Reading remain one of the most in form sides in the Division - this latest result makes it just one result in the last twenty league games. But sadly that just might not be enough if we're to beat Rotherham in the race for automatic promotion. We knew before kick off that three straight wins would guarantee promotion to the First Division - a draw wouldn't be enough if Rotherham were to win at Wigan. And Rotherham did win at Wigan - meaning Rotherham must now slip up to let us retain second place. It was nervous enough today, but at Colchester and then at home against Bournemouth we're bound to be in for a rollercoaster ride of emotions.

It all looked great for Reading. Another big home crowd - close to 17,000 - and Reading all set for another home victory. Reading were forced to make the one change - the capable Murty coming in for the suspended Robinson. The solid central defensive partnership of Viveash and Whitbread to keep it tight at the back and Butler and Cureton up front supported by Rougier and Igoe. It seemed it couldn't go wrong. And for the first 27 minutes it looked there could be only one outcome - a comprehensive victory for the Royals. At that point with Reading already two goals up it was surely just a question of whether Cureton get his hat-trick, rather than would be go on to win. Walsall ruined the party - first by pulling a goal back and then pulling level after half time. Walsall defended well, even created a few more chances of themselves, and made Reading look far from being an automatic promotion capable side.

Reading were definately first out of the blocks and could have taken the lead early on after an Igoe cross from the right found Butler in the middle of the box. Butler shot low to the keeper's right - but the shot lacked power and was held by the keeper. It didn't take long though for the first goal to arrive. Jones, who had made a bright start in midfield for the Royals, took the ball forward to the edge of the Walsall area. He then prodded the ball right to Igoe just inside the box. Igoe saw Cureton in the middle and duely delivered for Cureton to score his seventh goal in eight games. The home ends celebrated - the slice of away fans remained quiet.

For a period after the first goal we looked pure quality. Gone were the hoofs in the air and instead we were playing it around the ground nicely - but always working forward looking for another. We didn't have to wait long for a second as Reading continued on the attack, and in the 27th minute a fast ball forward found Butler just left of centre. Butler threaded it through to Cureton who was storming down the middle and into the area to connect and send it into the back of the net. 2-0 to the Royals, and we are going up!

Cureton strode over to the East Stand to perform his usual goal celebration while being mobbed by the rest of the team. We'd hardly sat down though and the ball was in the net at the other end of the pitch. 2-1. A quick move down the left with Reading half asleep was worked into the box from the left and stuck past Whitehead who was probably as shocked as the rest of the team. Despite playing some great football, looking the better side, and still actually being ahead, Reading's collective head seemed to drop a bit and the pattern of our game changed. Viveash made a couple of disasterous backpasses that landed Whitehead into a few problems, and then the whole side reverted to hoofs up the pitch rather than the attractive passing football that was actually breaking Walsall down.

Cureton had a chance to complete his hat-trick before half time after a long ball found him with just the keeper to beat. Perhaps Cureton could have rounded him - but the shot wasn't a bad idea either. The keeper made the save but it was up for debate if it was inside or outside the area when he handled it. At 2-1, after the break, things briefly looked up for Reading - and the majority of us would have thought we'd still go on to win. Cureton had another good chance to get his third from just a few yards out after a Parky flick on from the right corner of the box. Cureton connected, but the ball span out way over the crossbar when it might have been easier to stick it in. Following that there was a goal mouth scramble when Reading did everything but score, and their keeper pulled off an excellent close range save.

After that Walsall went and equalised. A free kick on the right, which might not have even been a free kick, was knocked over to the far post leaving a couple of players with far too much space. Whitehead saved the initial shot, but the rebound came straight back out and was stuck home by Barass. 2-2, and the same already started to tail off as Walsall found it far too easy to deal with a limited Reading attack. More bad news for Reading was the injury to Ricky Newman - who went down in a lot of pain and needed to be stretchered off to be replaced by Andy Gurney. It's not clear how bad the injury was, but he's definately out for the rest of the season.

