Larkhall Progress At Scours Lane - Reading Town vs. Larkhall Athletic

Flag behind the goal at Scours Lane

For my second cup match of the week I went to Scours Lane for the FA Vase fourth round tie between Reading Town and Larkhall Athletic. This is the second occasion I've visited Reading for football, I'd seen Scunthorpe get a rather fortunate point at the Madejski Stadium a couple of seasons ago. Larkhall were well placed for a shot at the Western League title and were only six points behind Willand Rovers with three games in hand. They beat fellow Western Leaguers Illfracombe in the previous and were possibly slight favourites. Reading weren't having as much of a successful season but were still in the top half of the Hellenic League. They were beaten four one in their previous match and so were looking for a much improved performance.

The stand at Scours Lane.

Both sets of fans are in fine voice as the match kicks off in very blustery conditions which greatly affects the game. The Reading keeper struggles with a few high balls in to the box. Reading put the Larkhall goal under a lot of pressure but the keeper remains largely untroubled. Larkhall take the lead slightly against the run of play. A ball from the left wing finds the Larkhall player free at the back and he smashes the ball home. Larkhall dominate possession for the rest of the half but Reading equalise just before half time and 1-1 is a fair score at the break.

Larkhall attack in the first half.

Early in the second half, Reading have a great chance to complete the turn around when they are awarded a penalty when the striker is chopped down. The Larkhall keeper makes a decent save and Reading soon regret the missed chance. A corner isn't cleared properly and the Larkhall player smashes home a brilliant half volley. Larkhall soon stretch their lead following a swift counter attack and the tie appears to be over. Reading are awarded a second penalty with about ten minutes ago but Larkhall hold on much to the delight of their travelling fans.

There were over 190 at Scours Lane.

The ground is a good distance from Reading Station. To get there I got the number sixteen bus from Friar Street which is a couple of minutes away from the station. There are three buses an hour and due to heavy traffic the journey took around twenty minutes and drops you off a couple of minutes from the ground. The clubhouse is quite large and serves a good range of drinks. It doesn't have Sky Sports. Trains to Reading depart on a regular basis from Paddington and the journey takes just under half an hour. Right next to Reading Station is The Three Guineas which has Sky Sports but is quite expensive and is popular with fans visiting The Madejski.

Reading look for the equaliser at the end of the first half.