Kitson rage at Upson challenge

DAVE KITSON has slammed the tackle by Birmingham defender Matthew Upson which threatened to spoil his Reading comeback after five-and-a-half months out of action.

The striker, whose 22 goals last season played a major role in Reading’s promotion to the Premiership for the first time, scored on his comeback appearance in Saturday’s 3-2 win at St. Andrews in the fourth round of the FA Cup.

But Kitson believes Upson should have been dismissed for the poorly timed challenge in the second half as it brought back memories of the opening day of the season when he ruptured a medial ligament in a similar tackle by Middlesbrough defender Chris Riggott.

Kitson insists he does not receive proper protection from referees and he was less than complimentary about the performance of Phil Dowd.

He said: “I’ve never really had much protection from referees and I am sure I will never have any. This one (Dowd) was a shocker, absolutely terrible, and the tackle from Matthew Upson was on a par with the referee.

“I haven’t worked my backside off in the gym, been running for six months, just for him to come back and ‘top’ me again. It was a shocking tackle. He should have been sent off – but then Riggott wasn’t sent off either.

“I can guarantee if that tackle had been on Wayne Rooney, we would be talking about it for the next month and maybe even more action would have been taken.

“I am a fan of Upson. He is a great player and I think he should be playing in the Premiership and I am sure Birmingham will get there next season.

“Whether he is there with Birmingham or goes to somewhere else, Upson will play season-in and season-out for a Premier League club. He is a fantastic player but there was no need for that challenge and that’s what irritates me.

“Was he going for the ball? I am sure he was. I have never heard a centre-half say they were not going for the ball. I don’t know. You will have to ask him.”

Kitson admitted he had suffered on the sidelines as his team-mates made a fantastic start in the Premiership.

He said: “The last five or six months has been a nightmare. I said at the start of the season that last year didn’t matter and it was about what we did in the Premiership.

“It has been a blow and watching the games has been a nightmare as well so it is just nice to get back involved. It has been the longest I’ve been out and definitely the most difficult period.

Upson insisted there was nothing malicious in his challenge on Kitson.

He said: “It is a game of football. We are both big guys and we competed for the ball. I enjoy those battles. It gets the blood pumping and it’s what you train and you play for.

“I genuinely made an attempt to play the ball. I took a small part of it but I also took a big chunk of him as well.

“There was no intention to hurt anyone. I am sure he might be a little bit sensitive still after coming back from injury and being out for quite a while. I’d never try and hurt anyone.”