Goals from Irish trio Shane Long, Ian Harte and Noel Hunt consigned the Blues to a deserved 3-1 home defeat to Reading. Town striker Connor Wickham netted a consolation in the final moments, Long having put the Royals in front in the first half and Harte and Hunt adding the second late on.
Town lined up without Saturday’s two-goal hero Jimmy Bullard, who was replaced by Andy Drury. Mark Kennedy was missing due to his latest hamstring problem with Darren O’Dea deputising.
Reading made two midfield changes from their weekend 5-2 victory over Middlesbrough with Jem Karacan replacing Jay Tabb, who is ill, and Brian Howard coming in for Jimmy Kebe.
Reading forced the first corner of the game in the opening minute after Damien Delaney dispossessed Shane Long inside the area, but the first strike in anger didn’t come until the sixth minute when Jason Scotland rolled his defender five years outside the area but shot tamely to Royals keeper Alex McCarthy with Connor Wickham in space and calling for it to his left.
Reading skipper Matt Mills, sent off in his last two games against Town, again failed to finish a match involving the Blues, but this time due to injury. The centre-half appeared to pick up a knock when colliding with his own keeper and was replaced by Ivar Ingimarsson after what had been a somewhat understated first quarter-hour.
In the 18th minute the visitors, who had generally had the better of it, went in front. Brian Howard whipped in a corner from the left, Márton Fülöp started to come before changing his mind and Shane Long arrived at the far post ahead of Delaney to head home his 18th league goal of the season. As Reading celebrated, Noel Hunt kicked the ball into the Town support and was booked by referee Danny McDermid.
Town had hardly got started and had in no way imposed themselves on the game as they had against Portsmouth when they were last at Portman Road, with the Bullard-less midfield chasing shadows. However, on 20 Lee Martin shot low to McCarthy but without troubling the young Royals keeper.
The Blues gradually started to make some headway but Leadbitter’s blocked 30th minute low shot from 25 yards was the closest they came to a serious chance.
Town were near to going two down in the 33rd minute when Howard sent in a freekick from the left which Fülöp again failed to deal with, Khizanishvili beating him in the air. The ball fell to Hunt at the far post but Delaney blocked his attempt at goal and McAuley cleared the danger.
After Hunt had headed away in front of Wickham with the Town striker well placed, Leadbitter wasn’t too far from an equaliser when Norris played a freekick to him on the edge of the box and the ex-Sunderland man flicked the ball up and volleyed just wide. The midfielder has tried the same freekick routine on a number of occasions but is yet to be successful.
One-time Reading academy schoolboy Wickham and Martin swapped flanks with the visitors continuing to dominate. A Wickham run forward eventually ended with Scotland laying the ball back to Drury, but the former Luton man’s shot was too close to McCarthy.
However, it was Reading who were looking the side more likely to score and on 42 Long came close to his second when he got away from Delaney on the right, cut in but saw his shot blocked by the advancing Fülöp.
Leadbitter shot over then, as the half moved into injury time, Wickham returned a half-cleared freekick into the box but Scotland mistimed his shot which flew well wide.
It had been a disappointing half from the Blues after the heroics of the second period at Cardiff. Jimmy Bullard was certainly missed in the midfield, who had been dominated by the visitors’ engine room, but all over the field it had been a flat and muted performance.
Town, with keeper Fülöp again looking shaky when the ball was sent in aerially, were lucky not to find themselves more than a goal down, while at the other end they had been restricted to efforts from distance.
The Blues struck a couple of early second half efforts goalwards, both from the edge of the area. Wickham’s struck a defender, then Leadbitter’s low strike was too close to McCarthy.
On 49 the Blues should have been on terms. Scotland sent in a low ball from the right but Drury slipped as he broke into the area and his shot flew well over with Martin behind him also looking to add the final touch with the Royals backline asleep.
But it was Reading who continued to pose the greater threat and in the 55th minute they should have been in front after breaking quickly Town having lost possession on the right. Long got away from Delaney and McAuley and hit a shot which Fülöp saved. Karacan picked up the rebound on the edge of the area and found Howard in space and onside in the Town box, but the ex-Barnsley man somehow put the ball the wrong side of Fülöp’s left post when he should have scored.
On 62 Tamás Priskin replaced Jason Scotland as Town went to 4-4-2 with Wickham with the Blues rarely having looked likely to get back on terms. Two minutes later, Leadbitter hit another distance effort well wide.
A minute later Long again went close, deftly heading a Hunt cross from the right over the bar at the near post. At the other end Leadbitter hit Priskin with yet another shot from around 25 yards, the Hungarian causing the linesman to raise his flag.
The Blues began to threaten more with Wickham finding Martin with a backheel on the left and the former Manchester United man sending in a cross which Priskin headed too near to McCarthy.
Town went even closer in the 65th minute when O’Dea flicked on a Drury freekick, McAuley and then Martin both having shots blocked, the latter effort leading to strong appeals for a penalty from McAuley in particular. From the corner, the Northern Irishman headed over when he probably should have hit the target.
Luciano Civelli replaced the quiet Andy Drury for the final 19 minutes, the Argentinian’s first duty a clearing header from a freekick.
Town were by now dominating but all too often the final pass was misplaced. With 14 minutes remaining, Hal Robson-Kanu got his name in referee McDermid’s book for failing to retreat 10 yards at a freekick.
On 79 a deflected O’Dea cross from the left was tipped over by McCarthy with the ball looking as if it might dip under the bar.
With four minutes remaining, one-time Town target Ian Harte sealed the win with a trademark superb freekick, which flew past Fülöp to his right giving the Hungarian no chance.
Three minutes later, it was three. With the Blues continuing to push forward, Long played Hunt in on goal from halfway and the Irish international rounded Fülöp before slipping the ball home.
Hunt shot over then Norris was booked for a foul as the game moved into injury time, before Wickham restored some pride by pulling a goal back for the Blues. Martin played a ball in from the right and Wickham hit it first bounce, on the turn over keeper McCarthy and into the net.
There was just time for Hunt to miss what should have been the Royals’ fourth, slipping the ball wide of the post when unmarked close in, before referee McDermid blew his whistle.
Overall the Blues were well beaten by an impressive Reading side. The visitors were well on top in midfield in the first half with Jimmy Bullard greatly missed and the Royals probably deserved to go in more than a goal up at the break.
In the second half Town didn’t really look like getting back into it until the switch to 4-4-2 but even then too few clear-cut opportunities were created with the final ball and composure in and around the area all too often missing.
Reading’s two late goals came with the Blues pushing forward and Wickham’s consolation with the game already won.
Paul Jewell will need a distinct improvement from his side if they are to get anything from Saturday’s trip to Leeds United.
Town: Fülöp, Edwards, O’Dea, McAuley, Delaney, Norris, Leadbitter, Drury (Civelli 71), Martin, Wickham, Scotland (Priskin 62). Unused: Lee-Barrett, Peters, O’Connor, Hyam, Smith.
Reading: McCarthy, Gunnarsson, Harte, Mills (Ingimarsson 16), Khizanishvili, Karacan, Leigertwood, Howard, Robson-Kanu, Hunt, Long (Church 90). Unused: Andersen, Antonio, Taylor, Morrison, Manset. Referee: Danny McDermid (Hampshire). Att: 17,308 (Reading: 247).
Story syndicated from TWTD.co.uk