The referee then went on to ruin the rest of the game by stopping play every two seconds for any kind of challenge which resulted in someone falling over. The pace of the game slowed right off and Reading never really got back into the pattern of the first half. Walsall won a free kick way outside the area which was eventually moved right to the edge of the area and a booking earnt for moving before the ball was kicked. Fussy wasn't the word. The second time Whitehead tipped it over the bar, but it was ordered to be taken yet again. It looked like it might be retaken until it had found the net, but Whitehead pulled off another save and Reading remained level. Reading bought on Harper and Forster to try and liven up the attack - but neither player really made a big impression. Like most of the side we found it hard to get much past average today. Jamie Cureton finished an entire match for the first time for ages - but even the full ninety minutes wasn't enough to see him get his third and earn Reading the full three points.
Graham

Following report by Neil Cole:
On another day, a draw against one of the league’s better sides may have been a satisfying result. However with the race for second place as close as it is, this was a very disappointing two points dropped by Reading, which could cost us automatic promotion to Division One. The result was made even more disappointing by the manner in which Reading had blown their two goal lead, while at the same time promotion rivals Rotherham were comfortably beating Wigan at the JJB.

Jamie Cureton had given Reading an early two goal advantage, as our leading scorer struck twice in the opening thirty minutes. However, Walsall scored either side of half-time to draw level, and could easily have gone on to win the game. After playing some great football early on, Walsall’s first goal seemed to drain the confidence from the Reading players, and we were second best from then on.

Matt Robinson was suspended for this game, having been sent off at Cambridge two weeks earlier. Fortunately the ban coincided with a return to fitness for Graeme Murty, who came back in at right-back. Ricky Newman switched sides to take over from Robinson at left-back. It was to be a bad afternoon for Newman, who was taken off in the second half with a serious looking leg injury. Newman has had a good first season at Reading, but unfortunately he will now miss the crucial last two games.

Alan Pardew had a surprise in his team line-up, as Tony Rougier began the game despite the manager’s announcement earlier that he would be on international duty with Trinidad. Pardew had managed to get permission for Rougier to stay at Reading an extra day, and hoped his surprise selection would disrupt Walsall’s game plan. However, it soon became apparent that Walsall remembered Rougier all too well from the game at the Bescot in November, as they once again used the tactics of kicking him whenever he got the ball. It certainly worked, as an inconsistent referee gave Rougier no protection, and as a result he disappeared from the game.

Reading began the game with some of their best football of the season, as Cureton and Butler once again looked in the form of their lives. Butler could have scored early on, as he forced a save out of the Walsall keeper from a Sammy Igoe cross. The first goal came on fifteen minutes, and this time it was Cureton who was set up by Igoe. Cureton was, as usual, in the perfect position for the cross from Igoe, and tapped in to give the Royals a valuable lead.

Reading made it 2-0 before Walsall could manage a worthwhile attack on goal, and it was again Cureton who scored after a lovely through ball from Butler. The finish was once again immaculate, and put Cureton clear as the league’s top scorer with an impressive 26 goals in Division Two games this season. It had been a perfect opening to the game from Reading, and another impressive crowd of over 16,000 thought they were in for three points heading Reading’s way.

However, Walsall responded perfectly and scored within a minute of Cureton’s second. A quick break from the left easily outwitted our centre-backs, as Jorge Leitao raced round behind Viveash to fire Walsall back into the game. It was the visitors’ first attack of any real note, perhaps explaining the slow reaction from our back four. It put Walsall right back in the game though, and the goal put an end to the lovely football we had seen from Reading.

Reading only had one other chance in the first half, as Cureton raced on to a long ball from midfield. His shot was palmed away by the keeper, who was suspiciously close to the edge of the area. The ref gave him the benefit of the doubt, but had he been a foot further it would have been a red card and the advantage to Reading.

Walsall were the better side in the second half, as Reading suddenly forgot how to pass the ball. While Cureton could have had a hat-trick in the first half, not a single chance fell his way in the second, despite playing a full 90 minutes for the first time in ages. The equaliser came early in the second period, as ex-Reading player Tony Barras tapped in from close range after a goalmouth scramble. The defence will again be disappointed with the nature of the equaliser, as the ball should have been cleared after the initial free-kick. While the defence has been much-improved of late, we cannot afford to let these sort of errors return to our game this close to the end of the season.

The rest of the game was very poor, compared to what had gone before it. Reading only seemed capable of playing long balls, which were won every time by the Walsall defence. Yet the visitors also struggled to make any real openings, and as a result the game finished as a draw. The second half wasn’t improved by an inconsistent referee, who decided to give free-kicks for absolutely everything, despite having let everything go in the first half. There were substitute appearances for Forster and Harper, but neither succeeded in having any impact on the game.

Rotherham can now stop us going up, if they manage to win their last three games. The first of those is on Tuesday night, when we’re all Luton fans for the night. Anything less than a win for the Millers, and its back in our own hands when we travel to Colchester next week.

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