Episode 7 Late Kick Off South, South West and West

Tonight, Reading faced Leicester City at the Madejski Stadium.

The Foxes have a place in the Premier League. But who's going to

join them? Welcome to Late Kick Off. All eyes on Reading tonight.

Extended highlights of their key match with Leicester coming up.

Royals fans desperate for a win. Bournemouth and Brighton fans hoping

they don't. But a world away, survival in the

Football League is at stake. A relegation special from Bristol

Rovers. Plus we reveal the dark arts. For

the first time on TV, what fans and the referee aren't supposed to see

on the pitch. And how banging the drum for

Plymouth is a lifelong dream for this rock star.

Welcome to the show and welcome back to Steve Fletcher. Joining him on

the sofa is former Brighton and Crystal Palace defender Gary

O'Reilly. The big game tonight, Reading versus Leicester. The Royals

really needing a win just to keep pace with their local rivals in the

championship play-off race. The clash at the Madejski Stadium will

be the main course for us tonight. But we've got some great appetisers.

We start by assessing Reading's rivals. Gary, your boys Brighton

have just kick-started their season in the nick of time.

A day to forget for Diego Poyet. Jesse Lingard picked up the loose

ball and cut through Charlton's defence. Outside the right boot

gives the keeper no chance. Intelligent movement and power!

Power that drives the Albion forward. Forster-Caskey creates and

takes Albion's third. A good point for Yeovil. Bournemouth

frustrated, though, with a draw. Kieffer Moore stands still to create

his own space and slams one home to give Yeovil the lead. However, Brian

Fraser gets a bit fortunate and creates his own luck. Looping in

over the keeper. And again, straight in the chops, but straight in the

back of the net. At the bottom of the Championship,

Yeovil are off the foot. But they're still five points from safety, with

four to go. As for the top, that could all change after extended

highlights of Reading and Leicester, which are coming up later.

Gary, let's talk about Brighton. It's changed for them in the last

week why? ?? YELLOW Maybe the goal scoring boot's on the right feet. It

may be something as simple as that. He had gone a little bit off the

boil. You've got Mackail-Smith coming back. His influence will be a

little bit weak. But he scores two against Leicester. Yet another at

the weekend. When you've got a striker in form, you feel like you

are going to score goals. You feel like you are going to win games. And

the win at Leicester was the kind of surprise one. Getting four that

night. That seemed to galvanise them a bit. You put four past a team like

Lester, you start to believe maybe you can achieve something. Fletch,

on paper, everyone I suppose expects Bournemouth to go to Yeovil and win

no problem. So a disappointment only to draw? Well, you might say so. But

I think it is a good point. We were 15th in the league over a month ago.

We have had an amazing run. We played QPR, Reading and turned them

both over in the space of three days. It might have took a bit of

spark out the boys. But who knows? That point at the end of the day

could prove vital to us. And a cracking performance against

Reading. Steam-rollered them last week. Especially after the result

against QPR. Fantastic to come three days later. Doing what they do best,

diving header at the near post. What an impact. For Yeovil, is there any

sense in which we can say maybe the pressure is coming off them a little

bit? It looks a long way back for them now. But if they relax, maybe

they will get a few surprise results. You would not want to say

to the guys in the dressing room to relax. You've got to drive on. If it

is mathematically possible, you push them. Plus you want to stay in the

highest level of football possible. They get relegated, their wages get

reduced. Big incentive. All still up for grabs.

Still to come... Plymouth's most famous and avid fan, Bastille's rock

drummer Woody joins us from California.

For Reading, tonight's game is crucial for their play-off hopes and

those of Bournemouth and Brighton. Extended highlights coming up.

And how to bend the rules. Dark deeds at corners will be revealed.

Five of our sides are still in danger of dropping out of the

Football League. And the result of our featured weekend game now sees

rock bottom Torquay live to fight another day. But their win over

Bristol Rovers sees the Gas slide further into danger. Lewis Coombes

has been to the Memorial Stadium for us. With the trap door to the

Conference looming, you would think Rovers fans would be nervous going

into this game. I reckon it will be a good result for Rovers today.

