Reading 2 Bradford 2

READING battled back to earn a point after surrendering an early lead in a topsy-turvy performance at Madejski Stadium on Saturday.

As the club edge nearer to naming a new manager, the players produced an hour of excellent football.

But the other half-hour - at the start of the second half - proved costly as a lack of leadership and direction off the pitch did nothing to help their prospects.

Brighton manager Steve Coppell is the man Reading have targeted to take over. On Friday the team were told that a man had been selected and the weekend would see financial aspects and personal terms being worked on.

If all goes well - and Coppell decides his ambitions can be better matched at Reading - a decision can be expected shortly.

Brighton chairman Dick Knight, who has pleaded with Coppell to stay, also urged him to make a final decision as soon as possible for the good of the Division Two table-toppers.

Royals lost Graeme Murty to a serious calf injury in training on Friday and Steve Brown was also forced out again. But they still made an excellent start when they took a fifth-minute lead.

Scott Murray pulled back a ball from the right byline, Steven Sidwell and Shaun Goater exchanged touches and Sidwell fired a low shot past Mark Paston from eight yards.

Royals were on fire but weak shooting let down their excellent approach play. Dean Windass blasted past the upright from long-range for City before Nicky Forster forced a good parry from Paston with a fierce right-foot drive.

Sidwell shot off target following another Goater lay-off, before a looping Kevin Watson header, from a corner cleared to the edge of the box, was touched behind the goal-line. Goater spun to fire a left-foot shot into Paston's arms and a second goal seemed likely. But City then hit back and Marcus Hahnemann was forced into a flying save to hold a 25-yard blast from Paul Evans.

A minute before the break, Evans went one better with a classy equaliser. Goater lost possession just outside the box and Evans curled a delightful 25-yard strike into the top corner.

Royals, and the crowd, were stunned. And for 30 minutes after the break their spirit and confidence seemed to have gone.

Windass headed an inch past the post when meeting a deep cross from Nicky Summerbee just five minutes after the restart. And, on 55 minutes, a 50-yard run down the left by Ben Muirhead eluded Ricky Newman and the rest of the defence.

The lively winger then slipped a perfectly-weighted pass in to Andy Gray, rushing through the inside-right channel, and he thumped his shot past Hahnemann to give City the lead.

Forster and Murray both had shots deflected behind as Reading rallied. Omar Daley came on for Watson, a swap unpopular with the crowd, and he headed a corner over. Sidwell forced another save from Paston and then, on 77 minutes, home pressure paid off as an equaliser finally came. Nicky Shorey curled in a free-kick with his left-foot from just outside the box and Andy Hughes flicked a header past the 'keeper from the crowded penalty box.

As Royals piled forward, Sidwell's deflected shot from 20 yards was tipped just past the post by Paston. And then Adie Williams and Goater both saw efforts cleared off the line following a corner.

Moments later, a Williams header was stopped on the line while a Hughes surge into the box ended with his shot blocked.

For most of the game the Royals had returned to the side of Alan Pardew's tenure. A permanent appointment can't come soon enough for a side that deserve better than the shambles of recent weeks.

Reading (4-4-2): Hahnemann; Newman, Mackie, Williams, Shorey; Murray, Sidwell, Watson (sub Daley 62min), Hughes; Forster, Goater. Subs not used: Ashdown, Salako, Tyson, Savage.