# 2009–10 Reading F.C. season

Reading Football Club played the 2009–10 season in the Football League Championship, having lost 3–0 on aggregate to Burnley in the Championship playoff semi-final. Reading had a new manager, Brian McDermott, who succeeded ex-boss Brendan Rodgers on 27 January 2010, after excelling in an FA Cup run as caretaker manager.

## Review & events
### Preseason – July

Reading travelled to Didcot Town for their first Pre-Season match where they ran out 5–1 winners with goals from Sigurdsson, Bignall, Henry, Harper and Church. Reading then lost 2–1 at Kettering Town with Church (11') scoring the only goal for the Berkshire side. Reading drew 2–2 with Premier League side, Chelsea in their final Pre-Season match, with goals from Jimmy Kebe and Scott Davies. However between the defeat to Kettering Town and draw with Chelsea Reading embarked on a tour of Sweden

#### Tour of Sweden

Reading beat Jonsereds 8–0 with Robson-Kanu scoring a hat trick, Church and Davies scoring braces and a goal from Gunnarsson. The Royals' next game was against Tolo IF whom they beat 4–0 with Shane Long scoring all four of Reading's goals. Reading played Qviding in their 3rd and final game of the tour, winning 2–1, with both goals scored by Noel Hunt after Reading were 1–0 down.

#### Reading XI, reserve and other matches

A Reading XI beat Tooting & Mitcham 3–0. Later on in the preseason campaign another Reading XI visited Farnborough where the Hampshire side were eventual 3–2 winners. Reading also played a 'Champions XI' in a Testimonial match, for former player Graeme Murty, winning the match 3–2.

### August

With the kick-off to the 2009–10 Championship season beginning on Saturday 8 August, Reading played Nottingham Forest and just like the season before, drew. Other fixtures in August were the heavy defeats to Newcastle and Sheffield United. However a draw away at Swansea and a convincing win at Barnsley were positives. Top scorer at the end of August is Noel Hunt

### September

First match of the month saw Reading draw at home to Doncaster Rovers 0–0. The Royals then lost at home to Cardiff 1–0. The defeat was followed up by a loss to Peterborough. Despite the Royals being 2–0 up at half time, the lead was lost and Peterborough ended up winning 3–2. The month ended with further disappointment at the Madejski Stadium where, despite again taking the lead through an early goal from Grzegorz Rasiak, Reading could only draw 1–1 with Watford.

### October

Leroy Lita returned to the Madejski Stadium on 2 October and scored the visitors second goal, as Middlesbrough won 2–0, extending Reading's winless run at home to 14 league games.

## Squad

    As of match played 2 May 2010
| No. | Name | Position | Date of birth (Age) | Signed from | Signed in | Contract ends | Apps. | Goals |
| Goalkeepers ||||||||||
| 1 | Adam Federici | GK | (1985-01-31)31 January 1985 (aged 25) | Torres | 2005 | | 70 | 1 |
| 21 | Ben Hamer | GK | (1987-11-20)20 November 1987 (aged 22) | Academy | 2006 | | 3 | 0 |
| 31 | Mikkel Andersen | GK | (1988-12-17)17 December 1988 (aged 21) | AB | 2007 | 2009 | 0 | 0 |
| 41 | Alex McCarthy | GK | (1989-12-03)3 December 1989 (aged 20) | Academy | 2007 | | 0 | 0 |
| Defenders ||||||||||
| 2 | Liam Rosenior | DF | (1984-07-09)9 July 1984 (aged 25) | Fulham | 2007 | 2010 | 69 | 1 |
| 3 | Chris Armstrong | DF | (1982-08-05)5 August 1982 (aged 27) | Sheffield United | 2008 | | 42 | 1 |
| 5 | Matt Mills | DF | (1986-07-14)14 July 1986 (aged 23) | Doncaster Rovers | 2009 | | 30 | 2 |
| 16 | Ívar Ingimarsson (club captain) | DF | (1977-08-20)20 August 1977 (aged 32) | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 2003 | | 266 | 12 |
| 22 | Julian Kelly | DF | (1989-09-06)6 September 1989 (aged 20) | Academy | 2008 | | 12 | 0 |
| 24 | Ryan Bertrand | DF | (1989-08-05)5 August 1989 (aged 20) | on loan from Chelsea | 2009 | 2010 | 51 | 1 |
| 26 | Alex Pearce (vice-captain) | DF | (1988-11-09)9 November 1988 (aged 21) | Academy | 2006 | | 53 | 6 |
| 35 | Shaun Cummings | DF | (1989-08-05)5 August 1989 (aged 20) | Chelsea | 2009 | | 8 | 0 |
| 40 | Andy Griffin | DF | (1979-03-17)17 March 1979 (aged 31) | on loan from Stoke City | 2010 | 2010 | 25 | 0 |
| 44 | Zurab Khizanishvili | DF | (1981-10-06)6 October 1981 (aged 28) | on loan from Blackburn Rovers | 2010 | 2010 | 15 | 0 |
| Midfielders ||||||||||
| 4 | Kalifa Cissé | MF | (1984-01-09)9 January 1984 (aged 26) | Boavista | 2007 | 2010 | 83 | 7 |
| 6 | Brynjar Gunnarsson | MF | (1975-10-16)16 October 1975 (aged 34) | Watford | 2005 | | 143 | 10 |
| 7 | Jay Tabb | MF | (1984-02-21)21 February 1984 (aged 26) | Coventry City | 2009 | 2011 | 43 | 0 |
| 8 | Marek Matějovský | MF | (1981-12-20)20 December 1981 (aged 28) | Mladá Boleslav | 2008 | 2011 | 56 | 2 |
| 11 | Jobi McAnuff | MF | (1981-11-09)9 November 1981 (aged 28) | Watford | 2009 | 2012 | 41 | 3 |
| 14 | Jimmy Kébé | MF | (1984-01-19)19 January 1984 (aged 26) | Lens | 2008 | 2010 | 96 | 14 |
| 17 | James Henry | MF | (1987-07-09)9 July 1987 (aged 22) | Academy | 2004 | | 18 | 4 |
| 19 | Hal Robson-Kanu | MF | (1989-05-21)21 May 1989 (aged 20) | Academy | 2007 | | 18 | 0 |
| 20 | Jem Karacan | MF | (1989-02-21)21 February 1989 (aged 21) | Academy | 2007 | | 48 | 2 |
| 25 | Gylfi Sigurðsson | MF | (1989-09-08)8 September 1989 (aged 20) | Academy | 2008 | | 47 | 20 |
| 27 | Scott Davies | MF | (1987-07-09)9 July 1987 (aged 22) | Academy | 2004 | | 5 | 0 |
| 28 | Michail Antonio | MF | (1989-01-08)8 January 1989 (aged 21) | Tooting & Mitcham United | 2008 | 2010 | 2 | 0 |
| 30 | Oliver Bozanic | MF | (1989-01-08)8 January 1989 (aged 21) | Central Coast Mariners | 2007 | | 0 | 0 |
| 33 | Mitchell Bryant | MF | (1990-12-22)22 December 1990 (aged 19) | Manchester United | 2007 | | 0 | 0 |
| 34 | Brian Howard | MF | (1983-01-23)23 January 1983 (aged 27) | Sheffield United | 2009 | 2012 | 39 | 3 |
| 37 | Jake Taylor | MF | (1990-12-22)22 December 1990 (aged 19) | Academy | 2009 | | 0 | 0 |
| 38 | Abdulai Bell-Baggie | MF | (1992-04-28)28 April 1992 (aged 18) | Academy | 2009 | | 0 | 0 |
| Forwards ||||||||||
| 9 | Shane Long | FW | (1987-01-22)22 January 1987 (aged 23) | Cork City | 2005 | | 151 | 27 |
| 10 | Noel Hunt | FW | (1982-12-26)26 December 1982 (aged 27) | Dundee United | 2008 | 2011 | 51 | 15 |
| 12 | Dave Mooney | FW | (1984-10-30)30 October 1984 (aged 25) | Cork City | 2008 | 2011 | 4 | 2 |
| 18 | Simon Church | FW | (1988-12-10)10 December 1988 (aged 21) | Academy | 2007 | | 44 | 12 |
| 23 | Grzegorz Rasiak | FW | (1979-01-12)12 January 1979 (aged 31) | Southampton | 2009 | 2011 | 34 | 9 |
| 29 | Nicholas Bignall | FW | (1990-07-11)11 July 1990 (aged 19) | Academy | 2008 | | 3 | 2 |
| 32 | Radoslav Vasilev | FW | (1990-10-12)12 October 1990 (aged 19) | Slavia Sofia | 2009 | | 0 | 0 |
| 36 | Gunnar Heiðar Þorvaldsson | FW | (1982-04-01)1 April 1982 (aged 28) | on loan from Esbjerg fB | 2010 | 2010 | 5 | 0 |
| Out on loan ||||||||||
| Left during the season ||||||||||
| 11 | Stephen Hunt | MF | (1981-08-01)1 August 1981 (aged 28) | Brentford | 2005 | | 173 | 20 |
| 15 | James Harper | MF | (1980-11-09)9 November 1980 (aged 29) | Arsenal | 2001 | | 361 | 23 |
| 23 | André Bikey | DF | (1985-01-08)8 January 1985 (aged 25) | Lokomotiv Moscow | 2007 | 2010 | 73 | 7 |
| 48 | Darren O'Dea | DF | (1987-02-04)4 February 1987 (aged 23) | on loan from Celtic | 2009 | 2009 | 8 | 0 |