Fine, yeah, not nervous at all. We are confident. If he scores, what is

your celebration? A bottle of champers? He's buying, yeah? ??

YELLOW Yeah! Thank you, enjoy the game.

So, before kick-off, an air of optimism. Torquay fans, however,

they seem to have accepted their fate. I think it is inevitable that

we are definitely going in the Conference. It's preparing yourself

for it and just enjoying the last few games of Football League, that's

all you can do. For Rovers, today is a chance to

pull away from the bottom. For Torquay, it is last chance saloon.

Because if results went against them, Torquay would have been all

but down. After a first half to forget for

both sides, Torquay took the lead just past the hour.

Shaquille Coulthirst headed home from close range. The goals were

soon two up. Lee Mansell's deflected shot nestled in the top corner. And

after having his initial shot saved, Rovers Danny Woodards tucked the

ball away amid the confusion. But Torquay would hang on. For Rovers,

pre-match optimism had vanished. Very disappointed. We lost to the

worst team in the division. And we were awful as well. Very

disappointing. I think we've got a Conference manager for a Conference

team. A win for Torquay means there is just the glimmer of hope.

Fantastic! I think we still have a slight chance. A glimmer is still

there. Torquay fans don't ever give up hope

until the end. Until the impossible, we will never give up hope. I am

delighted for the lads. To give them a little bit of respite in their

lives for a week. And we live to fight another day, don't we?

Both managers were as honest and frank as you can be after the game.

We've put their full interviews up on our Facebook site. Just go to

Facebook and search for LKO South. Let's catch up with the rest of the

drama at the bottom of League Two before we dissect a nerve wracking

end to the season. We'll start with Portsmouth as the Pompey Trust

celebrate their first anniversary in charge at Fratton Park.

Three successive wins for Portsmouth. They are almost safe.

Danny Hollins creates his own space at the far post smashes it home. And

you can see the confidence back amongst the players. One might have

gone to waste when things were not going so well. Drennan popping up on

the far post. He could not miss. Simple nod home. And another Drennan

was the pick of the bunch. A great diagonal, taking the shot. Back of

the net. Job done for Pompey. Andy Awford challenged his players

to raise their game after wins in his first two matches in charge. He

was thrilled with the response. Jed Wallace with Pompey's fourth. So

will Awford get the manager's job full time now?

Struggling Exeter got a point against mid-table Cheltenham. Jordan

Moore-Taylor popped up. Reacted better than the defenders and gets

exactly what he deserves. Byron Webster, though, no more than an

instinctive toe poke in the back of the net.

Portsmouth are now five points clear of the drop. Wycombe lost 2-0

against Newport. They join the relegation scrap with Bristol Rovers

and Exeter. Torquay are seven points adrift at the bottom.

But at least celebrating that victory at the Memorial Ground at

the weekend. Delaying the inevitable, really, for them? Could

be. But while it is mathematically possible, for fans and players and

coaching staff, all clinging to the opportunity to stay in the league.

But it is out of their hand. People around them have got to completely

implode. Who is best equipped to actually survive the drop? Whoever

takes the bull by the horns, really, isn't it? Who is mentally strong?

When you are down near the bottom scrapping for your lives. Looking

for maybe big players as well in there. Who could be a turning

point? The only goal scorer in the bottom three of the teams is O'Toole

from midfield. If he can get his goal scoring boots back on, it will

be one goal either way in those games can turn your season. 15 for

him this season. It is just survival football now. A lot of things go out

of the window. Everything comes down to you get the result however which

way you can achieve it. ?? YELLOW if you've got the right mentality,

you'll have a better chance of surviving. But the reason you are

down there is because you probably haven't had the right mentality. If

you can bring that out of them, you have a much better chance of

survival. A real dogfight down at the bottom. Loads of our teams

involved. So what do you think? You can tweet me at TonyHusbandBBC. Use

#upsanddowns. We will retweet some of the best ones.

To the League Two race for the play-offs now. Oxford and Plymouth

were going head to head at the weekend. Fletch, you spent time at

Plymouth. Fans there don't want to be League Two for too long. But this

was a big win for Oxford. It was. Disappointing for Plymouth.

But someone of the quality of Kitson, he's going to punish you.

Too good for this division, Kitson? I think so. Great skill, great feet

for a big man. And that was a big moment as well. Because that is the

red card for Blanchard. Plymouth about to make the triple change at

that point. Is that the point they lose the game? It is really. Because

the manager was probably going to change things tactically. The keeper

gets a touch of that and it is an unbelievable save. And then,

Constable does what he does best. Bangs it in. I am not saying that is

the end of Plymouth's dreams. But they are only four points off the

play-offs. ?? WHITE yeah. Gary Waddock,

hopefully, starting to move Oxford in the right direction. A tough

start. But Oxford go back into the top

seven. And now, a massive game against York on Good Friday.

Plymouth's defeat leaves them four points shy of the play-off spots. So

Argyle fans have little more than hope to hang on for now perhaps.

The Brit Award-winning rock group Bastille may be on their world tour.

But their drummer Woody is a fanatic Argyle fan. And we've caught up with

him in California. I am currently sat in our hotel room in Hollywood.

Very nice. Not much Hollywood from Argyle just recently. But

nevertheless, what lengths do you go to to keep up with the scorers when

you are drumming all over the world? A few mediums, basically. If

I am anywhere near Wi-Fi, I will try to get onto the Argyle commentary. I

will get the BBC Radio Devon commentary. Failing that, it is

generally following the Twitter updates of the Argyle account. But

any means possible, really. And as your career and Bastille's success

has grown, you have had a real roller-coaster time watching your

team, though. It has been an up and down time for Argyle, hasn't it?

Pretty much. I have seen them playing in every league except the

Premiership, sadly. I mean, if I am really honest, I think both myself

and my dad is a die-hard fan. We would have taken mid-table at the

start of the season, given our past few seasons of relegation battles.

But it is disappointing. And with this Oxford game just gone south,

and Exeter as well. If we had won those two games, we would have been

sitting pretty in the play-offs right now. Also disappointing as

well, because we have kind of choked a little in front of home fans. When

you are performing with Bastille all around the globe, do you ever get

somebody come up to you at the end of a number and say, here is the

Argyle score? When we play live, we have headphones to try and hear what

we are doing. And I have live communication with the crew. Quite

often, I will shout at them, what is the Argyle score? What is the

cricket score? Excellent! And going back to your life following the

club, what is the first thing that you remember? What was the first

game that you saw? I think the first game I saw was at home to Blackburn.

It would maybe have been about '93 or '92. We lost 3-2. But the kind of

first full season I properly attended with my dad was 1993-1994.

That was our ultimately failed play-off season under Peter Shilton.

One of the great seasons. Some of the best football ever seen that

year. ?? YELLOW I'd still maintain the best football I've seen was

probably under Ian Holloway. I mean, we had some fantastic players there

at the time. So much so, I find it kind of painful now watching updates

on Saturdays. Because there is quite a lot of ex-Argyle players banging

in goals in the Premiership and Championship. We could do with that

now. Your career is on the up. Bastille have done brilliantly. Can

your football club join you and be worldwide one day? I would say

Champions' League is pretty much nailed on in the next ten years. It

would be silly to bet against it, really. Champions' League for

Argyle. We can but dream. And before we leave Argyle, we must mention our

very own Sparksy. The BBC Radio Devon legend marked a special moment

this weekend with his 30th anniversary as an Argyle

commentator. His first game was the famous FA Cup semifinal against

Watford at Villa Park. Who can forget that?

From the Green Army to the dark arts. I'm not talking Harry Potter.

