Reading relegated despite romp

Reading thumped sorry Derby 4-0 at Pride Park but it was not enough to save them from relegation.

Royals record resounding victory but join Rams in Championship

Reading thumped sorry Derby 4-0 at Pride Park but it was not enough to save them from relegation. James Harper opened the scoring on 15 minutes which a fantastic strike into the top right hand corner. Three second-half goals from Dave Kitson (61) Kevin Doyle (69) and Leroy Lita (90) then put the issue beyond doubt. But a late Danny Murphy goal gave Fulham victory over Portsmouth and changed the mood of the Reading fans from celebration to despair. Within five minutes of the start the Royals had a clear chance to take the lead. Marker Matejovsky dispossessed Hossam Ghaly in midfield and sent Lita clean through but the striker got caught in two minds and County goalkeeper Roy Carroll was out swiftly to smother. Coppell's side had gone six games without a goal coming into the game and were left to rue another missed opportunity three minutes later when Matejovsky's low drive flashed beyond the far post.

Opener

It appeared only a matter of time until the deadlock would be broken and the goal duly arrived after 15 minutes. Kitson unselfishly laid the ball off to Harper on the right edge of the area and the Royals midfielder bent a delightful curling effort into the top-left corner. Two minutes later the advantage should have been doubled and, not for the first time, Lita was the guilty party. Kitson was again the creator, this time crossing from the left wing for the unmarked England Under 21 international in the penalty area, but his sloppy touch enabled the Rams to recover. It was not until the 40th minute that Derby mustered an effort on the visitors'goal, Marcus Hahnemann down quickly to push Jones' 25-yard drive around the post. Yet not for the first time this season County were made to pay for defensive ill-discipline after Villa fouled Murty on the right touchline in the 60th minute. Stephen Hunt squared the resulting free-kick to Nicky Shorey on the edge of the area and Carroll could only palm the left-back's shot out to his left. Unfortunately for him Lita was lurking and he squared the ball to the unmarked Kitson at the back post to leave his strike partner with the simplest of finishes. He was swiftly replaced by Doyle and soon the Republic of Ireland international had a goal of his own when he prodded into the bottom-left corner from close range - earning a booking for his celebrations. With the game now well and truly won the visitors were quite happy to hold onto possession as their fans began to dream of a fairytale survival story.

Blow

However, the celebrations were soon silenced when news filtered through of Fulham taking a late lead at Portsmouth. As for County, they have now become only the second team in the history of English football to win just once in an entire league season - the first was Loughborough College 108 seasons ago. They almost gave their supporters a rare reason for cheer when Jones fired narrowly over the crossbar in the closing stages. But it was the Royals who had the final say. Lita grabbed the goal his efforts had deserved in the stoppage time with a diving header at the near post but it was not enough to prevent his side joining County in the Championship next season.

Derby County	Team Statistics	Reading
0	Goals	4
0	1st Half Goals	1
3	Shots on Target	6
5	Shots off Target	5
1	Blocked Shots	2
2	Corners	0
18	Fouls	18
0	Offsides	2
0	Yellow Cards	1
0	Red Cards	0
63.3	Passing Success	68.7
18	Tackles	15
83.3	Tackles Success	73.3
48.8	Possession	51.2
50.5	Territorial Advantage	49.5