If any Reading fan had been offered a 1-1 draw away to fourth place Wigan before the game, I’m sure they would have accepted it. This was a good result against one of the stronger teams in the division, who before this game had a 100% home record. However, coming away from the game we couldn’t help but feel slightly disappointed that we hadn’t taken all three points. It shows how quickly we have all become accustomed to success. We now go into every game expecting to win, because we have all seen what the current Reading team is capable of. Reading were better than Wigan tonight, but missed out on taking what would have been a massive victory for Alan Pardew’s team.

Everyone in the ground was surprised by Alan Pardew’s team selection, as top scorer Jamie Cureton was left on the bench. This was so Keith Jones could make his first start of the season, in an attempt by Pardew to stop the strong Wigan midfield from dominating the game. This tactic had worked in the second half at Rotherham, as the introduction of Jones effectively ended that contest. However, at Rotherham we were already winning, and tonight was clearly going to be a very different match against one of the favourites for the Division 2 championship.

This tactical switch meant Jimmy McIntyre was playing in a role further forward than he has been in recent weeks, partnering Martin Butler up front. Although McIntyre has been playing exceptionally well, I couldn’t help but feel this was a mistake by Pardew. While McIntyre holds the ball up brilliantly and does a good job up front with Butler, he never looks threatening when we are going forward. Dropping Cureton and putting McIntyre up front meant we had lost the cutting edge that has been so lethal in our last few games. Whereas the Cureton and Butler partnership look like scoring a hatful in every game, dropping Cureton took away this threat and clearly encouraged Wigan.

While this team selection by Pardew can be seen as slightly dubious, one excellent decision was the introduction of Keith Jones. He did a good job of limiting the threat held by the Wigan midfield, winning balls all night and showing some excellent vision going forward. This was apparent after just eleven minutes, when a clever through ball gave Martin Butler the opportunity to put the Royals in front. Butler is in the best form we have seen since signing him from Cambridge, and he didn’t hesitate in scoring his fifth goal in three games for Reading. It was another great start, but sadly the celebrations did not last long among the Reading fans.

Within a minute of Butler scoring, the ball went up the other end and Bradshaw was given a bit of space just outside the Reading box. He decided to try his luck with a long range effort, and we were all as shocked as Phil Whitehead to see it curl beautifully into the far corner. The scores were level again, and any momentum Reading has gained with the early goal had been lost.

Despite the two early goals, it never looked like a game that would go on to be a high scoring affair. It was a battle of two strong and determined midfields, which was reflected in the number of free-kicks the referee gave. The game was never allowed to flow, as the ref blew up time and time again for every strong challenge.

Where it has been the Reading attack that has taken the headlines so far this season, today it was apparent we have one of the best midfields in the division as well. Parky and Jones were superb in the middle, and Caskey had one of his better games. It will be interesting to see how Pardew selects his midfield in the coming weeks. For games like Wigan, it was definitely a good move to play Parky and Jones in the same side. However, against weaker teams it may be wise to leave one of these two out, and include one of our more attacking options. However, with Cureton suspended for the visit of Wycombe next week, it is likely we will see the same starting eleven.

Pardew decided to change things round early in the second half, with Jamie Cureton coming on for Jim McIntyre. The difference in the team was apparent immediately, as the mere presence of Cureton seems to give the players more confidence and worry the opposition. Although he was only on the pitch for a short time, Cureton looked very lively and was involved in nearly everything for the last half hour. One exceptional piece of skill saw him beat his defender down the right. He pulled it back for Butler, and everyone expected him to score from six yards out. Yet the ball took a cruel bobble as he hit it, and Butler sent it flying over the bar.

Just minutes after that, a wonderful through ball from Darren Caskey put Cureton away. The pace of Cureton gave him the edge over his marker, and he was left with only the keeper to beat. Yet Wigan’s second choice keeper was quick to come out, and blocked the shot with his legs to stop a certain goal.

The game petered out in the last ten minutes, with Wigan having most of the possession but unable to find a way through. More sound defending by Reading secured a valuable away point, and certainly gave Wigan something to think about. Their 100% home record was gone, but I’m sure most Athletic fans realised they could easily have seen their team beaten tonight.

Another encouraging performance from the Royals. Unfortunately, wins for Walsall, Bury and Wycombe saw us slip to fourth, and the gap between us and the top open up to six points. However, I am still convinced we are the best side in this league, and tonight confirmed it’s only a matter of time before that gap is closed.

Report by Neil Cole.

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