SM
Man Utd vs. Chelsea: 22 hrs 5 mins
Upcoming predictions and previews
SL
Championship | Gameweek 38
Mar 16, 2019 at 3pm UK
 
RL

0-0

 
FT

Stoke held at home by Reading

:Headline: Result: Stoke held at home by Reading: ID:353645: from db_amp
The Royals moved a point clear of the bottom three.

Stoke were held to a 0-0 home draw by Reading in the Sky Bet Championship.

In a contest that yielded few clear-cut chances, the hosts were frustrated by a stubborn Reading side, who picked up a valuable point on their travels in their battle against the drop.

The Royals sit one point above the drop zone, while Stoke are 16th – 11 points clear of the drop and 10 off the play-off places.

Stoke began brightly and Nathan Jones' hosts went close early on, with midfielder Tom Ince crashing his shot off a post before forward Sam Vokes saw his header from Thibaud Verlinden's left-wing cross cannon off an upright.

Potters goalkeeper Jack Butland was later called into action on a blustery afternoon in Staffordshire, dropping down low to his right to keep out Callum Harriott's low drive across goal.

Openings at goal were limited in the first half following that point, with Ince's free-kick curling over the crossbar while James McClean fizzed a low effort from the right through a sea of players in a crowded box which went just wide.

As play resumed for the second half in swirling wind and rain, Reading's John Swift profited on a loose ball which had been half-cleared from a free-kick from the right, with the midfielder volleying left-footed from 25-yards which narrowly dropped just over Butland's bar.

Wales international Vokes was again proving a thorn in the Royals' side, finding space in the box to connect with McClean's whipped cross from the right, though he could only guide his header off target as visiting keeper Emiliano Martinez remained untested as Stoke pushed in front of an expectant home support.

On the hour, Swift once again had a go at goal from distance for the visitors but his fierce effort was dealt with by Butland.

Jose Gomes' side proved a tough team to break down and they frustrated Stoke throughout the second period.

McClean was thwarted by a sprawling reaction save from Martinez from Tom Edwards' cross before Ince saw the follow up chance blocked by Chris Gunter inside the six-yard box.

Opportunities continued to fall Stoke's way. McClean swung a right-sided cross towards the back post which was met by the on-rushing Verlinden, however the Belgian midfielder, making his league debut, directed his downward header wide.

Stoke continued to search for an elusive winner but could not find a way through, with Benik Afobe shooting straight at Martinez late on as Reading earned a share of the spoils.

amp_article__353645 : Database Data restored...  : 
last updated article - 2019-03-16 17:39:17:
html db last update - 2019-03-16 17:39:17 :

ex - 7200 : read : read cache amp html
Share this article now:
Recommended Next on SM
Premier League Table
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Birmingham CityBirmingham1292123111229
2Wycombe WanderersWycombe1282226161026
3Wrexham1374221101125
4Mansfield TownMansfield127322014624
5Lincoln CityLincoln137332016424
6Bolton WanderersBolton137242219323
7Huddersfield TownHuddersfield137151912722
8Barnsley136432118322
9Reading137152120122
10Stockport CountyStockport135622012821
11Exeter CityExeter126151310319
12Charlton AthleticCharlton135441514119
13Peterborough UnitedPeterborough145362526-118
14Rotherham UnitedRotherham144551416-217
15Stevenage145271015-517
16Blackpool134452125-416
17Bristol Rovers135171520-516
18Northampton TownNorthampton134361720-315
19Wigan AthleticWigan133551211114
20Leyton Orient133281118-711
21Cambridge UnitedCambridge123181117-610
22Crawley TownCrawley133191225-1310
23Shrewsbury TownShrewsbury1422101325-128
24Burton Albion120481325-124
Scroll for more - Tap for full version


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
AL
Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!

Loading ...

Failed to load data.



. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .