Andy Munro sees Blues start the season with a home draw against Reading.
Typically Blues, an expectant sell-out crowd saw a flat display although, in fairness, this was probably due in part to many of the team playing together for the first tine in a ‘proper’ match.
Apart from a couple of decent forays by Blues, it was Reading who had the upper hand during the first period and they should have had two or three goals instead of the one they scored when two players beat a fairly lame offside trap
Substitutes were rightly made during the second period and at last Blues started to provide a consistent threat, scored from the penalty spot thanks to a move set up by Emile Hansson and cooly put away by Alfie May (who else?). In fact, Blues could have pinched it at the end although that would have been unjust to their opponents.
Over the whole game, Bailey Peacock-Farrell was generally excellent despite being given some hair-raising back passes at times and he could do little about the Reading goal. In truth the back four in front of him looked nervous when pressured by the opposition’s rangy and athletic strikers. Alex Cochrane combined well going forward whilst on the other side, Ethan Laird flattered to deceive by looking promising going forward then either being caught in possession or failing to deliver a decent cross.
In front of them the midfield were workmanlike without pulling up trees while out wide,Siriki Dembele was rightly withdrawn at half-time after.an underwhelming performance only matched by a disappointingly ineffective Willum Willumsson. One could only sympathise with May, who never got a decent ball and just had to scurry around in the hope that something would break for him.
More pleasingly, Hansson was excellent when he came on for Dembele at halfotime and must surely be a starter in the next match. Undoubtedly Blues have the players to adapt to Division One but it will not be the walk in the park some felt it might be.