A LATE equaliser denied Reading all three points at Barnsley on Tuesday night – but a 1-1 draw saw the Royals extend their unbeaten run to six games.

Hal Robson-Kanu’s excellent shot from the edge of the area gave Reading the lead just before the hour but hosts Barnsley hit back with 10 minutes to go, Chris O’Grady finding the bottom corner of the net from just inside the box.

Royals manager Nigel Adkins said: “I think it’s an excellent point away from home. We remain undefeated in the last few games, we’ve picked up another point and keep ticking over.”

Despite their lowly position in the Championship standings, Barnsley made a strong start, with Jason Scotland forcing Alex McCarthy into a decent save on 15 minutes. Reading improved as the game went on but neither side was able to find the net before half-time.

The Royals created their first clear chance shortly after the break, Adam Le Fondre springing the offside trap but being denied by a fine save from Barnsley goalkeeper Jack Butland.

Robson-Kanu’s fine left-footed drive opened the scoring soon after but Barnsley almost hit back straight away, Paddy McCourt forcing a smart save out of McCarthy.

Reading went close to making the game safe twice in the space of a minute, Butland producing an excellent save to deny Le Fondre, with Sean Morrison heading against the crossbar from the resulting corner.

However, having survived that scare, Barnsley levelled the match with 10 minutes to go as O’Grady punished Reading for allowing him to swivel and get a shot away from just inside the area.

Barnsley even went closest to nicking all three points, former Royals striker Tomasz Cywka forcing McCarthy into a good low save.

Reading face another tough test on Saturday, when they travel to early season pacesetters Burnley (kick-off 3pm).