Daily Mail

Reading switch kits ...and it’s an orange crush

- ADAM SHERGOLD at the Madejski Stadium

WITH reading wearing their traditiona­l blue and white hoops and stevenage in a predominan­tly white shirt with blue shorts, it was sometimes difficult to tell them apart in the first half here. so reading’s kit man went off to raid the kit locker at the training ground and they trotted out in brilliant orange after the break. And while this wasn’t exactly the total Football their Dutch manager Jaap stam craves, it was nonetheles­s a passage to the FA cup fourth round. ‘i’ve never seen that before,’ said stam of the kit swap. ‘their players were complainin­g about the colours and it’s difficult when two teams are wearing similar colours. i said before the game it was strange but they only had that shirt and a blue one.’ stevenage manager Darren sarll said: ‘it was something out of a sunday morning situation, it was scandalous.’ this was an exhibition of ice-cool finishing by reading’s iceland striker Jon Dadi Bodvarsson, who hit his first hat-trick in english football. His first was a clinical volley after chris Gunter’s cross had been flicked into his path by stevenage defender tom Pett. the second, on the stroke of half-time, was a thunderous header, again from a delivery by Gunter, who also laid on the third, a simple finish from close range. reading visit Hillsborou­gh in the next round after sheffield Wednesday’s 2-0 win over carlisle last night. Marco Matias and Atdhe Nuhiu got the goals.

 ?? BPI/GETTY IMAGES ?? Spot the difference: the first half saw both sides in similar kits (above), but Reading shone in orange after half-time (right)
BPI/GETTY IMAGES Spot the difference: the first half saw both sides in similar kits (above), but Reading shone in orange after half-time (right)
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