This was my third trip to Reading and the third time I've experienced no problems getting off the M4, none parking and none getting away quickly from the ground. Possibly these are urban myths or, more likely, Reading fans just don't turn out in great numbers when Watford come to visit. I got off the M4 just after 2pm and was parked within 5 minutes, albeit minus £8.
As new grounds go I quite like the Mad Stad. Its rather unusual to find the away end is the first bit of the ground you reach (excepting the Vic), rather than the usual walking all the way round the ground or, as at Forest, having to navigate a completely different set of streets to get to the right turnstile.
Even better the whole concourse of the South Stand was open meaning it was easy to get food and go to the loo, etc. We'd been given about 2/3 of the seats and I only sat in my allotted seat for two minutes before deciding it was too close to the front and moving further back and across with no complaints from the stewards.
It was a surprise, but not a lie, to say we won this comfortably. Reading were poor, not as bad as Derby but not much better. After Yeates put us ahead with a lovely free kick, it looked like there may have been a couple of hairy moments down the other end, though for our vantage point it was difficult to tell how close they were. But once Eustace put us 2 up early in the second half there was nothing to worry Scott and the travelling 'Orns behind his goal.
Most pleasing was seeing just how well the new boys in the team are gelling. Carl Dickinson was very assured at left back and its great to see him engaging and encouraging the fans Mooney-style at such an early stage in his Watford career. Jonathan Hogg begins to look like the answer in midfield with a confident display which complimented the best bits of John Eustace's game. Craig Forsyth just seems like a taller version of that other Scottish player we once had whose name I can't now recall (Cow-something?).
Andy Weimann was immense and put in one of his best displays in a Watford shirt. He ran and ran and ran some more, constantly stretching the Reading defence and deserved a goal for his work-rate. Marvin had a quiet game which is understandable after his recent England adventures. Joe Garner looked useful and I thought did enough to be preferred to Deeney and Iwelumo who both appeared in the second half.
Jobi McAnuff unusually didn't put in a decent display against one of his former clubs. I always used to feel that whenever Palace sang the 'You're not good enough' song he tried far harder than usual in a Watford shirt. However today, with the captain's armband on, he just didn't deliver although this might have been because Eustace chopped him in half after about 2 minutes much to our amusement.
A good win and the future suddenly looks quite bright with a trip to Barnsley next week followed by the visit of Steve McLaren's woeful Forest in two weeks.
