Promotion chasing Sheffield United burst into life after a scrappy opening to
hit struggling Reading with a flurry of goals and keep their play-off hopes
alive.
It was the Yorkshire side's worst display of the season and came in front of
new boss Steve Thompson.
Graham Stuart broke the deadlock a minute before the interval to ignite United
who hit Reading with a lightening spell of three goals in 10 minutes either side
of the break.
Struggling Reading, with relegation staring them in the face, caught out the
Sheffield side in the fifth minute but striker Stuart Lovell squandered the
chance, heading wide at the far post.
United, with new £200,000 signing Paul Devlin on the subs bench, replied with
a carbon copy move, Stuart firing in a cross to Gareth Taylor who snapped at the
ball and powered his header over the top from eight yards.
Taylor was handed a simpler chance in the 17th minute as he out-jumped his
marker to connect with a Vas Borbokis free kick, this time glancing his header
wide of the far post.
A long clearance caught United cold in the 29th minute, the ball was flicked
to Martin Williams whose low, crisp strike was pushed away one-handed by Alan
Kelly.
Stuart cashed in on a defensive mix-up to charge through unmarked only to hit
a tame shot straight at keeper Nick Colgan.
The ex-Everton midfielder made amends a minute from half-time when Reading
failed to clear Nicky Marker's cross. Stuart hit the ball against Colgan but
luckily it bounced back to him and he walked it over the line.
Brazilian Marcelo added a second in the 46th minute with the deftest of
touches. Reading gave full-back Wayne Quinn too much space and his cross was
flicked in from the tightest of angles by the United striker.
Taylor killed off Reading in the 54th minute after seeing an earlier shot
blocked. The ball found its way to Stuart on the right flank and his precise
centre was met by the Welsh international who powered a fierce header into the
far corner.
Williams hit a low shot a fraction wide of Kelly's right-hand post and James
Lambert had a low shot stopped by the United keeper before Quinn added the
fourth with a powerful shot from just inside the area in injury time, his first
for the club.
Teams:
Sheff Utd: Kelly, Derry, Quinn, Borbokis, Sandford, Holdsworth,
Ford, Marker, Taylor (Katchouro 82), Marcello (Devlin 78),
Stuart (Cullen 86).
Booked: Borbokis.
Goals: Stuart 44, Marcello 46, Taylor 54, Quinn 90.
Reading: Colgan, Swales, Legg, Davies, Primus, Bernal,
Williams (Houghton 65), Parkinson, Lovell, O`Neill, Lambert.
Subs Not Used: Booty, Caskey.
Booked: Davies.
Att: 15,473
Ref: C J Foy (St Helens).
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