Watford 2 (Smith 57, O'Toole 64)
Reading 2 (Eustace 13 (og), S Hunt 87 (pen))

The Royals drew an incredible game 2-2 at Vicarage Road this afternoon, and it was a match that had everything.

We should have gone 1-0 up on eight minutes when Noel Hunt missed a sitter, but five minutes later we were given a huge break when awarded a goal that was five feet wide of the post; John Eustace eventually creditted with an own goal.

We had more chances to put the game out of sight, but Tommy Smith and then John-Joe O'Toole put Watford in front after the hour.

The game looked to petering out, but Shane Long was clearly fouled inside the box by Eustace, who had not enjoyed his afternoon, and Stephen Hunt lashed home from the spot for a point.

Watford: Poom (Loach 4); Mariappa, Harley, Bromby, Demerit (c); Eustace, Hoskins, Williamson, Smith, McAnuff (Ainsworth 34); O'Toole (Bangura 81), Smith
Subs: Young, Jenkins
Booked: Harley (foul 85)

Reading: Hahnemann; Rosenior, Armstrong, Bikey, Pearce; Harper (c), Karacan, Kebe, S Hunt; Doyle, N Hunt (Long 54)
Subs: Federici, Kelly, Ingimarsson, Convey
Booked: Karacan (foul 33), Armstrong (foul 53), Long (dissent 64), Bikey (dissent 86)

Ref: S Attwell

Attendance: 14,671 (1,541 away fans)

First half
Watford suffered a blow with only two minutes gone, keeper Mart Poom going off injured after an aerial collision with Kevin Doyle. Scott Loach came on for his first league appearance in the Hornets' net and had to settle in quickly.

Not long afterwards Marcus Hahnemann might have been fortunate not to be penalised for handball outside his area, rushing out to avert the danger as Watford broke clear.

With eight gone Reading had a glorious chance to take the lead. Doyle got a cross in, and Noel Hunt looked destined to head home from only four yards. He got his atttempt all wrong though, and it hit his shoulder. The ball still seemed to be alive, but he couldn't hook it in, a great opportunity gone.

Five minutes later Reading took the lead in truly incredible circumstances. John Eustace tried to clear a corner, and it ran a few feet wide of the post. As Noel Hunt tried to turn it back into the mixer, the flag went up and a goal had been given even though it had certainly not gone in, nor even near the goal. Amid the confusion, it was given as a Eustace own goal and Watford were incredulous, as one could fully understand.

If Watford had a sense of injustice, they failed to show it and Jimmy Kebe went on a magnificent run soon after, only to be denied by a good Loach save after being three or four men.

Next Andre Bikey just failed to make contact with an inswinging Stephen Hunt free kick, and it almost evaded Loach in the Watford net as it drifted goalwards.

Reading had made all the running, and save for a Jon Harley free kick Watford had failed to trouble us. The game took on a strange feel after that opening goal, and neither side seemed very comfortable - Reading a little sheepish after taking the lead in such a manner and Watford unsure how to handle it.

Second half
Watford came out of the traps a little brighter in the second half, and Reading couldn't see out the fight.

Ten minutes into the half, Chris Armstrong conceded a foul down our left. The ball was swung in, and after an almighty scramble veteran Tommy Smith lashed home past Hahnemann.

On the hour mark Watford boss Aidy Boothroyd was sent to the stands for remonstrating with the referee over a throw in, but soon afterwards his team took the lead.

Alex Pearce was outjumped on the edge of the box, and John-Joe O'Toole smacked past Hahnemann for a quick turnaround.

Reading had the game at their mercy in the first half, but let it slip away from their grasp after their break for failing to take their chances and ramming home their advantage.

We tried to get back in it, and Bikey had a goal disallowed for a push before Stephen Hunt had a good chance with a back post header from Liam Rosenior's cross.

We looked out of it, and the game had no flow after a series of stoppages and injuries to the home side.

Referee Stuart Attwell grew tired of Watford's use of the multiball system, and decided to limit them to just one ball after a couple of occasions when more than one ball ended up on the pitch.

With five minutes left, sub Shane Long showed a clean pair of heels inside the box ans was hacked down by Eustace, a stonewall penalty and an easy decision.

Under some pressure, Stephen Hunt stepped up to stroke home convincingly, and we were back on level terms.

Long tried a stunning effort in injury time from outside the box, and it was a great strike but narrowly over the bar.

Then Armstrong thought he had a penalty in the dying seconds, but maybe he made too much of the challenge and the referee was uninterested as our left back hit the deck.

It had been a strange game, and Steve Coppell said afterwards his team would have been embarassed not to take at least a point after the gift of the first goal.

Once we scored we had plenty of chances to ram home the advantage, but never found that killer second and in the end had to come from behind to salvage something when we'd previously looked in the box seat.