Reading FC held by relegated Wigan Athletic in sell-out tie

Falling behind with 10 minutes to go, Yakou Meite scored a stoppage time equaliser in front of a sold-out SCL Stadium.

The stage was set, with a full house at fever pitch with the two sets of players entering the field. Buoyed by the crowd and atmosphere, Reading looked intent on taking the initiative. Tom McIntyre saw the games first effort on target, curling a strike into the arms of Jamie Jones from outside the box. Wigan, content with playing on the counter attack, had their first attempt before the 10 minute mark as Charlie Hughes failed to trouble Joe Lumley from the edge of the box. Forcing plenty of set pieces, Junior Hoilett whipped a dangerous ball across the face of goal, but nobody managed to get on the other end of it as it went out the other side of the box.

McIntyre should have given the hosts the lead shortly after, lashing the ball over the bar from the edge of the box with plenty of space ahead of him. Cesare Casadei saw the headlines on the half hour mark, deciding to meet Jeff Hendrick’s cross with a bicycle kick- unsurprisingly failing to test Jones. The Latics looked semi-threatening on the break, reaching the edge of the box on multiple occasions. The experienced James McClean tried his luck with the half ticking away, but it was both high and wide. The best chance of the game fell to Lucas Joao, who got on the end of Tom Holmes’ flick on. Sending a goal-bound header, everyone in the stadium felt it was in the net- only for keeper Jones to fling himself across his line and claw the ball away from danger.

In a total parallel to the first half, it was the visitors who came flying out of the traps in the second half. Magennis met a cross with his head, only to clear the ball further away from the Royals net. Christ Tiehi was allowed to drive from his own box to the edge of the hosts’ box before unleashing a shot which ended up high in the stand behind the goal. Huffing and puffing, Reading failed to create any clear-cut opportunities. Joao and Tom Holmes both had efforts on target, but neither tested Jones. With 15 minutes to go, the Latics had a glorious chance to open the scoring when Callum Lang connected on the volley but hit it straight at Lumley unmarked. Less than five minutes later they did take the lead as Hughes managed to sneak in at the back post and divert the ball across the keeper.

Stunned into silence, Meite had two chances to flick a header on target, brushing the roof of the net on both occasions but putting it out of bounds. However, there was a glimmer of hope as a lengthy restart led to nine minutes of additional time. In the first few moments, Meite managed to slam home from a goal mouth scramble to take the roof off. Despite urgency from both sides, the final few minutes of chaos failed to conjure up a chance for either side to pick up the win they both craved.

Relegating the Latics, the Royals remain in the bottom three on goal difference, however Huddersfield Town have two games in hand before they meet on the final day.