READING defender Sam Sodje, below, thinks he is due some good luck after half a season of misfortune.
And he is hoping tonight's rearranged FA Cup clash with Burnley will provide the first instalment.
It was a dream come true for the 27-year-old in the Summer when he got his chance to play in the Premiership thanks to a £250,000 switch from Brentford.
But for the Nigeria international, brother of former Town players Efe and Akpo, the third-round tie at the Madejski Stadium will be only the fifth time he has pulled on a Royals shirt.
A knee injury, the good form of defensive colleagues and an unfortunate clash with Wayne Rooney have all conspired to keep him mainly on the sidelines.
The latter was his latest setback - a sending-off at Old Trafford in the last game of 2006 which he still feels was unjust.
Referee Mike Dean showed him a red card just 10 minutes after he had replaced injured captain Graeme Murty.
He said: "I can't believe nobody has said anything about it, because if it had happened to one of the top players there would have been a real fuss.
"I was sent off for tugging Wayne Rooney by the jersey.
"But he was offside, the linesman was flagging to tell the referee that.
"Even Rooney told him `you can't send him off for that' - but that's the sort of thing that happens at Manchester United.
"The referee had booked me earlier for a rough tackle on (Gabriel) Heinze.
"But it was my first one - and it wasn't that bad a challenge.
"I'm looking for my luck to change now, especially after being out for four months recovering from the knee operation.
"But I'm bouncing back now."
