Reading (N Hunt 32, 61, Cisse 37)
Coventry (Fox 26)

The Royals took all three points in comfortable fashion against Coventry, coming from behind to earn a 3-1 win.

City's Danny Fox opened the scoring midway through the first half with a superb free kick, but we levelled soon afterwards, Noel Hunt's header deflected in by Fox.

We took the lead just a few moments later, a lovely move down the right enabling Kalifa Cisse to sidefoot home his first Madejski Stadium goal from 12 yards.

The second half was a one-way affair, and Noel Hunt scored another just after the hour, capitalising on some dithering by Marcus Hall in front of his own goal.

We had not played particularly well, but did more than enough to earn all three points against a City side that never tested Marcus Hahnemann at all in the second half.

Reading: Hahnemann; Rosenior, Armstrong, Duberry, Ingimarsson; Cisse (Gunnarsson 76), Harper (c), Kebe (Henry 86), S Hunt; Doyle, N Hunt (Long 72)
Subs: Federici, Matejovsky
Booked: S Hunt (dissent 42)

Coventry: Westwood; Dann (c) (Turner HT), Hall, Ward; Gunnarsson (Best 59), Fox; Beuzelin, Doyle, Tabb; Eastwood (Mifsud 76), Morrison
Subs: Marshall, Simpson
Booked: Gunnarsson (dissent 42)

Ref: K Wright

Attendance: 16,803

First half
City lined up with a 3-5-2 formation, and against our usual 4-4-2 neither side got a shot on goal inside the first 25 minutes - the nearest anyone had come was on 12 when Noel Hunt headed over a cross from his brother.

Michael Duberry was back in the Reading XI, and on 26 minutes conceded a free kick for a clumsy challenge in the back of Clinton Morrison. There was bound to be danger as Danny Fox stepped up, having curled in a beauty in the Sky Blues' last game, and he did the same again, floating in the dead ball into the corner; Marcus Hahnemann no chance.

Thankfully the lead only lasted seven minutes. Not for the first time we did very well down the right, and Liam Rosenior slid in a nice ball for Jimmy Kebe. The cross found Noel Hunt in the middle, and his header was angling just wide, only to hit Fox and loop over the 'keeper for 1-1. By the letter of the law it was probably an own goal but Noel deserved credit to complete a nice move.

It should have been 2-1 inside a minute, Kalifa Cisse doing well to slip Stephen Hunt in, only for the Irishman to shin his effort narrowly past the post; only the 'keeper to beat.

But quickly Reading did take the lead with a lovely move. Again the goal was created down the right, Rosenior finding Kebe, who in turn pulled back for Cisse to sidefoot home his first Madejski Stadium goal from 12 yards, a tidy finish.

Morrison tried his luck with a low shot not long before the break, and Duberry threw himself into a header but neither were close to troubling the scorers.

Second half
City began the period without skipper Scott Dann, who had dislocated his shoulder defending a late cross; Ben Turner on in his place at the heart of the defence.

Reading were the better side and their advantage was increased just beyond the hour mark.

James Harper released Stephen Hunt with a very nice ball down the left channel, and it looked like it had opened up for the winger to shoot. Instead he chose to lay it across, and defender Marcus Hall looked sure to clear - but got his feet all wrong and allowed Noel Hunt to tackle him two yards out and prod home past the dawdling full back.

The Royals remained well on top, and on the rare occasion Coventry had the ball there was no way they were getting through our well-drilled defensive line.

Inside the last ten minutes Stephen Hunt was denied a clear run at goal by an incorrect offside decision; the Irishman a good yard onside when the flag went up.

There were good rounds of applause for Kebe, Cisse and Noel Hunt as they went off in the closing stages, and it was a very satisfactory night all round.

We had responded quickly to going behind in the first half, and after taking the lead never really looked back. It was not our best performance by any means, but more than enough to win the game at a canter.