READING 0 CITY 2
League Division 1
14th November 1987
attendance 10,052
Scorer Stewart(73 & 79)
Ref K Cooper
City Nixon, Gidman, I Brightwell, Clements, Lake, Redmond, White, Stewart, Adcock, McNab, Simpson – subs Scott(87), Seagraves(unused)
Reading Westwood, Jones, Gilkes, Beavon, Hicks, Curle, Williams, Taylor, Gordon, Moran, Smillie – subs Horrix(unused), White(unused)
PAUL STEWART SCORES ONE OF HIS TWO GOALS
FROM THE PRESS BOX
STEVE THOMSON WRITING IN THE READING EVENING POST 16th NOVEMBER 1987
Reading’s biggest home League gate of the season flocked to Elm Park on Saturday to see record-signing Steve Moran’s debut.
But they trudged home stunned by a devastating double blast from Manchester City’s Paul Stewart.
… Stewart cost £200,000 from Blackpool in March while Leicester sold Moran to Royals last week for £30.000 more.
On the day there was no doubt that ex-England schoolboy Stewart looked the better value.
… In the first half, the two teams showed lots of guts but no guile and tame headers by Les Taylor and Stewart at each end were the sum total of the goalmouth action.
To Royal’s credit, they blunted a goal-hungry City attack which hit sweet 16 in their previous two games but now looked capable of sweet FA.
… it took Stewart’s opportunist brilliance to do the trick.
He took possession when Keith Curle was caught ball watching by Redmond’s long punt out of defence.
Stewart turned neatly, powered forward and unleashed a vicious left foot drive which deflected off Martin Hicks over Gary Westwood into the roof of the net.
Twelve minutes from time, Stewart was once again granted free passage down the middle, this time from the impressive Neil McNab’s through-ball.
He shrugged off challenges from Hicks and Michael Gilkes before calmly slotting the ball wide of Westwood.
… He almost completed a hat-trick in the 81st minute but Westwood smartly blocked his right foot near post shot.