Match Preview

Match date Saturday 2 September 2000, 3.00pm kick-off
Opposition Port Vale (Away, League Division Two)
Ticket information

Tickets are available on the day.
Prices are as follows:

Adults: £15
Seniors: £10
Children: £8

Travel, pubs, food 

Port Vale Football Club, Hamil Road, Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent, ST6 1AW
The club can be contacted on 01782 814134
For Reading fans travelling from the South:

Leave M6 at J15 onto the A500. Follow this until you reach the A53. This is signed Leek & Newcastle. Go over the flyover, and up the hill and at the traffic lights turn left. This is the A50, in about one mile you will go across two mini roundabouts, at the traffic lights turn right and take the second exit on the left (Hamil Road).
This information is taken from PortValeOnline.com - which also has a map to the ground for travelling fans.

Team news

Reading will be without Tony Rougier who signed from Port Vale earlier this season, who would have been playing for his country anyway. Rougier is out with an ankle injury following limping off during Tuesday nights 3-3 draw with Stoke City at the Madejski Stadium. Also missing is Ricky Newman who got a knee in the back during the same game and was stretchered off after lying on the ground for a good five minutes. Newman's injury isn't as bad as it looked and he looks set for a quick return - but will almost certainly be out for the visit to Port Vale. Hodges could make a start for the Royals, with Smith and Evers likely to be available for selection. In defence Mackie could be promoted from the bench to make a start after Hunter and Viveash's nightmare games on Tuesday night. Adrian Williams remains injured.
Reading - from: Whitehead, Robinson, Viveash, Mackie, Hunter, Caskey, Butler, Hodges, Parkinson, Cureton, Gurney, Murty, Newman, Igoe, McIntyre, Smith, Evers.
Port Vale - from: Goodlad, Carragher, Tankard, Burton, Burns, Cummins, Viljanen, Naylor, Widdrington, Smith, Minton, Twiss, Delaney, Brammer, O'Callaghan, Eyre.

Predictions

Port Vale have made a far better start to the season than Reading and will be looking for another home win to complete an early season Thames Valley treble. Vale have already beaten both Swindon and Oxford at their place - both being 3-0 wins. Away from home Port Vale have lost once in the league and once in the cup, but they'll be expecting victory at home over a Reading side that haven't travelled well. With defeats at Northampton and Millwall already Reading could well struggle - particually with the same defensive line-up and a couple of key players missing through injury.
William Hill are currently offering the following returns for a one pound bet:
Reading to win: £2.87
Draw: £3.20
Port Vale to win: £2.20
So Port Vale are the favourites to take the three points.

Opposition Site Portvaleonline.com - Very nicely designed with loads of content.

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