Football Hunter Soccer blog

Couple of headers from Andre Bikey gave Reading three life-sustaining points and intensified Birmingham’s relegation fears. The hosts almost took the lead when Stephen Hunt’s drive hit the bar, but they went ahead when Bikey glanced in John Oster’s free-kick on 31 minutes.

After the halftime, Mikael Forssell did marvellously to cross low into the box for Mauro Zarate to slot in an equaliser. But Reading snatched a significant win when Bikey nodded into the bottom corner from Nicky Shorey’s free-kick.

Reading made a quick start to a match that both sides were desperate not to lose, with the relegation zone only a few points below them. And the hosts almost took an early advantage, but Kevin Doyle did not stretch enough to turn in a low cross. That set the path for Reading’s attacks as they used the flanks well, with Hunt particularly effective.

Yet they would have been chasing the game had Gary McSheffrey’s shot been placed an inch inside, rather than outside, the post.But if that was luckily for Reading, they may have felt miss fortune not to have succeeded a penalty when it looked Liam Ridgewell stopped Dave Kitson from reaching Oster’s cross.