READING snapped their losing run at home, with Jamie Mackie scoring twice as they beat visiting Brighton and Hove Albion at the Madejski Stadium last night.
The Royals started brightly as Jake Cooper and Hal Robson-Kanu both went close. The visitors should have taken the lead, but Greg Halford failed to connect with a header.
Reading opened the scoring after 24 minutes, when a poor clearance from Brighton goalkeeper David Stockdale allowed Hope Akpan to set up Mackie.
After the break, the visitors equalised from a Chris O’Grady penalty after Cooper pushed Emmanuel Ledesma in the box.
However, three minutes later, Reading netted the winner as Mackie was allowed to cut in from the right and score.
After the game, a delighted Reading manager Steve Clarke said: “It was a big win for us and showed the grit, character and determination of this team.”
The Royals’ victory moved them up to 16th place in the Championship table, and on Saturday they face a tough trip to title chasing Watford (3pm).
Then two days later, Reading have their FA Cup quarter-final cup replay against Bradford City at the Madejski Stadium (8pm). The game will be shown live on BBC1.
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