Match report for the away defeat in the evening clash with Reading
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Kevin Doyle struck his second hat-trick in successive home games to emphatically preserve Reading's 100 per cent home record for the season.
Having scored a second-half treble in the win over Crystal Palace two weeks earlier, Doyle picked up where he left off with a quick-fire double inside nine minutes to kill this match off before it had barely started.
Recalled defender Andre Bikey made it 3-0 with a thumping header on 15 minutes, before Noel Hunt celebrated his first league start for the club with a second-half double.
In between those strikes, Doyle completed his hat-trick with a clinical shot on the turn as the Royals bounced back from their weekend defeat at Ipswich in stunning fashion.
In a frantic opening, it was the visitors who threatened first, but Etienne Esajas' fourth-minute free-kick which flew inches wide only served to spur Reading into life.
Within a minute they were in front, Liam Rosenior and Noel Hunt combining to set Doyle up for a simple finish in front of goal.
Then Doyle took advantage of some comical defending to strike again on nine minutes, his shot deflecting wickedly off Tony McMahon on its way into the top left-hand corner of Grant's net.
The early agony wasn't over for Wednesday, as Bikey celebrated his first start of the season with a thumping header from Stephen Hunt's inviting free-kick with only 30 minutes on the clock.
And Reading doubled the dosage of pain in the second half, Noel Hunt on target within five minutes of the restart when he latched on to Marcus Hahnemann's long punt and steered home.
Doyle completed his hat-trick in stunning fashion just after the hour mark, turning and lashing a shot beyond the reach of Grant, before Noel Hunt had the final say with a neat finish after sub Bobby Convey had teed him up. |
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