Reading vs Rotherham United. Sky Bet Championship.
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Wednesday 24 February 2016 11:12, UK
Reading delivered a damaging blow to Rotherham's Sky Bet Championship survival hopes with a 1-0 win at the Madejski Stadium.
The Royals, fresh from beating West Brom in the FA Cup on Saturday, were nowhere near those levels but still had enough to edge past the Millers who are spiralling towards League One.
Hal Robson-Kanu got the decisive goal midway through the second half when he slotted in from just inside the area after some help from slapdash Rotherham defending.
It leaves Neil Warnock's side six points from safety with 13 games to go and having suffered 21 league defeats - more than anyone in the top six levels - their second season at this level looks increasingly like being their last.
They have won just once in 10 games and Warnock - brought in to inspire a great escape - has taken just a point from his first three games at the helm.
The Royals are on the up, though, and they showed no sluggishness from those cup exertions, creating two early chances to take the lead, both falling to Yann Kermorgant.
The first saw his header cleared off the line by Joe Newell before the second and most clear-cut came from Robson-Kanu's cross, but the striker blazed wide when he had time and space.
The Royals were not able to build on that start, though, and the battling Millers were more than holding their own.
And they would have taken the lead in the 21st minute had it not been for a superb save from Ali Al Habsi who got down superbly to beat Richard Wood's header away after the Millers defender stole in at the far post.
The Millers were apoplectic 20 minutes later as they demanded a penalty. Grant Ward had a goalbound shot blocked and from the rebound Richie Smallwood appeared to be tripped, but referee Kevin Johnson booked Smallwood for diving.
Rotherham were pressing in the early stages of the second half, but typically they were architects of their own downfall as they fell behind in the 66th minute.
Paul Green dithered on the ball on the edge of the area and was dispossessed, allowing Robson-Kanu to place his shot in the bottom corner.
With the severity of their situation, the Millers threw bodies forward in an attempt to try and get something out of the game, but their clear lack of quality in attack restricted them to no clear-cut chances.
Jerome Thomas' weak shot which trickled wide of the post was their best effort and sparked chants from Reading fans of 'That's why you're going down'.
