Reading 3 (N Hunt 4, S Hunt 53, Long 64)
Burnley 1 (McCann 89)

The Royals recorded their fifth successive home victory with an ultimately convincing 3-1 win against a Burnley side who made life difficult for the opening 50 minutes.

Steve Coppell's side always had the cushion of yet another early goal after Noel Hunt headed home Jimmy Kebe's right wing cross after just four minutes.

But Burnley provided the most difficult home opponents of the season and more than played their part in a tight first half.

The game was made safe with two goals early in the second half, firstly when Stephen Hunt atoned for a missing a similar chance minutes earlier by heading home Kebe's deep cross.

The third goal was provided by Kevin Doyle, who burst down the left wing and delivered a precise cross into the onrushing Shane Long - on as a sub for the injured Noel Hunt - who comfortably slotted home his first of the season.

After that it was plain sailing for Steve Coppell's side, although Burnley netted a last minute consolation through Chris McCann's header before visiting left back Stephen Jordan saw red - and the Royals can head into the international break on a high after another high-octane performance.

Reading: Hahnemann; Rosenior, Armstrong (Kelly 70), Bikey, Ingimarsson (c); Gunnarsson, Karacan (Cisse 76), Kebe, S Hunt; Doyle, N Hunt (Long 25)
Subs: Andersen, Henry
Yellow cards: Armstrong

Burnley: Jensen, Duff (Eagles 56), Jordan, Carlisle, Caldwell (c), Alexander, Gudjonsson, Elliott, Thompson (Blake 61), Paterson (Rodriguez 76)
Subs: Penny, Mahon
Yellow cards: Paterson, Caldwell, Jordan
Red cards: Jordan (90)

Ref: K Friend

Att: 18,621

Full report
Veteran visiting full back Graham Alexander had the game's first shot after three minutes when the ball was laid back on the edge of the box but he badly mis-hit the effort well over the bar.

And within a minute the Royals were ahead - Jem Karacan did superbly to win possession in midfield and release Stephen Hunt down the left. His far post cross reached Jimmy Kebe, who clipped the ball back into the middle where Noel Hunt rose to powerfully head into the top right corner.

Both the men who started and finished the move were injured in the process - Karacan being caught by a late challenge and Hunt taking a bang on the head - so the Royals were faced with the unusual scenario of restarting the game with only nine men, but both soon returned to the fray.

Marcus Hahnemann was forced into his first save of the afternoon as he comfortably gathered Joey Gudjonsson's long range free kick, but the American's next involvement was far trickier as he did well to palm over Stephen Jordan's firmly struck effort from 20 yards midway through the period.

Steve Coppell was forced into an early change when scorer Hunt was replaced by Shane Long as he still suffered with the ill-effects of his earlier knock, and soon after Liam Rosenior's cross was headed onto the top of the net by Kebe.

Reading were dominating without reaching their fluent best against an obdurate Burnley side, but with half an hour played Chris Armstrong made a superb winding run into the penalty area but was just stretching as he shot and couldn't get enough power to trouble Brian Jensen.

Burnley had marginally the better of things towards towards the end of the opening period without really testing Hahnemann, and a tight game was left delicately poised at the break.

Early in the second half Stephen Hunt was given a great chance to double the lead when Rosenior's cross found him unmarked at the far post, but the Irishman couldn't keep his header down.

However, a remarkably similar chance presented itself to Hunt just minutes later when Kebe's deep cross picked him out, and he made no mistake at the second time of asking with a firm header into the near post past Jensen.

Hunt had been left surprisingly free at the far post on both occasions, and it was no surprise when two minutes later visiting left back Michael Duff limped off with an injury that had no doubt prevented him from providing better defensive cover.

Burnley boss Owen Coyle made a couple of changes, but Ivar Ingimarsson and the effortless Andre Bikey always looked in command, and the game was wrapped up soon after when Doyle charged down the left and delivered a low cross perfectly into the stride of Long, who finished with ease.

Soon after a fourth goal - and Kebe's first for Reading - very nearly followed with an electrifying burst that resulted in Long sliding through a pass for the galloping Mali winger, who fired his first time shot narrowly wide of the right post.

Nothing was going Burnley's way, a point illustrated in comical fashion with 20 minutes remaining when Robbie Blake beat the offside trap to run clean through on goal, only to be stopped with no Reading player within 20 yards by a clattering collision with his teammate Martin Paterson, who was trying to run back from an offside position!

With the result in no doubt, both teams seemed to take their feet off the pedal in a scrappy phase marked by a number of substitutions as both managers made their full compliment of changes.

Burnley pulled one back in the dying stages when Chris McCann nodded home a left wing cross by Chris Eagles, before visiting defender Stephen Jordan was sent off after needlessly fouling Shane Long for his second yellow with 20 seconds remaining.

It was excellent result for Steve Coppell's men, who registered their third consecutive victory to maintain their charge towards the top of the league.