One team second from top and at home, the other second to bottom away from home with a run of thirteen games without victory in the league. Pretty predictable result really? Thankfully not. Bristol Rovers won away at Oxford 5-0 on Saturday and we all expected them to do the same to Reading, who lost 1-3 at Luton at the weekend, tonight. One team made the most of their limited possession, kept it locked up at the back, and played some fast direct football when coming forward on the break to score two beautiful first half goals. Doesn't sound like Reading does it? But tonight it was - for the first half anyway. The second half Reading were really up against it but did everything to hang on for victory. If only this was a league match and three vital league points to pull us up the table.... As it is, it means an area semi-final fixture to come. Bristol Rovers were one of the best teams left in the competition - so there's always a chance of Wembley now to distract from League misery.

After a quiet start Reading took the lead with eleven minutes on the clock with a well worked goal. The ball was played out wide to the right to find Grant, in the team in place of Parkinson, Grant played the cross in where Nicholls was coming in. The keeper didn't come for it, when he probably should have done, and Nicholls beat his defender to head the ball down and into the back of the net for a well taken goal. 1-0 to the Royals. A shock lead indeed.

Bristol Rovers continued to have the vast majority of the ball but do nothing with it - true Reading style - but for a change it wasn't the Royals. Reading kept it nice and tight with Primus winning everything in true Primus style. The home side won plenty of corners but did nothing with them - again in true Reading style. And Reading to their credit held onto the lead without looking like losing it. On the half hour Reading made it two-nil, with Nicholls grabbing his second of the goal in some style - a gorgeous long range volley from the on-loan striker that steamed into the corner of the net with the keeper well beaten. A two goal lead away from home? Almost unheard of. But Reading were looking good, yes good, for it.

And so it continued in the same manner - with Rovers keeping hold of the ball and Reading letting them play it around without creating many chances. Howie had just the one save to make during the first half diving well to tip the ball wide when it might have been sneaking into the corner of the net. Rovers' corner came to nothing. Just before half time it could have been a stunning 3-0 to the Royals when Forster forced a decent save out of the Rovers keeper.

But this couldn't continue could it... and after the break Bristol Rovers changed their formation a bit and instantly looked loads more dangerous with Howie having more to do in the first ten minutes of the second half than in the entire of the first half. Howie made a couple of decent saves until seven minutes into the second half Rovers pulled one back after a period of strong pressure. Gurney stuck his hand on the ball in a rather stupid manner when it was going off wide, and Cureton stuck it home straight past Howie from the penalty spot. Bollocks. Here we go then.... but Reading didn't curl up and tie - they wanted the victory.

On came McIntyre and Murty for Reading - substitutions which meant Reading packed the midfield a bit more and pushed just one man up front. Time to hang on to that goal lead. And as expected it was all Bristol trying to get the equaliser. Rovers had a string of near misses and Howie was all over the place keeping the ball out his net. Instead of the likely Reading collapse we found ourselves still a goal up as the game entered the first of the four minutes of injury time. On came Keith Scott for two goal hero Nicholls to waste a bit more time. Howie came to Reading's rescue in injury time with a great save after a header was going goal-bound from a corner. And so the miracle happened. A totally unpredictable 2-1 away victory for the Royals, and at last some reason for hope.

So, it's not all downhill for Reading - there are promising signs out there still. Yes, it was only an Auto Windscreens Shield tie - but Bristol Rovers were trying to win it - and Reading won it with a whole team battling for victory. This was probably the best result, and performance, of the season so far. Now lets win on Saturday or this miracle result will mean nothing. I don't expect a repeat performance on Saturday - despite tonight a home draw seems near certain. Please do us proud Reading and don't let it happen. The fans deserve the victory which could still save us.