Reading 0 v Birmingham City 0 - EFL Championship

And... it's a wrap!
THE66POW coverage of the EFL Championship is over for the current season... after such an up in the air and unpredictable campaign, on all fronts, it was somewhat ironic, that my forty sixth game of the season in this league, saw two teams who had nothing but a fixture obligation left to play for, see out a goalless draw, that almost ended up being played in the manner of a pre-season testimonial fixture towards the end, when both teams formed a guard of honour to applaud Reading's stoppage time substitute, John O'Shea, onto the pitch.
After having been sidelined by injury of late, this afternoon marked the former Republic of Ireland defender's last ever game as a professional footballer, after an illustrious career, that began twenty years ago when he made his debut for Manchester United, in a League Cup game at a ground call Villa Park. At least his impressive playing career, that has seen O'Shea pick up 118 full international caps (and 13 more with the Eire U21 team), reached it's conclusion, in far more pleasant surroundings than those where it began.

The Royals finished the season in twentieth place, while Blues came in at seventeenth, following their recent nine point deduction.

Reading have only lost once at home since New Years Day, while Birmingham extended their current unbeaten run to seven games. So it was always likely to be a close game... and so it proved to be.

Lee Camp racked up his twelfth clean sheet of the season, which meant that Reading have failed to score against Blues the last five times that they've visited this corner of Royal Berkshire.

It would be fair to say, that even before the groundsman gave the pitch it's final cut of the season, this one probably already had nil-nil written all over it.

The two sides, who both had a liberal coating of  a 'squad rotation' look about them, mustered up just seven shots on target between them all day. 

And while Reading edged the first half percentages and possession wise, Blues bucked that trend after the interval... and had just about the better of the second half.

Che Adams and Isaac Vassell both had good chances to nick the points for Garry Mink's Blues, but the closest either side came to breaking the deadlock, came in the twentieth minute, when Lee Camp pulled off an outstanding save, to deny Danny Loader.

Welsh international Chris Gunter had broken free on the right, leaving Kristian Pedersen in his wake, before delivering a low ball, right across the face of Blues goal, that Loader connected with and diverted towards Camp's goal, but the Birmingham keeper somehow managed to re-position himself, and dived backwards while scooping the ball away with one hand.

Camp has his critics, but his statistics over the course of the season speak for themselves. It's good to hear that he's developed a cult status among the St. Andrew's faithful, especially those who put in the time and effort (and considerable financial outlay) to follow the team away from home. "Lee Camp, in the middle of our goal!", to the tune of the Madness song: 'Our House', was sung with some gusto again today.

The former Brazilian international Pele, who was sitting in front of me (you weren't sat in the Eamonn Dolan stand... and therefore, as a consequence, you can't dispute my claim), turned around and said: "Fuck me pal! That was better than that world famous save that Gordon Banks made against me in 1970!", and then asked: "Are all English goalkeepers like that!?", so politely explained to him, that Camp has actually played for Northern Ireland, so he isn't eligible to represent England, but said not to worry about his faux pas because it's quite a common misconception: "Ah, that is Gareth Southgate's loss and a shame for England", replied Edson Arantes do Nascimento.