Report by John Patrick Heeley

Wigan were without four key players for this game against Reading but it proved to be a good test of the squad as they earned themselves a point against 3rd placed Reading. Butler put the Berkshire side in front and almost immediately Bradshaw responded with a stormer from 35 yards to level the tie.

Wigan started the game with a very depleted squad. It was bad enough losing goalkeeper Roy Carroll and defender Pat McGibbon who were both picked by Sammy McIllroy for international duty with Northern Ireland tomorrow but to be missing the main strikeforce of Simon Haworth and Andy Liddell through injury was worrying to say the least.

Wigan were forced to again start with Scott Green pushed forward partnering this time with Neil Roberts who at last had a chance to prove himself.

Reading curiously started with Jamie Cureton on the bench and began with a forward of Martin Butler and Jim McIntyre.

Wigan began the game brightly and in the 4th minute went close after a free kick was put over the bar by Kevin Sharp.

Signs of things to come arrived before 10 minutes were even on the clock when Reading took the lead. A clever ball from the right flank found former Cambridge United striker MARTIN BUTLER unmarked in the area and he slotted the ball past Stillie in the Wigan goal for his eight strike of the season.

The majority of the crowd must have thought that Reading had sewn the game up then, even so early in the game but Latics responded straight from the restart. CARL BRADSHAW, who had turned around the game at Swindon last Saturday after coming on as substitute, found himself with the ball 35 yards out and spotting keeper off his line lobbed over keeper Whitehead to put the game back level.

Darren Caskey went close just before the quarter of an hour mark when he hit an optimistic shot from outside the area but his effort went sailing over the bar.

Wigan pushed forward and on 23 minutes a deep cross into the Reading area found De Zeeuw on the near post but his nod down into the centre of the box went unclaimed and Reading cleared the danger.

Just before the half hour Reading's Viveash hacked down Scott Green on the '25 yard-line', earning himself a place in referee Graham Laws book. The resulting free kick was drilled low through the Reading wall but Whitehead got down well to his right to gather the ball.

Mr. Laws showed his inadequacy on 37 minutes when Martinez gathered the ball midway into the Royals' half, and with two defenders closing in, performed a neat little move to push the ball through but was 'dropped' blatantly by the pair only for the referee to wave play on with Roberto still lying flat out on the deck.

Latics' best chance of increasing the lead came five minutes from the interval when Scott Green beat Williams down the left wing, stole inside the area, dragged the ball back, beat the goalkeeper with his shot, but the ball was blocked on the line by a Reading defender.

Reading's Newman was the second player to see yellow after hacking down Brian McLaughlin bang on half time.

HALF TIME: Wigan 1 Reading 1

Dutchman De Zeeuw became Laws' third victim for the yellow peril soon after the restart for a late challenge.

It took until the 55th minute for Reading manager Alan Pardew to bring on his star striker Jamie Cureton who replaced McIntyre and a minute later they very nearly took the lead. A blatant offside was overlooked putting Reading through but the shot on goal was well stopped by an outstretched arm from Stillie.

Just before the hour Bradshaw put the ball across the edge of the Reading area but Kevin Nicholls' scissor-kick couldn't reach the target and was cleared from danger.

Martinez was unlucky in the 64th minute when his volley from a nod down took a deflection away for a corner.

The resulting kick found Martinez again, on the edge of the box but his half volley went agonisingly over the bar for a goal kick.

Cureton could have increased his tally for the season on 70 minutes when a bad square ball across the halfway line was intercepted by Reading and the ball put through to the former Bristol Rovers striker who raced forward with only Stillie to beat but the stand in keeper narrowed the angle well and stuck out a leg to deny his effort.

I don't know what Reading gaffer Pardew was shouting from the technical area but Laws charged across to the dug out to give him a stern ticking off on 75 minutes.

Scott Green should have done far better 3 minutes later after beating a Reading defender on the bye-line, but his cross into the area ended straight into keepers' arms.

Reading immediately went upfield and Hodges put over the bar from outside the area.

Kilford manufactured a chance out of nothing in the 84th minute when he moved past a Reading defender on the right hand side of the box and chipped a shot over to the far post, lobbing the keeper on the far post but Whitehead managed to make a fingertip save, putting the ball out for a corner.

Wigan manager Bruce Rioch brought on striker Lee Ashcroft for Kevin Nicholls with little over 5 minutes left on the scoreboard in an attempt to give a little bit more up front but the game fizzled out and a point a piece seemed a fair reflection on the game.