English nPower Championship Playoff Final 2011: Noel Hunt Cuts Swansea Lead To 3-1

Coming back from three goals is a lot more difficult than coming back from two, and Noel Hunt has just ensured that Reading are just 3-1 down rather than 3-0 mere minutes into the second half of the 2011 nPower Championship playoff final. The Royals started the second half much in the same way as they began the match, putting Swansea’s defence under immense pressure and forcing them into errors. This time, however, they’ve received a reward for their far post.

Jobi McAnuff’s corners have been superb all game, and Noel Hunt has finally taken advantage of that, making a diagonal near-post run to glance a header past Dorus de Vries and into the back of the net. Is that going to give Reading much hope of a comeback? No, probably not, but it’s certainly more hope than they had at the end of the first half. They deserve to be in this one, too.