Birmingham 1 Reading 3: Disaster for Bluenoses

Dec 20 2008

KEVIN Doyle hit his 16th goal of the season as Reading ominously moved into the top two of the Coca-Cola Championship with a crucial win over promotion rivals Birmingham.

Doyle took advantage of slack defending midway through the second half to head in and render a moment of individual brilliance from Blues striker Kevin Phillips worthless.

Phillips had dragged Alex McLeish's side level against the run of play with a fine solo goal only for Doyle to respond and midfielder Kalifa Cisse add a late third which sees Reading leapfrog their hosts into the automatic promotion places.

Earlier Reading's Noel Hunt had shaken off a head injury to bend in a 25-yard free-kick before later succumbing to his second knockout blow of the season.

The striker has no memory of a goal he scored against Burnley in October as he was knocked out in the process but may be made to remember this one for years should the three points eventually pave the way for promotion back to the Premier League.

The returning James McFadden showed a few nice touches early on but it was a bad one from him which led to Hunt's 13th-minute opener.

McFadden fouled Hunt - who had seconds earlier clashed heads with Franck Queudrue - 25 yards from goal and the forward nonchalantly bent the resulting free-kick over the wall and into the corner.

Maik Taylor got a hand to the shot but could not prevent Hunt from claiming his 11th goal of a productive first season in England.

The dazed Hunt was then brought off as a result of his earlier head injury with Shane Long partnering Doyle up front.

The game lost its tempo for the remainder of the half after Hunt's departure but Steve Coppell's side started the second brightly, with Long twice close to connecting with dangerous crosses from the right.

Birmingham looked clueless in attack before a