5pm, Saturday 28th January



Reading 1 (Long 32)
Birmingham City 1 (Dunn 67)

Reading: Stack, Halls, Makin, Gunnarsson, Sonko, Harper, Sidwell, Oster, Hunt, Lita, Long (Doyle 89)
Subs: Hahnemann, Osano, Ingimarsson, Little
Yellow cards: Oster, Sonko

Birmingham: Taylor, Melchiot, Lazaridis, Bruce, Tebily, Izzet (Kilkenny 58), Johnson, Pennant, Jarosik (Forssell 58), Heskey (Dunn 58), Sutton
Subs: Vaesen, Oji
Subs: Tebily

Ref: R Styles

Attendance: 23,762

Steve Coppell's Royals battled hard to deservedly earn an FA Cup replay against Steve Bruce's Birmingham City at Madejski Stadium this afternoon.

Young Irish striker Shane Long had given the home side the lead drilling a well-taken first half effort low inside Maik Taylor's left post for the opener.

The second half saw City come back into the game, but with very few clear cut chances at either end, the Royals looked like they might hold onto their advantage.

But impressive second-half substitute David Dunn swept the equaliser home from six yards out at the far post to force a replay at St Andrews.

Full match report
Reading began the more comfortable side and both Stephen Hunt and John Oster produced dangerous crosses from both flanks with no end result.

But the first half-chance fell to Birmingham with Muzzy Izzet almost capitalising on a loose ball on the edge of the six yard box, but James Harper cleared the danger without Graham Stack tested.

With good posession and some slick passing, the Championship side were more than matching the Premiership visitors but Izzett popped up again the 18th minute.

A long throw from the right was flicked into the middle and Izzet was there to try to quickly direct a looping header beyond Stack, but the midfielder's instinctive effort floated over the crosbar.

Two minutes later Shane Long won a free kick under a challenge from Stan Lazaridis on the right edge of the Blues' area. Hunt whipped it in with his left foot and although Steve Sidwell looked to steal in ahead of Maik Taylor, the ball was just to high and Taylor calmly gathered.

Chances were few proving to be few and far between. Just before the half hour mark, Chris Sutton intercepted Ibrahima Sonko's pass to John Halls and earned a corner on the left. A dangerous ball was hacked clear and the home side tried to break.

Sidwell found Long racing goalwards, and the young Irishman tried to take on Oliver Tebily in a one-on-one situation. Unable to beat his man on that occasion the attack fizzled out.

Moments later though, Long punished City to give Reading the lead. A good run from Oster found Harper five yards from the edge of the area on the left. Harper slid an excellent pass to his right where Shane Long had cleverly peeled off his marker and the striker drilled low inside Taylor's right upright from 14 yards out for the opener.

The game remained tight though with scrappy tackles flying in from both sides and jockeying inside the Royals box watched closely by referee Rob Styles on a number of occasions.

Long and Lita continued to pose the main threat with their pace up front but when Lita burst clear in the final stages of the half, the linesman's flag prevented the frontman doubling the Royals advantage.

Second half

Birmingham began the half with new intent, winning a corner down the right. Pennant's curling set piece was cleared off Mario Melchiot's head by Lita, who had tracked back to help out in defence.

Lita was then causing trouble at the other end, almost connecting with Oster's right-sided cross and then beating Alex Bruce on the left only to lash a shot well wide of Taylor's goalmouth.

Five minutes into the second period and Oster broke to feed Long, who checked his run to touch away from Lazaridis. Gathering the ball well he pass to Lita on his left, but the pacy striker trying to jink his way further into the box, saw his shot blocked and trickle through to Taylor.

City began to threaten though and after Sonko had headed Jermaine Pennant's right wing free-kick half clear, it was up to John Halls to hook clear before Heskey could pounce.

A triple substitution followed from Steve Bruce with David Dunn, Mikael Forssell and Neil Kilkenny sent on to try to turn the tide and Dunn almost did, firing a wicked volley just over Stack's crossbar.

Moments later, City forced the first real save from Stack. The impressive Pennant crossed to the edge of the Royals box and arriving late Dunn steered a diving header to the Royals keeper's right, but Stack saved and clung on to the substitute's effort.

Just after the hour, Chris Sutton was played in and seemingly pulled down by Gunnarsson, who had stepped up for offiside. Thankfully to good effect, as Sutton was adjudged offside to his disbeleif and Rob styles waved away the ensuing penalty claims.

The pressure was building though and soon after City were level. Sutton rose high to win a header from a right wing cross. Dropping to David Dunn on the edge of six yard box, the tricky midfielder swept the loose ball home at the back post for 1-1.

Reading responded and Lita raced down the right to cut back dangerously from the byline. Alex Bruce hoofed clear at the near post though before it could reach Long in the middle.

With less than 10 minutes remaining Pennant again delivered deep from the right for Dunn to play back in from just beyond the back post. Stack somehow saw a close range header cannon off his chest and the Royals had escaped and could clear.

The away side were looking the more likely to nick a win and Forssell won a free kick on the edge of the area in the final minute of normal time, after skipping past Gunnarsson and being brought down by Sonko.

Pennant took the set piece and bent it over the wall and toward the bottom corner, but Stack spectacularly stretched to his right to tip past his post and keep the scores level.

In injury time Dunn weaved his way to the left edge of the area and was muscled to the floor by Sonko inches outside the box. Pennant chipped the cross in but Reading cleared and Dunn's follow-up strike was well blocked.

That was the last action of the match though and Steve Coppell's men now face a replay at St Andrews next month.