READING suffered a 1-0 defeat at Championship strugglers MK Dons, which was not the best preparation ahead of Tuesday night’s FA Cup third round replay against Huddersfield.

The home side moved out of the drop zone after their win over the Royals, which extended Reading’s winless streak to three games under new manager Brian McDermott MK won the game thanks to Joe Walsh's acrobatic volley after 78 minutes, as he struck from close range from Rob Hall’s corner.

Matej Vydra had Reading's best chance before the break, but fired wide after Garath McCleary's solo run.

After the interval, Royals’ Oliver Norwood's half-volley brought a fine save from home goalkeeper David Martin, before Walsh scored.

The loss saw the Royals drop to 14th in the Championship and their next league game is at home to play-off hopefuls Sheffield Wednesday on Saturday.