This is the stuff the fans aren't supposed to see and the ref is

definitely not supposed to spot. But it happens at almost every corner

and set piece in every match. If you think this is a haphazard barging

match, you'd be so wrong. Hours of practice go into set pieces,

especially at corners. As we're about to find out, it's like a dance

routine meets American football line of scrimmage. And this man, along

with Ady Williams, is a past master. Have a look at this masterclass.

This move is all about creating space for a free header at the front

post. I drag my man forward and pretend I'm expecting the ball. When

it doesn't arrive, I will turn and walk back. My team-mate starts his

run. I then block his marker taking up both defenders, allowing no

player a free header. -- allowing my player a free header. For this, it

is all about the cell acting. You have got to con the defence into

believing that you are the target. There we go. Here is the move in

action against Sheffield United. No chance. Andy Hughes heading back

after faking a run, blocking my man and allowing me into space unmarked.

Decent header that, by the way. Practice Wednesday, Thursday, Friday

morning, we make sure it is spot on. It is all about timing and the

quality of delivery on the box. I will come to here and then turn and

then you go. Come closer to me. It will work better. Ready? Same ball.

Go. We will have that! It is not

cheating. It is pushing it to the boundaries, pushing it to the

limits, that what is it is. If the referee doesn't see it, he doesn't

see it. It is a goal. Three points. One of the biggest danger men in the

box is Steve Fletcher. Here is how to get a free header at the back

post. This is a typical block. I am in the crowd with my defender and I

will take him two yards. My team-mates are not going to move.

Their movement will be when I turn back. They will come and block my

man. I have taken him into the crowd, blocking him. Free header.

Bang. It is all about getting the yard, just that one yard, away from

your defender. In this scenario, people always say, how come the

forward had a free header? There are a lot of the different situations

that go on in the box unseen by the referee, probably unseen by the

majority of the crowd as well, that go on before the man heads towards

goal. First and foremost, my man is tight. I am going to take him in two

yards, no more. I want to check back and take him into the crowd of

players and they will get a block on, hopefully without the ref

seeing. Secondly, I have got to keep my eye on my man in the corner. If I

turn this way, I lose sight, I can't see the ball. By the time I turn,

the ball could be already in the air. I have got to readjust my run.

Always focus on the ball and your man. Thirdly, the timing from the

corner man has got to be perfect. He has got to time it so that when I

check back, he plays the ball. If he plays it too early, I will not get

round back in time. Too late, the man marking me in the crowd will

break free and get a challenge on me. There are a lot of scenarios to

get the timing right to allow me the free header. That is how to get a

yard of space for a free header. Great. Really enjoyed it. Learnt a

lot. Thanks to the Winchester University football team for that as

well. Now, you are shattering some people's dreams here. You are

prepared to do anything, bend the rules, break the rules. Where is the

line? I put somebody 5ft six so I definitely got the header in. You

were always going to win! I made sure of that. It is not bending the

rules, it is playing the game. It happens in every sport up and down

the country. Rugby, ice hockey, whatever sport you play. It happens,

it is part and parcel. If you get the yard and gain an advantage, you

have got one over on your marker. As a defender, what did you do to stop

it? That is why a lot of players get their shirts tugged because things

like that happen and you have to deal with it. If someone is going to

block you, you bash them out the way. Your job is to mark your man. I

enjoyed it. Good knowledge. We have another one to come before the end

of the series as well. It will be really good to see.

League One now. Our teams are all but safe. But Swindon's play-off

hopes are really fading. A deserved penalty, dribbling in the

box. Nice defending. -- naive defending. Referee with no other

option but to point to the spot. You can argue all you like, definite

penalty. Michael Smith steps up. This is tame. Too easy to save.

Should have been the lead, but it wasn't. But then again, Brentford,

if you play around at the back and you are not any good at it, this is

what happens. Louis Thompson steps up and pinches it and slides it

home. Bristol City in black are all but

safe in league one. Brilliant pressure from Bristol city. Forced

the error out of the defender. Another penalty. Job done.