## Transfers
### In

| Date | Position | Name | From | Fee |
| 8 August 2009 | CB | Matt Mills | Doncaster Rovers | £2,000,000 |
| 27 August 2009 | LM | Jobi McAnuff | Watford | Undisclosed |
| 27 August 2009 | FW | Grzegorz Rasiak | Southampton | Undisclosed |
| 2 September 2009 | RB | Shaun Cummings | Chelsea | Undisclosed |
| 3 September 2009 | CM | Brian Howard | Sheffield United | Undisclosed |

### Out

| Date | Position | Name | To | Fee |
| 30 June 2009 | FW | Kevin Doyle | Wolves | Undisclosed |
| 11 August 2009 | MF | Stephen Hunt | Hull City | Undisclosed |
| 18 August 2009 | CB | André Bikey | Burnley | Undisclosed |
| 28 January 2010 | MF | James Harper | Sheffield United | Free |

### Loans in

| Date from | Date to | Position | Name | From |
| 17 July 2009 | Season-long | LB | Ryan Bertrand | Chelsea |
| 1 September 2009 | 26 December 2009 | CB | Darren O'Dea | Celtic |
| 3 January 2010 | End of the season | FW | Gunnar Heiðar Þorvaldsson | Esbjerg |
| 11 January 2010 | End of the season | RB | Andy Griffin | Stoke City |
| 25 January 2010 | End of the season | CB | Zurab Khizanishvili | Blackburn Rovers |

### Loans out

| Date from | Date to | Position | Name | To |
| 17 July 2009 | 6 Months | MF | Oliver Bozanic | Cheltenham Town |
| 5 August 2009 | 6 Months | GK | Alex McCarthy | Yeovil Town |
| 31 August 2009 | 4 Months | FW | Nicholas Bignall | Stockport County |
| 1 September 2009 | 4 Months | GK | Mikkel Andersen | Bristol Rovers |
| 2 September 2009 | Season-long | RB | Liam Rosenior | Ipswich Town |
| 2 September 2009 | Season-long | MF | James Harper | Sheffield United |
| 10 September 2009 | 29 December 2009 | MF | James Henry | Millwall |

### Released

| Date | Position | Name | Joined | Date |
| 7 May 2010 | MF | Oliver Bozanic | Central Coast Mariners | 10 May 2010 |
| 7 May 2010 | MF | Mitchell Bryant | | |
| 7 May 2010 | DF | Liam Rosenior | Hull City | 29 October 2010 |
| 7 May 2010 | FW | Radoslav Vasilev | Slavia Sofia | July 2010 |

