Reading resist brave Burnley

AN under-strength Reading side survived a Burnley comeback to book a place in the FA Cup fourth round at the Madejski Stadium.

The Royals, featuring just two players assured of a start at Everton on Sunday, had looked secure at 3-0 up but had to withstand a late Clarets’ onslaught to set up an away tie at either Birmingham or Newcastle.

Reading’s first two goals were very good. The first, after fit-again winger Bobby Convey had hit a post in the fifth minute, was netted just before the half-hour mark by Leroy Lita.

The striker, who had suffered a broken ankle at Burnley in March last year, received the ball following a flick-on from strike partner Shane Long and, although two defenders were nearby, still managed to beat goalkeeper Brian Jensen from the edge of the box with a low drive.

It was his eighth goal of the season and his fourth in the last four games.

Reading’s second in the 37th minute was even better. Long was the man on target, with Lita the provider. The 19-year-old Irishman, for so long in the shadow of fellow countryman Kevin Doyle, proved to be a fine finisher.

Reading made it 3-0 10 minutes after the restart with a goal from Sam Sodje, his first for the club.

Left-back Scott Golbourne, making his Reading start, fired in a cross from the left but goalkeeper Jensen seemed odds-on to catch comfortably, until Sodje outjumped him from five yards.

The hour-mark saw Lita replaced by striker Dave Kitson who had been out with a knee injury. Burnley needed a goal and Akinbiyi provided it in the 70th minute, lofting the ball high over the advancing Federici with the Reading defence nowhere.

Burnley made a double substitution with Alan Mahon and Kyle Lafferty coming on and with 15 minutes remaining Reading manager Steve Coppell took off Ingimarsson to give teenage defender Alex Pearce a debut.

There was still plenty of defending to be done and Federici was the focal point. First he made a fine diving save to keep out Akinbiyi’s shot on the turn and then was behind Lafferty’s close-range header.

Burnley made their third change, replacing Elliott with Garreth O’Connor, before Federici blocked a shot from Mahon in the box.

The substitute then headed an even better opportunity over before fellow replacement O’Connor showed him how it was done in stoppage time when he capitalised on Federici’s only real error of the night — a punch straight to him. But there was no time for a third and Reading were through.

READING: Federici, De la Cruz, Sodje, Ingimarsson (Pearce 74), Golbourne, Ki-Hyeon, Oster, Bikey, Convey, Lita (Kitson 60), Long.

BURNLEY: Jensen, Thomas, McGreal, Foster, Harley, James O’Connor, Noel-Williams (Lafferty 70), McCann, Elliott (Garreth O’Connor 84), Jones (Mahon 70), Akinbiyi.

Ref: R Styles

Barnet 2 Colchester 1

Barnet will face Plymouth or Peterborough in the FA Cup fourth round after they came from behind to shock Coca-Cola Championship high-fliers Colchester in a rearranged tie at Underhill.

Jason Puncheon rifled home a stunning left-footed winner from the edge of the box with 10 minutes remaining to send the League Two minnows through.

Earlier, Jamie Cureton collected the ball on the right-hand side of the area and fired a clinical shot low into the far corner in the 35th minute to give United the lead, before Ismail Yakubu bundled home an equaliser just after the hour mark.

Coca-Cola Football League Two: Grimsby 0 Chester 2.