Match Preview

Match date Friday 6 October 2000, 7.45pm kick-off
Note that this game has been moved from the originally scheduled Saturday - and no, it's not going to be on Sky!
Opposition Wigan Athletic (Away - League)
Ticket information The JJB Stadium, Robin Park Complex, Newtown, Wigan, WN5 0UZ
General Enquiries:
01942 774000
Away fans don't have to worry about getting a ticket with an allocation of up to 8,000 in Wigan's 25,000 all-seated JJB Stadium. With the game on a Friday night far fewer fans will be able to make the trip up North it's going to echo in that away end! Wigan find themselves in a similar position to the Royals with a shiny new state-of-the-art stadium being used for Second Division football. Traveling Royals fans will feel right at home - asuming they've been able to make the Madejski Stadium "home".

Tickets are pay on the day for Reading fans.
Adults: £12
Concessions: £7

Travel, pubs, food 

By Car
Leave at junction 25 off the M6 (signposted A49 to Wigan). Follow the road into Wigan until a junction at Aldi, turn left at the fire station traffic lights and then turn right at the second set of lights.

By Rail
Wigan Wallgate and Wigan North West are both a bus or taxi journey away.

Food
Food inside the ground isn't too great, but right outside the ground there's a restaurant and just down the road there's a Pizza Hut. Walk a bit further and you'll also find a drive-through Burger King and another restaurant.

Pubs
Although there are plenty of similarities between the JJB and the Madejski (although the Madejski is better of course), there are actually some nearby pubs to Wigan's ground. The Bowling Green on Ormskirk Road and The Douglas Bank on Woodhouse Lane are the closest. Beer at The Douglas Bank is rumoured to be cheap!

Team news To come closer to the match

Reading - from: Whitehead, Gurney, Viveash, Hunter, Williams, Newman, Parkinson, Caskey, Hodges, Butler, Cureton, McIntyre, Jones, Murty, Smith, Howie, Mackie.
Wigan Athletic - from: Carroll, Sharp, McGibbon, Balmer, Bradshaw, De Zeeuw, Nicholls, Roberts, Haworth, Green, Martinez, Kilford, McLaughlin, Stillie, McLoughlin, Padula.
Form Guide

There's no doubting that Reading are in amazing form. Alan Pardew rightly picked up the Second Division manager of the month award this week after guiding Reading to 5 wins out of 6 league games during September. Reading won all of their home games - 4-0, 5-0, and 5-1. If that record isn't ridiculous enough, we've also won two out of three away matches with the one defeat being a game we could have easily won at Peterborough. Last Saturday the Royals were stuffing Rotherham away 3-1, meanwhile Wigan were drawing 2-2 away at Swindon - hardly an as impressive result.

The bookies have Wigan as their favourites (see below) with Wigan winning every one of their home games this season. Wigan's last home league match was 2-1 victory over Northampton, and just after that they lost by the same margin to first Division Wimbledon in the League cup. Wigan remain one place behind Reading in fourth place but have played a game less than the Royals. So both teams are in form, and it's likely both teams will be at the top of the table come the end of the season. With this being one of our hardest games it's important we come out with at least a point.

Match Odds Available at Bet 247, where you can currently get a free 5 quid bet:
The bookies make Wigan firm favourites for victory:
Reading Win: 5/2
Draw: 9/4
Wigan Win: 10/11
With the odds available I'd be extremely tempted to go for a Reading victory myself: Reading win 1-0: 8/1
Reading win 2-0: 14/1
Reading win 2-1: 12/1
Reading win 3-0: 40/1
Reading win 3-1: 33/1
Reading win 3-2: 33/1
Reading win 4-0: 100/1
Opposition Site Latics Online - Unofficial website which predicts Reading as play-off winners this season.
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