## Competitions

| Competition | Started round | Final position / round | First match | Last match |
| Football League Championship 2009–10 | — | 9 | 8 August 2009 | 2 May 2010 |
| Football League Cup | 1st round | 2nd round | 11 August 2009 | 25 August 2009 |
| FA Cup | 3rd round | 6th round | 2 January 2010 | 7 March 2010 |
Updated to match played 2 May 2011 Source: Competitions

### Championship
#### Results summary

| Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Home | Home | Home | Home | Home | Home | Away | Away | Away | Away | Away | Away |
Last updated: 28 December 2011. Source: Reading FC

#### Results by round

| Round | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | 32 | 33 | 34 | 35 | 36 | 37 | 38 | 39 | 40 | 41 | 42 | 43 | 44 | 45 | 46 |
| Ground | H | H | A | A | H | A | H | H | A | H | A | H | A | A | H | A | H | H | A | A | H | H | A | H | A | A | A | H | A | H | A | A | H | H | H | A | A | H | A | H | A | H | H | A | A | H |
| Result | D | L | D | L | W | D | L | L | D | W | L | L | L | L | W | D | W | L | W | L | D | D | D | L | L | L | W | W | W | W | L | W | W | W | W | D | W | D | L | W | D | L | W | D | L | W |
| Position | 18 | 23 | 19 | 21 | 18 | 17 | 18 | 21 | 21 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 21 | 22 | 21 | 22 | 20 | 21 | 18 | 19 | 21 | 20 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 23 | 22 | 22 | 22 | 18 | 20 | 18 | 17 | 16 | 14 | 13 | 11 | 11 | 12 | 12 | 11 | 11 | 9 | 9 | 11 | 9 |

#### League table

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
| 7 | Swansea City | 46 | 17 | 18 | 11 | 40 | 37 | +3 | 69 |
| 8 | Sheffield United | 46 | 17 | 14 | 15 | 62 | 55 | +7 | 65 |
| 9 | Reading | 46 | 17 | 12 | 17 | 68 | 63 | +5 | 63 |
| 10 | Bristol City | 46 | 15 | 18 | 13 | 56 | 65 | −9 | 63 |
| 11 | Middlesbrough | 46 | 16 | 14 | 16 | 58 | 50 | +8 | 62 |

### FA Cup
#### Notes

* Jobi McAnuff was sent off for violent conduct after the final whistle.

### Football League Cup
## Player details
### Appearances and goals

    As of match played 2 May 2010
| No. | Pos | Nat | Player | Total | Total | Championship | Championship | FA Cup | FA Cup | League Cup | League Cup |
| No. | Pos | Nat | Player | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals |
| 1 | GK | AUS | Adam Federici | 52 | 0 | 46 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 3 | DF | ENG | Chris Armstrong | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 4 | MF | MLI | Kalifa Cissé | 19 | 1 | 14+3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 5 | DF | ENG | Matt Mills | 30 | 2 | 22+1 | 2 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 6 | MF | ISL | Brynjar Gunnarsson | 32 | 0 | 18+8 | 0 | 4+1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 7 | MF | IRL | Jay Tabb | 32 | 0 | 27+1 | 0 | 2+1 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 |
| 8 | MF | CZE | Marek Matějovský | 17 | 0 | 13+2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 9 | FW | IRL | Shane Long | 36 | 9 | 22+9 | 6 | 2+3 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| 10 | FW | IRL | Noel Hunt | 12 | 2 | 5+5 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0+2 | 0 |
| 11 | MF | JAM | Jobi McAnuff | 41 | 3 | 36 | 3 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 12 | FW | IRL | Dave Mooney | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| 14 | MF | MLI | Jimmy Kébé | 47 | 12 | 30+12 | 10 | 3+2 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 16 | DF | ISL | Ivar Ingimarsson | 31 | 0 | 25 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 17 | MF | ENG | James Henry | 6 | 0 | 1+2 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 18 | FW | WAL | Simon Church | 42 | 12 | 22+14 | 10 | 5+1 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 19 | MF | ENG | Hal Robson-Kanu | 18 | 0 | 4+13 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 20 | MF | TUR | Jem Karacan | 31 | 0 | 19+8 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 21 | GK | ENG | Ben Hamer | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 22 | DF | ENG | Julian Kelly | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 23 | FW | POL | Grzegorz Rasiak | 34 | 9 | 14+15 | 9 | 3+2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 24 | DF | ENG | Ryan Bertrand | 51 | 1 | 44 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 25 | MF | ISL | Gylfi Sigurðsson | 44 | 20 | 32+6 | 16 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 1 |
| 26 | DF | SCO | Alex Pearce | 28 | 4 | 24+1 | 4 | 0+1 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 27 | MF | IRL | Scott Davies | 5 | 0 | 3+1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 28 | MF | ENG | Michail Antonio | 2 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 |
| 29 | FW | ENG | Nicholas Bignall | 3 | 2 | 0+1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| 34 | MF | ENG | Brian Howard | 39 | 3 | 30+4 | 2 | 3+2 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 35 | DF | ENG | Shaun Cummings | 8 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 36 | FW | ISL | Gunnar Heiðar Þorvaldsson | 5 | 0 | 2+2 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 40 | DF | ENG | Andy Griffin | 25 | 0 | 21 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 44 | DF | GEO | Zurab Khizanishvili | 15 | 0 | 12+3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Players who appeared for Reading but left during the season: ||||||||||||
| 2 | DF | ENG | Liam Rosenior | 6 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 15 | MF | ENG | James Harper | 5 | 0 | 0+3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 48 | DF | IRL | Darren O'Dea | 8 | 0 | 7+1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |

