The Royals reserves clinched the Barclays Premier Reserve League South with a 4-0 win against West Ham at Bishop's Stortford on Tuesday evening.

Shane Long opened the scoring at the end of the first half, and Hal Robson-Kanu notched the second before Leroy Lita netted an impressive brace.

Brian McDermott's team now face a play-off against northern winners Bolton to decide the national champions. The game will be played at Madejski Stadium before the end of the season.

Reading had the best of the first half with Lita coming close on three occasions and Jem Karacan smacking a drive onto the bar.

The deadlock was broken shortly before the break when James Henry crossed from the right, Lita's header dropped to Alan Bennett and the defender dinked a perfect cross into the path of Long who headed home from close range.

After 54 minutes Robson-Kanu steered home the second after a low pass from Greg Halford, and then Lita took over.

The striker made it 3-0 after 56 minutes with a rasping drive into the top corner from 15 yards, and then shrugged off Christian Dailly to complete the scoring with 15 minutes remaining.

Unusually, the Hammers ended with nine players and the Royals with ten as both teams suffered injuries after making all their substitutions.

One of the West Ham players to be injured was keeper Carroll, meaning that defender John Pantsil ended the game between the posts.

West Ham: Carroll (injured 78), Pantsil, Widdowson, Dailly, Davenport (Tomkins 61, injured 70), Hales, Stokes (Miller 56), Stanislas, Sears, Hines (Hunt 12), Jeffery
Subs: Harvey, Blackmore

Reading: Federici, Halford, Kelly, Bennett, Halls (P Cox HT), Karacan (Bozanic 31), Davies, Henry (Bignall 67, injured 78), Robson-Kanu, Long, Lita
Subs: Andersen, Spence

Attendance: 231

Full match report
West Ham made a bright start and had the game's first chance after five minutes when Freddie Sears cut in from the left, but his weak shot was easily gathered by Adam Federici.

The Royals first threatened on eight minutes when James Henry delivered a right-wing free-kick and Alan Bennett headed downwards, but Roy Carroll was able to save.

The Hammers were then forced into an early change as striker Zavon Hines limped off, to be replaced by Ben Hunt.

After 17 minutes Jem Karacan won possession in midfield and Scott Davies delivered a crossfield pass to find Leroy Lita, whose shot squeezed wide of the near post from 10 yards.

The Royals were starting to take control and seconds later Greg Halford crossed from the right and Hal Robson-Kanu's header flew just too high.

After half an hour Lita produced a lovely flick on the edge of the box to release Karacan, whose powerful drive smashed back off the bar.

That was Karacan's last involvement though, as he was injured in a challenge with John Pantsil and had to be replaced by Oliver Bozanic.

West Ham were rarely threatening and when they did get sight of goal, Jack Jeffery and Hunt fired their shots badly wide.

Lita was continuing threaten and after 41 minutes he latched onto a poor header by Calum Davenport to send an acrobatic overhead volley narrowly wide.

A minute later the striker was sent through on goal by Halford's excellent pass, but Carroll raced from his line to smother.

It wasn't long before the deadlock was finally broken though, as Henry's cross from the right dropped to Bennett, whose dinked left-footed cross was headed powerfully home from close range by Shane Long.

It was nearly two before the break as a good move involving Henry and Davies gave Lita a shooting chance, but Christian Dailly blocked well.

Second half
Patrick Cox replaced John Halls at the interval, and the Royals always looked likely to add to their total as Bozanic chipped through for Lita who stabbed narrowly wide, and then Lita forced another save from Carroll with a close range effort.

The second goal came after 54 minutes when Halford squared a pass to Robson-Kanu, who turned on the edge of the box to fire a low shot past Carroll.

Two minutes later Lita finally got the goal he'd been threatening - and it was a cracker. Cox threaded a pass to the striker 15 yards from goal, and he hit an unstoppable rising right-footed drive into the top right corner.

The Hammers made two more substitutions and nearlyu grabbed a goal after 66 minutes when Hunt raced down the right but his shot flew into the side-netting.

The Royals made their final change as Henry was replaced by Nicholas Bignall, and the Hammers were then down to ten men as substitute James Tomkins - who had only been on for ten minutes - suffered a serious-looking shoulder injury.

The fourth and final goal came after 75 minutes when Lita latched onto a long ball from Davies, shrugged off the attentions of Dailly and rifled a cracking low shot past Carroll.

The numbers were then further reduced when Bignall and Carroll were both injured as they collided in pursuit of a loose ball. Defender Pantsil went into goal for the nine-man Hammers as Reading were reduced to ten.

The final stages were played out without further incident, although Pantsil's unconventional goalkeeping provided entertainment and he raised a cheer by denying Lita his hat-trick on 87 minutes.