Crawley are 15th after their 2-0 win at MK Dons. Bristol City 13th. In

the top half, Swindon, it looks good in one perspective, doesn't it? But

they are seven points shy of the play-off places despite sitting in

seventh. Our recurring question about Swindon this season has been,

can they make the play-offs? What do you think?

Mathematically possible. However, the teams above them have got to

fall apart and it is unlikely because their incentive is to be in

the play-offs, to get promotions. Swindon might miss out this time

around. Bristol City, they will want to take this form into next season

because their fan base will expect a good season next year. Their manager

would expect. Steve Cotterell is very driven, the coaching team

around him, they will all be expecting to take things forward and

I would expect them to deliver. Right, the waiting's over. Time for

tonight's crucial Championship match, Reading against Leicester.

The Royals' play-off ambitions are on the line. And their form at the

Mad Stad is a cause for concern. Without a win on home turf in six

games. Your commentator is John Roder.

Leicester in grey. Leicester in front! It is not going to count. The

flag is up on the far side. An offside position. Let us have

another look. That is very close indeed. It is a tight decision but

it has been ruled out. Pavel Pogrebnyak. A foul by Wes Morgan. It

is in! Reding in front through Alex Pearce. Fantastic header from the

central defender. That is a good sign for Reading. 20 times

previously this season, they have scored the opening goal. 16 wins and

four draws from the times when Reading have struck first. Alex

Pearce makes room for himself and guides the ball into an area which

the goalkeeper has not got covered. Excellent start for Nigel Adkins and

his team. Plenty forward for the Royals.

Claiming handball, Pavel Pogrebnyak. He says it struck the hand of Dean

Hammond. He might have a case. He has got past the defender! How

close was he there to getting a second for Reading? It comes off the

feet of Kasper Schmeichel. Terrific save.

Leicester pressing hard as they search for an equaliser.

Driven indeed. -- in deep. Blocks. Reading cannot clear. Danny

Drinkwater strikes and scores! The championship leaders are back on

level terms. Danny Drinkwater. Leicester have the best record in

the championship for coming back after going a goal down. Reading

failing to clear the ball away. Doesn't Danny Drinkwater strike it

well through the gap? You wonder whether the goalkeeper he was

unsighted. He hardly moves. This might show us better.

Garath McCleary on the chase. Kasper Schmeichel on the save again. So

close for Garath McCleary. Amazingly, the referee has given a

goal kick here. That is a definite save from Kasper Schmeichel, pushing

it behind to deny Reading a second goal.

Driven long towards Pavel Pogrebnyak.

It is off the base of the post. The gentlest of headers. That was from

Pavel Pogrebnyak. Reading again come so close to restoring their

advantage. On the line, can't quite get there. Leicester saved by the

upright. In Hilbert space, David Nugent.

Danny Drinkwater is through -- in a little bit of space. He felt that!

Nigel Pearson, what a terrific job he has done this season, guiding

Leicester into the Premier League. A challenge. This is going to be a

yellow card for the Reading substitute. This game is therefore

either side to take. Who will rise to the occasion?

I challenge. He could be in trouble here. The referee is reaching for

his pocket. It is a red card and Reading will play the final four

minutes plus stoppage time a man down. Booked twice, Mikele

Leigertwood. We are into the last few seconds of

the minimum of five minutes additional time at the end of the

match. Reading with the corner. Kasper Schmeichel gets it away. That

is it. Seven without a win now. Reading into the play-off places

with four to play. Wigan away, Middlesbrough, Doncaster and

Burnley. The table could not be closer.

Reading are back in the play-off places. Bournemouth are just two

points behind. Alex Pearce's tarring header not enough. With four games

to go, it could not be closer. And there's just time to say goodbye

to my guests, Gary O'Reilly and Big Fletch. Great as ever, guys. Late

Kick Off takes an Easter break, but all the holiday action can be seen

on the Football League Show. We'll be back for the vital end of season

fortnight with two programmes not to be missed. Hope you can join me

then. And in the meantime, all the Late Kick off shows are on iPlayer.

Lots on Twitter and our facebook page. See you in a fortnight.

Cheerio.