Reading v Plymouth

Coca Cola Championship
Venue: Madejski Stadium Date: Tuesday, 9 February 2010 Kick-off: 2000 GMT
Coverage: BBC Sport website, BBC Radio 5 live, BBC local radio

TEAM NEWS

Reading central defender Matt Mills is suspended, so Alex Pearce or Zurab Khizanishvili will start in his place.
Midfielder Gylfi Sigurdsson missed out against Doncaster on Saturday after taking a knock to his foot, but he could return for Tuesday’s match.
Plymouth’s Karl Duguid has been ruled out after turning his ankle just before half-time in Saturday’s 1-0 home defeat against West Brom.
David McNamee, who replaced him at right-back, is set to start.

Improving Reading, who have won their last two matches, will take another big step in the right direction – and away from fellow strugglers Plymouth – if they win this crucial match at the Madejski Stadium.
Saturday’s hard-fought victory at Doncaster was another encouraging sign for Royals manager Brian McDermott, whose side could climb out of the bottom three if they claim another three points.

Plymouth can ill afford for that to happen. Argyle are one place off the foot of the Championship – five points behind Reading – and are in danger of being cut adrift. They could even end up bottom of the table if they lose and Peterborough win at Cardiff.

Boss Paul Mariner hailed his players’ spirit after their defeat against high-flying West Brom and urged them to keep fighting to stay up. A win on Tuesday night would be a massive boost for the Pilgrims, who have played at least one game less than the other teams in the bottom seven.

MATCH FACTS

• Plymouth pulled off the club’s biggest win over Reading in 27 years when they triumphed 4-1 at Home Park in December.

• The Pilgrims have not completed a league double over Reading since March 1971, when they met in the old Third Division.
Reading
• Reading, who have won their last two games, are hoping to record three successive league victories for the first time since December 2008.
• They have the worst home record in the Championship of two wins, 12 points and only 10 goals scored in 13 outings.
Plymouth
• Plymouth have lost more league matches (17) and scored fewer goals (23) than any other team in the division.
• Argyle have gone 13 matches without a draw.

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DAMIEN JOHNSON last night spelt out the reasons behind the decision to end his eight-year stay at Birmingham City.

Johnson turned his back on a European challenge in the Premier League for a Championship relegation battle with Plymouth Argyle just before the transfer window close on Monday.

And while it may seem a strange move to some, it all boiled down to having a manager – former England and Arsenal striker, Paul Mariner – that made him feel wanted.

The 31-year-old appeared in only one Premier League games this season for Alex McLeish’s side – as a substitute – before leaving St Andrews and he had grown tired of spending Saturday afternoons watching football instead of playing.

Johnson, who played almost 200 times for the Blues, said: “It was a tough decision to leave Birmingham. I’d been there a long time and really enjoyed it.

“Sometimes, though, you need to move on and now is definitely that time.

“Birmingham are having an unbelievable season, they are having a really good run and it was nice to be part of that, but I wasn’t as involved as I would have liked to have been and every player wants to play and game time is important.

“The manager at Plymouth made me feel very welcome and said that he wanted me in his team.

“That’s important for a player, I haven’t felt that at Birmingham for the last season or so.

“I wasn’t getting enough games; I wasn’t getting enough opportunities at Birmingham, but I am going to get that at Plymouth.

“This is a fresh challenge for me. I’m here to play games.”

Johnson had six months of his contract to run at Birmingham and he has only ever played in the top two divisions of English football.

Plymouth are teetering perilously close to the Championship’s relegation trap door, but Johnson has no fear that his move will ultimately see him drop two leagues in the same year.

“It’s important that Plymouth stay in this division and I’m confident they can do that,” he said.”I wouldn’t have come here otherwise.

“I’m going to be here for two-and-a-half years and I want to be playing Championship football next season without a doubt.”

Plymouth Argyle

Simon Cox was the hero for second-placed West Bromwich Albion as his 66th minute strike defeated struggling Plymouth Argyle at Home Park.

Albion were second best for large parts in a lacklustre Championship encounter that lacked quality throughout on a difficult playing surface.

The hosts, who saw a winding-up order against them dropped by the High Court in midweek, enjoyed the better of a first half that failed to produce any clear-cut chances.

But, in a second half that also failed to really get going, the division’s lowest scorers were made to pay for their lack of spark in attack as a marginally improved West Brom side snatched all three points courtesy of Simon Cox’s close-range volley.

Graham Dorrans missed his fifth spot-kick in five games late on but Albion held firm to maintain their one-point advantage over third-placed Nottingham Forest, despite the 91st-minute dismissal of Jerome Thomas.

Meanwhile, Plymouth were left to feel sorry for themselves in their battle against the drop.

No changes

Having named the same starting XI for the previous five games, Albion head coach Roberto Di Matteo rested key trio Jonas Olsson, Gonzalo Jara and Robert Koren as he made four changes. Marek Cech also missing out with a hamstring injury.

Damien Johnson, meanwhile, was handed his Pilgrims debut having completed a deadline-day switch from Birmingham.

And with Johnson in midfield it was the hosts who started the stronger with a definite spring in their step, Alan Judge seeing his goalbound effort well blocked by Baggies left-back Joe Mattock.

Albion remained on the back foot although centre-back Gabriel Tamas headed a good chance wide from Dorrans’ corner after 18 minutes.

The bobbly Home Park pitch was certainly affecting the visitors’ attempts to play their usual passing game but, in truth, there was very little quality on display during the opening half-hour.

Roman Bednar, with five goals in the last six games, produced a rare moment of class as he skipped past Kari Arnason with ease before forcing a superb stretched save from Plymouth keeper David Stockdale.

Close

A lacklustre opening 45 minutes drew to a predictably goalless close, however Plymouth should have broken the deadlock four minutes after the restart.

Arnason’s long throw found its way to Jamie Mackie in the area but he volleyed over from eight yards when he really should have done better.

With Baggies centre-back Abdoulaye Meite still fortunate to be on the pitch following a serious of offences in the first half, Mattock could also count himself lucky to only see yellow for a shocking challenge on Johnson.

Paul Mariner turned to fellow new boy Kenny Cooper in a bid to inspire a breakthrough but it was Albion who did just that with 66 minutes on the clock.

Bednar managed to get on the end of a ball pumped into the area and he knocked the ball down for Cox to thunder a volley home.

Dorrans was presented with a great chance to wrap things up in the 83rd minute when David McNamee brought down fellow substitute Luke Moore, but his penalty was easily saved by Stockdale.

Tensions then boiled over in injury time as Thomas was shown red for a foul on McNamee, sparking a huge melee.