Nearing the 'Goal'

The wintry conditions at Elm Park made play a bit challenging as Reading hosted Aston Villa in the fifth round of the FA Cup.

A sprinkling of snow is rarely enough to halt a football match or keep the fans away. Here, a lovely white Elm Park sees Division 2 team Reading (in stripes) take on their Division 1 visitors Aston Villa for a place in the sixth round of the FA Cup. After a very poor start to the season, Reading came into this match on a run of good form, including beating Division 1 leaders The Wednesday. Unfortunately for them, the slippery surface wasn't enough of a leveller and an equally on-form Villa turned out to be too big a hurdle.