Royals Harm Wounded Wigan

Reading posted a new club-record off the pitch, before condemning their opponents to a new record of their own on it.

A handshake on the £2.5million deal bringing Colchester`s versatile Greg Halford to the Madejski Stadium signalled the smashing of the club`s previous highest transfer spending, the £1million that secured Leroy Lita`s services eighteen months ago.

Our performance on the pitch, however, left another record in tatters – Wigan`s longest ever losing streak to be exact. The 3-2 victory hoisted the Royals to seventh in the table, and left our opponents without a win from their last eight league games.

Goals from our two ‘second choice` strikers and a timely equaliser from veteran defender Ivar Ingimarsson, was enough to secure the points in a sometimes scrappy encounter with the travelling Latics, and continue our unbeaten start to 2007.

Being the statistician that I am, I can tell you that our four home games so far this calendar year have reaped a massive tally of fifteen goals scored! Given this fact, it`s no wonder that we currently lay just a single point away from occupying a European berth, and with winnable fixtures against Manchester City and Aston Villa looming, the border of the top six may well be breached soon.

Lee McCulloch fired a good chance wide in the second minute but within just 60 seconds his side would be ahead.

Emile Heskey fired the visitors into an early lead as his left-footed volley caught Marcus Hahnemann out at his near post in as little as the 3rd minute. This came off the back of a sloppy start by the Royals, who were lucky to escape with just the one goal conceded as both Heskey, and Wigan debutant Caleb Folan, looked dangerous up against a defence that was lacking the pace of Ibrahima Sonko.

As Wigan’s manager Paul Jewell pointed out, if this had been a match last season his team would probably have converted many more of the chances they created in a first half they began with genuine cause for hope. Now they face what he describes as ‘a right battle’ to avoid a return to the Championship. ‘It’s going to go all the way to the wire,’ Jewell said, ‘And we’ve got to be up for it.’

Before and after Heskey was allowed time to advanced on to Lee McCulloch’s long ball and drive Wigan’s first Premiership goal since Boxing Day, the visitors might have had other goals, notably when their debutant forward Caleb Folan, bought for £500,000 from Chesterfield, volleyed against the bar from a long throw.

The home side needed time to rally but Irishman Stephen Hunt sent one effort curling past Chris Kirkland and only just wide of the far post.

More chances came and went with Steve Sidwell and Hunt both failing to hit the target and Leroy Lita heading wide with the goal seemingly at his mercy.

The home fans could have been forgiven for concluding it was not to be their night when Kirkland dropped a high ball at Sidwell’s feet, only for the midfielder to stab wide of the open goal.

The Royals eventually responded, equalising just after the half-hour mark. The once-again outstanding Nicky Shorey’s free-kick from the left was directed away from the danger zone by Folan’s head, but Lita chased the lost cause and hooked the ball over his shoulder towards goal. Wigan goalkeeper Chris Kirkland could only parry the ball onwards and upwards, and Ivar Ingimarsson won the scramble to nod in the equaliser.

The setback jolted Wigan back into life and McCulloch forced Hahnemann into another save before Ryan Taylor saw his free-kick fizz across the box with Heskey millimetres away from turning it goalwards.

Reading started the second period strongly, with Glen Little seeing a drive saved and Sidwell firing wide before Shane Long made it 2-1 in the 51st minute with his second Premiership goal.

Hunt made it possible after Kirkland had punched Little’s cross from the left on to his chest. He was 12 yards from goal and instinctively lofted the ball over the goalkeeper to where Long was lurking at the far post. The striker rose well and nodded home before David Unsworth could intervene.

Long was then booked for a foul on Josip Skoko before Kevin Kilbane came on for Heskey in the 54th minute, and a second Wigan change was made in the 66th minute when McCulloch was replaced by Andreas Johansson, whose first touch saw him slice a Shorey free-kick into his own goalkeeper’s hands.

Folan, signed from Chesterfield, had been lively but his debut was also marked by a booking for a foul on Lita and Wigan made a third change by replacing Unsworth with Matt Jackson before Harper saw a chance to clinch the points thwarted by a timely block by a defender’s leg.

Long was replaced to huge applause by Dave Kitson for the final ten minutes and the newcomer blasted a simple chance over after Kirkland had parried a Hunt shot straight to him.

Lita made sure of the points with two minutes remaining when he slotted home from close range despite a tight angle after the ball had fallen perfectly for him when Kitson had challenged Kirkland for a loose ball.

That was his 11th of the season, overtaking the injured Kevin Doyle’s tally, and had perhaps been a little fortunate too as he had been offside when the attack began.

Dutchman Denny Landzaat netted from close range deep into stoppage-time after Marcus Hahnemann had been unable to hang on to a free-kick and Folan had played it back in to the box, but there was no time left for the Latics as this proved to be virtually the final kick of the game.