Town inched off the bottom of the table and extended their unbeaten run to five matches after drawing 1-1 at Reading. Jon Stead put the Blues ahead in the first half but Simon Church equalised for the home side just after the break.

Boss Roy Keane made one change from the side which defeated Derby last week, Tamás Priskin started up front alongside Jon Stead with Jon Walters moving to right midfield and Alan Quinn to the centre in place of Liam Trotter, who was left out of the 18. Gareth McAuley failed to recover from his thigh injury.

Reading started the better side but it was Jon Walters who managed the first shot of the game but sent the ball over the bar.

On nine, the Blues went in front when a David Wright long throw was flicked on by Damien Delaney, Ivar Ingimarsson headly weakly to Stead, who looped into the corner of the net.

Reading should have got back on terms in the 18th minute when the dangerous Jobi McAnuff crossed from the left to Gylfi Sigurdsson at the far post, who took too long over his shot and Delaney blocked.

Moments later, Brian Howard struck an impressive 25-yard effort which scuffed the top of the bar, the Town backline having given him too much time.

A Reading goal was looking very much on the cards, particularly when David Wright gave the ball away midway inside the Town half, forcing Asmir Begovic to rush from his line and make fine saving challenge on Simon Church with his feet.

Town started to come back into it more and on 23 Stead hit a well-struck effort straight at Royals keeper Adam Federici from 25 yards.

The Australian keeper made a fine save from Tamás Priskin in the 35th minute, the Hungarian hitting a superb 30-yard strike which Federici pushed wide. Soon after, Stead shot over on the turn.

There was a scare for Town on 37 when Wright and Quinn went for the same ball midway inside the Blues half, the ball falling for Jobi McAnuff, who sent in a cross from the right which Grzegorz Rasiak at the far post somehow headed across the face of goal and wide.

Simon Church headed over, then Stead played in Edwards but Federici was out to block.

Just before the break, McAnuff went wide from a Marek Matejovsky cross from the left.

Reading had played the better football and had created enough opportunities to have been in front, let alone on terms. However, the Royals had rarely hit the target and had failed to test Begovic, while the Blues had managed to stretch Federici on a number of occasions despite their fewer opportunities.

The home side’s equaliser wasn’t long in coming once the second half began. Begovic missed a punch as a cross came in from the left and the Blues failed to clear the danger. The ball came back in from the right, Begovic unconvincingly came out to close down Sigurdsson, the ball appearing to hit Church before crossing the line. Defensively it was a poor goal from a Town perspective with the previously faultless Begovic making two significant errors.

Priskin came close to restoring Town’s lead with a shot which curled wide, then Rosenior, booed throughout by the fans of his parent club, sent in a fine cross which the Hungarian headed powerfully goalwards, but too near to the keeper.

McAnuff shot wide at the other end, prior to Delaney coming close to opening his Town goals account, forcing Federici into another decent save with a flick from an Edwards corner. The Trinidadian had had a quiet game and was replaced with Jaime Peters soon after.

Reading were continuing to look the more likely side to score and on 62 McAnuff shot over from distance. A minute later, Pablo Couñago took over from Jon Stead, quiet other than his goal and first half shot.

Federici held Walters’s 30-yard shot at the second attempt but Town chances were increasingly rare with the home side putting the Blues under pressure as the game moved into the final 15 minutes.

On 76 Reading came close to grabbing all three points when first they claimed a penalty for a Quinn challenge on sub Shane Long then, once the ball was returned into the box, Church struck a shot which hit the underside of the bar. Jack Colback replaced Quinn for the final 13 minutes.

The Royals continued to put on the pressure and Long came close with a shot from close range after a corner, which was turned behind.

On 88 the Blues might have stolen it when good work from Couñago and Walters created a chance for Priskin, but the striker curled a left-foot shot wide.

Neither side threatened too much in injury time and referee Dean Whitestone called time on another Town 1-1 draw.

Manager Roy Keane will probably be happy with the point with the Blues as spirited and committed as ever but rarely in control of the game and only fleetingly stringing their passing together. All too often Town gave the ball away too easily and too many senior players had off days.

Reading had much the better of the possession but failed to make the most of it and were particularly profligate in front of goal. The Royals’ equaliser was mainly due to a couple of errors by Begovic, although most of the Town backline made one or two mistakes at some stage, with Delaney perhaps the Blues’ standout performer.

Town, watched by a travelling army in excess of 2,000, created fewer chances but Federici was the busier keeper and on another day the Blues might have sneaked it with Priskin unlucky on a couple of occasions and less than clinical when the opportunity came his way late on.

The Blues, who now sit second-bottom ahead of Peterborough, will have to play better than this to move away from the danger zone but Keane will perhaps take heart from his side continuing their unbeaten run if not from the overall performance.

Town: Begovic, Rosenior, D Wright, Delaney, Bruce, Leadbitter, Quinn (Colback 77), Walters, Edwards (Peters 60), Priskin, Stead (Couñago 63). Unused: Lee-Barrett, Wickham, Healy, Brown. Att: 19,053.

Photo: Action Images

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