Reading climbed back into the top half of the Premiership table with a straight forward victory over a poor Charlton side. The Royals didn't need to put in their best performance but showed enough good football over the ninety minutes to cruise to victory against the side bottom of the table. Reading, at times, played some attractive passing football and created the best chances - enough to make them look a class above the visitors. At times the game was scrappy and the ball spent an above average time in the air, but Reading did more than enough and probably should have won by more. Reading took the lead after an excellent move that Stephen Hunt created with a cheeky back-heel in the left corner of the pitch. The ball came back to Shorey who whipped in an excellent cross. Seol did well to pull away from two defenders to earn a clear header with which he made no mistake to put Reading ahead. Reading could have extended their lead with a similar move minutes later when another excellent cross found Little in the area. Little's low shot was inches wide of the left post.

During the game Kevin Doyle twice found himself played through and looked favourites to run on to score but the ball didn't quite roll for him. However, he did get on the score sheet to seal the win with twenty minutes left to play. Sidwell did all the hard work to win the ball and when the return pass came he looked to blast it home. Instead he entirely mis-kicked the ball, which looped into the air before Doyle made contact, to volley it over the keeper and dip it perfectly into the back of the net. Reading had two penalty appeals waved away as they looked to extend the lead further while Charlton were offering little resistance. Hahnemann made a couple of tidy saves but had little involvement in the second half. Hunt got in a good shot that was pushed wide and Reading had to settle for the two goal win that saw them rise to eighth spot.
Graham

For the second game in succession Reading picked up three precious points and now find themselves eighth in the Premiership. Charlton certainly had the potential in their squad to pose a real threat, but in the end it was a comfortable win for the Royals. Having sacked their manager earlier in the week, they looked low on confidence and offered little resistance to a positive Reading side.

Reading took control of the match in the early stages with Sidwell stamping his authority on the game and Harper working tirelessly closing players down. Seol continued to partner Doyle up front and again roamed freely causing problems for Charlton's back four. On the flanks Murty, Little, Shorey and Hunt were constantly probing and getting over crosses. After eighteen minutes Reading created a fine goal. Hunt back heeled smartly to Shorey who whipped in a great ball for Seol to head home powerfully from close range helped by poor marking in the centre of Charlton's defence.

Reading should have added at least three more before the interval. Little was presented with good chance by a good cross from Doyle, Hunt headed over when all he needed to do was nod it down past Carson, Doyle himself wasted a good opportunity when he broke clear but his first touch was poor and he was forced wide. The only concern for the home fans was that the Royals did not make more of the possession they enjoyed in the final third.

The second half opened with reading causing a scare from another good Hunt cross. Charlton already employing a four four two formation were prepared to commit more player forward. It was an open game but Reading continued to look more likely to score. Sidwell was again in command winning a lot of possession and making powerful forward runs. It was one such run which produced the killer blow for Charlton. Having won the ball he received a return pass form Little. Having completely mis-kicked, the ball fell kindly for the alert and persistent Doyle and he lifted the ball calmly over Carson in to the net.

Charlton looked beaten long before the final whistle. The only incident of note in the remaining time being another awful decision form Graham Poll when Hunt was clearly pulled back by Karkouri. He must have been the only person in the ground not to have seen it as a penalty. Following that recent bleak run against some of the title contenders, Reading seem to have adjusted quite nicely to life in the Premiership.
John