Harper snatches late winner for Reading

Middlesbrough 0 Reading 1

James Harper stopped the rot for Reading in dramatic fashion at the Riverside Stadium when he fired a final minute winner past Middlesbrough keeper Mark Schwarzer.

The midfielder’s fifth goal of the season gave the Royals their first Barclays Premier League points at the ninth attempt and a massive boost in their bid to avoid the drop.

Until then a dismal game looked nailed on for a stalemate once Boro wide man Stewart Downing had been controversially denied a 77th minute penalty following a challenge by Marek Matejovsky.

Instead, much to the fury of the home fans, referee Howard Webb handed Downing a booking for diving and paved the way for Steve Coppell’s man to carve out their unlikely three point haul.

Unsurprisingly given their recent form, Reading had made a jittery start with keeper Marcus Hahnemann struggling to clear under early pressure from Tuncay Sanli, then George Boateng firing well over the bar.

But they settled and Shane Long caused Boro’s first scare when he skipped around David Wheater into the home box only for Emanuel Pogatetz to get back well and sweep up the danger.

Long had an even better chance in the seventh minute when Liam Rosenior flung in an excellent cross from the right but the Irishman headed over the bar from close range.

Boro came close when Gary O’Neil’s ninth minute corner fell at the feet of Pogatetz, who stabbed the ball dangerously back into a crowded goalmouth where Kevin Doyle hacked it behind.

Busy Irishman Stephen Hunt should have done better for the visitors when he received John Oster’s 16th minute cross in a good central position only to snatch at his shot and send it over the bar.

Downing fired a long-range left foot effort straight into Hahnemann’s arms and minutes later was sent clear down the left by a perfectly weighted Afonso Alves pass, but his shot found the keeper again.

With Boro beginning to get on top, Rosenior headed a dangerous Downing cross behind for another corner, then Luke Young found the ball nicked off his toes as he looked to burst into the right side of the Reading box.

But Jonathan Grounds’ casual back-header in the 33rd minute let in the Royals, with Andre Bikey challenging keeper Mark Schwarzer and Doyle bundling the ball home, only for referee Howard Webb to rule a foul on the keeper.

The close call gave the visitors more momentum with Wheater having to pluck a dangerous ball from the head of Hunt and Schwarzer holding a Bikey flick-on from Hunt’s free-kick.

Rosenior was booked for bundling over Alves on the edge of the Reading box in the 41st minute and the Brazilian stepped up to fire a free-kick which a diving Hahnemann saved well to his left.

Downing had Boro’s first second half chance in the 49th minute when Tuncay fed the England wide man into the left corner of the Reading box but his shot was skewed horribly wide of Hahnemann’s goal.

Doyle headed a Rosenior cross over the bar for Reading but the game continued to drift aimlessly with very few clear-cut chances and a sense of mounting frustration in the stands.

Hunt was booked for hauling down Young near the byline on the right edge of the Reading box in the 66th minute but Downing summed up an increasingly dismal afternoon by flopping his set-piece into the side-netting.

Gareth Southgate sought to spark the game into life by bringing on Mido in place of the worryingly ineffective Alves in the 68th minute, while Coppell also signalled his intentions by replacing Oster with striker Dave Kitson.

Soon after Downing was denied his spot-kick chance, Shorey was booked for tripping substitute Adam Johnson on the right and Downing’s half-cleared free-kick eventually fell to Gary O’Neil, who blazed his effort inches over the bar.

Then came the dramatic finale which saw Harper shoot coolly past Schwarzer before rushing to celebrate with his team-mates in front of the jubilant visiting fans behind the goal.