PurleyLion player ratings for Reading 0-2 Millwall following his match report: Rampant Lions Coast v Abysmal Reading
Individual Assessments
Archer: 7 Had little to do. Made a diving save to his left in the dying minutes and that was about it. Should have cleared a bouncing back pass 1st time and could have pay the penalty.
McLaughlin: 5 I’ve been a great fan of McLaughlin all season, but today was his poorest performance for us to-date. Up against Barrow, an excellent player, and for the 2nd game running picked-up a booking for obstruction when exposed by speed. Didn’t have much protection from Jed.
Hutch: 7 Competent display but also occasionally exposed by Barrow. Poor back pass to Archer could have been expensive.
Cooper: 7 Another competent display. Covered well and laid on Gregory’s disallowed ‘goal’. Showed Jaap what he was missing, easily outshining the Reading CDs.
Meredith: 7 Typical gutsy performance. Shame he didn’t get forward more to support Fred.
Wallace: 6 Another busy, but not his most effective, performance. Caught in possession several times in our last third, one of which lead to a booking. Gave McLaughlin little to no support.
Williams: 6 Quietly went about his business and covered well. No great tackles, no great passes.
Saville: 6. For me still not realising his full potential. Busy without being effective.
Fred: 8 Looked unplayable in the first half. Tracked back. Good performance.
Morison: 9 Millwall’s MOTM. Reading couldn’t handle him from start to finish. Laid on Gregory’s goal and lead the team by example.
Gregory: 8 Took his goal well and was a nuisance all game.
Romeo: 7 Scored the all important first goal, albeit aided by a deflection. Kept tight to Barrow but, like McLaughlin, still beaten on a couple of occasions.
Fergie and Shackell: Not on long enough to assess.
Harris: 7 In fairness we didn’t have to do much to beat Reading. Was it an inspired selection to play Fred wide left knowing there would be stacks on space there because Reading play 3 at the back or coincidental? Substituted McLaughlin at the correct time.
Barrow: 9 My overall MOTM. Reading player maybe but was virtually unplayable when he received the ball to feet and facing us. Gave all our defenders a torrid time. We were lucky that the rest of the Reading team were useless!
Referee: 4. Totally out of his depth. Allowed Reading to get away with several dubious tackles, but booked Cooper from holding back a Reading player in their box. Fortunately, didn’t cost us.
Fans: 10 As per normal, terrific
