This was Reading's first ever Division One game at the Madejski Stadium, and in the end it finished just right. This seemed like a typical Reading match at the Madejski and somehow didn't seem all that different to the games we've got used to over the past few seasons. The obvious reason for this was that Sheffield Wednesday were just not a patch on Derby. This was always going to be a game we were capable of winning in front of the home fans, and in the end the jinx of the Sky TV cameras couldn't stop the Royals from collecting the full three points. Not that it was easy. Reading started in fine form, went a goal behind, looked like they then might collapse, pulled level, went ahead, and then threatened to throw it all away as the visitors so nearly took a share of the points. This was a superbly entertaining game in the end despite periods of very dubious play from the Royals. Wednesday will be disappointed, but it was the right result - just.

After Saturday's trip to Derby the Royals reverted to a more regular 4-4-2 formation. in a clearly more positive attempt to win the game. With Cureton and Butler up front and Igoe missing from midfield we got off to an excellent start. For a while it looked like we weren't missing Igoe - how wrong those thoughts were proved to be after half time. The opening fifteen minutes was all Reading as we calmly stroked the ball around the field in clear control of the game. The approach was just right as Wednesday struggled to get any possession. We were working it forward well and things looked good. Our passing football should have produced the lead early on when the ball was crossed from the left and dropped to Butler in the middle. Butler should have buried it, but instead the ball went spinning over the crossbar.

Then on 18 minutes the game suddenly twisted around. Sheffield Wednesday managed their first attempt on goal moments before and then quickly followed it up by taking the lead. In a similar fashion to the three goals at Derby the ball was worked around the Reading area on the ground and we failed to cope with it. The ball was played into the Reading area from the left and Sibon of Wednesday was found to the right of centre well inside the box. He had plenty of time to shoot across Whitehead and leave the ball buried in the opposite bottom corner. 0-1. The Reading defence then seemed determined to collapse. The quick challenges and the ability to keep possesion went out of the window as the confidence seemed to drain out of Reading. Sheffield swarmed forward and we panicked. It could easily have been two when a poor back pass left Whitehead in all kinds of trouble and he so nearly failed to deal with the striker. Whitehead then seemed incapable of claiming any ball into the area as his game started to develop into a shocker. Twice the ball was crossed low across the face of the Reading goal. Twice Wednesday should have increased their lead but failed to connect with the ball at the far post. Reading survived until half time amid a whole series of misplaced passes and a strange inability to make a tackle.

The half time whistle was met with silence from the home fans. The away fans were quite rightly overjoyed with their side's transformation. The start of the second half saw an immediate transformation - perhaps generated by the introduction of little Sammy Igoe. Hughes had struggled out wide once again, but put back into the middle we was superb. Hughes was meant for playing in the centre of midfield and in that position he's pure quality. Igoe was meant to play out wide and in that position he'll continually cause First Division defences problems with his determined runs and ability to beat players. The midfield was so much improved after the break it was hard to imagine. Lets hope Pardew was paying attention. A couple of minutes after the break Reading were level. Igoe won the ball and set up Hughes on the Reading right. Hughes cut in and crossed low and Cureton drove it home from the edge of the box. A great strike and Reading's first Division One goal ever scored at the Madejski Stadium. A moment to savour.

The home part of the crowd of 13,638 was suddenly in full voice. It was a slightly disappointing attendance considering Reading's new status and this being the first home game of the new season, and the turn out was well below the club's rather optimistic estimations (probably due to the expensive cost of tickets nowdays). However, the noise generated was at last impressive as Reading looked to turn defeat into victory. Hughes, now having a blinder, went on a fantastic run through the middle of the park beating player after player and breaking into the Wednesday box. It looked like he might go all the way before nudging the ball to his left to Salako. Salako looked certain to score, but failed to shoot, and instead found himself brought to the floor by the last defender for what surely should have been a penalty. The penalty wasn't given and the game calmed down once again. The disappointing Martin Butler was replaced by Darius Henderson as Reading looked to cause more problems for Wednesday's defence.

Henderson's ability to occupy the defence might well have helped as Hughes again provided the low cross from the right on 78 minutes after skipping past the Wednesday full-back with apparent ease. The cross again was straight to Cureton's feet but this time a little closer in. Cureton doesn't miss those and duely dispatched it into the back of the net. The Reading fans went mental and Reading were 2-1 up with the game seemingly won. However there was still plenty of time for Reading to chuck it away - and we so nearly did. Wednesday went on the late hunt for a point and won a whole series of corners that were well placed into the middle of the Reading box. Thankfully Whitehead had returned to form and did well to collect corner after corner with clean catches. The pressure continued as the visitors had a goal disallowed for handball from a corner on the right, and we could breath again. Whitehead was then required to produce the save of the match when a powerful shot from the edge of the box took a mean deflection and Whitehead needed to change direction in his dive to push it wide. The second booking for Sheffield's Quinn helped finish his team off with the game in stoppage time, but the final whistle couldn't come soon enough. A 2-1 victory for the Royals. A second win against Coventry on Saturday may be slightly optimistic but it would give us the best start to the season we could have realistically expected.
Graham