SOCCER:MORE THAN seven years after he played the last of his 288 games for Leeds United, Ian Harte heads back to Elland Road tonight hoping that Reading can maintain their charge up the Championship table even if, in the process, they deal a severe blow to his former employers' promotion hopes.
The left back’s form this year was recognised last weekend when he was named in the PFA’s team of the year for the division and the 33-year-old has certainly made a significant contribution to Reading’s late challenge for automatic promotion. Brian McDermott’s side go into tonight’s game looking for a ninth successive league win and with second-placed Cardiff now just three points ahead of them in the table.
Leeds, meanwhile, need a victory themselves as they try to hang on to the last of the play-off positions with the likes of Nottingham Forest, Hull City and Burnley all lurking just two points behind.
Simon Grayson’s side have taken just one point from their last nine but, crucially, they have not been beaten at home in 2011, prompting some, Harte feels, to believe Reading might hit the buffers.
“We’ve got a difficult game at Leeds and people may say the run is going to end, but we will keep plugging away,” he says. “Nobody expected we would win eight straight games so why can’t we go on and win every game from now until the end of the season? We’ll keeping ticking the games off.
“I was 12 years with Leeds and it will be nice to go back there,” he continues, “but most importantly it would be nice to go back there and win to keep this run going. It’s nice to see Leeds trying to get back into the Premier League like we are. But the focus is on us, we have a great team here at Reading. Hopefully we can get the three points to keep the pressure on the teams above us.”
Harte and leading scorer Shane Long look certain to feature in McDermott’s starting line-up again and the pair could be joined by striker Noel Hunt.
Meanwhile, Portsmouth’s Liam Lawrence is fit again after calf and hamstring injuries and manager Steve Cotterill is delighted to have the midfielder available again. “When he is back to fitness he is one that will always be on your teamsheet. You see the reception he gets at our place. He’s only got to go over and take a corner and the ground erupts. That’s how well he has done down here,” he said.
