Noel Hunt's killer touch enough for Reading against Birmingham

Noel Hunt came off the bench to score the winner for Reading against in-form Birmingham at the Madejski Stadium on Sunday.

The substitute was on the pitch only for a matter of seconds when he beat the goalkeeper Boaz Myhill with a near-post tap-in to inflict on the visitors a first defeat since 18 September.

In a first half filled with chances and half-chances Myhill denied Kaspars Gorkss and Joseph Mills, while Adam Federici in the home goal frustrated the Birmingham striker Chris Wood. After half-time the Reading winger Jobi McAnuff was superbly foiled by Myhill and the Royals centre-back Alex Pearce saw a clearing header come back off a post.

Reading were the faster out of the traps, and Myhill did well to tip Gorkss's goalbound header over the crossbar. Moments later the Latvian had another glorious chance to grab an early lead, but he could only stab the ball back across goal.

Birmingham responded in kind on the quarter-hour. Wood, on loan from West Bromwich, saw his fizzing shot kept out by the fingertips of Federici. The breathless first half continued with the home winger Jimmy Kébé breaking beyond City's backline only to see his pull-back from the byline fail to find a single Royals shirt in the six-yard box.

Wood nodded over for Birmingham at the other end, and the New Zealander saw another shot stopped by the Australian Federici low down. The home keeper continued his personal battle with the centre-forward, a superb save then denying Wood's header.

After 20 minutes without a chance of any real significance, Reading were within inches of opening the scoring 15 minutes before the interval. The full-back Mills raced out of defence and unleashed a curling, dipping effort from 20 yards which was turned over by Myhill.

The Berkshire side had played out 14 goalless first halves prior to this fixture, and therefore it came as little surprise that the two teams went into the break at 0-0.

Chances were more scarce in the first 20 minutes of the second period. Simon Church, restored to the Reading side in the place of Mathieu Manset, failed to test Myhill with a header before Chris Burke sent a 30-yard attempt over the crossbar for the visitors.

McAnuff had a huge chance to hand the Royals the lead when he seized on a weak Birmingham backpass and bore down on goal, only for the inspired Myhill to parry his effort. And the home captain was almost made to rue the miss, as Birmingham struck the woodwork seconds later.

The Reading defender Pearce miscued a clearing header which cannoned back off a post. After surviving that, the home side finally found a way past Myhill through Hunt. It was the first goal Birmingham had conceded for exactly 500 minutes.