a-half minutes for some reason. I really can’t understand that. There we go. We have to defend the free-kick better and I’m gutted for our fans because they travelled such a long way for this and they were excellent. No-one can tell me we deserved to lose that game but we’re in a results business. I thought it was done at 0-0. It just shows you what 30 seconds more can do.”
Warnock will serve a one-match ban during Saturday’s clash with Burnley following his two bookable offences last night.