### Top scorers

    As of match played 2 May 2010
| Place | Position | Nation | Number | Name | Championship | FA Cup | League Cup | Total |
| 1 | MF | | 25 | Gylfi Sigurðsson | 16 | 3 | 1 | 20 |
| 2 | FW | | 18 | Simon Church | 10 | 2 | 0 | 12 |
| 2 | MF | | 14 | Jimmy Kébé | 10 | 2 | 0 | 12 |
| 4 | FW | | 9 | Shane Long | 6 | 3 | 0 | 9 |
| 4 | FW | | 23 | Grzegorz Rasiak | 9 | 0 | 0 | 9 |
| 6 | DF | | 26 | Alex Pearce | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| 7 | MF | | 34 | Brian Howard | 2 | 1 | 0 | 3 |
| 7 | MF | | 11 | Jobi McAnuff | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| 7 | | | | Own Goal | 2 | 0 | 1 | 3 |
| 9 | FW | | 29 | Nicholas Bignall | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| 9 | FW | | 10 | Noel Hunt | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 9 | DF | | 5 | Matt Mills | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 9 | FW | | 12 | David Mooney | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| 13 | DF | | 24 | Ryan Bertrand | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 13 | MF | | 4 | Kalifa Cissé | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Total | Total | Total | Total | Total | 68 | 11 | 6 | 85 |

### Disciplinary record

| Number | Position | Name | Championship | Championship | FA Cup | FA Cup | League Cup | League Cup | Total | Total |
| 4 | MF | Kalifa Cissé | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 5 | DF | Matt Mills | 6 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 2 |
| 6 | MF | Brynjar Gunnarsson | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 |
| 7 | MF | Jay Tabb | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 8 | MF | Marek Matejovsky | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 9 | FW | Shane Long | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 11 | MF | Jobi McAnuff | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 |
| 14 | MF | Jimmy Kébé | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| 16 | DF | Ivar Ingimarsson | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 1 |
| 18 | FW | Simon Church | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 19 | MF | Hal Robson-Kanu | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 20 | MF | Jem Karacan | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 23 | FW | Grzegorz Rasiak | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 24 | DF | Ryan Bertrand | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 |
| 25 | MF | Gylfi Sigurðsson | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 |
| 26 | DF | Alex Pearce | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 8 | 0 |
| 34 | MF | Brian Howard | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 |
| 40 | DF | Andy Griffin | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 |
| 44 | DF | Zurab Khizanishvili | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| | | TOTALS | 60 | 3 | 11 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 72 | 5 |

## Team kit

The 2009–10 Reading F.C. kits.
Supplier: Puma Sponsor(s): Waitrose
| Home colours | Away colours | Third colours |