FOR two clubs who would feel they belong in the Premiership but are at considerable risk of being sucked into the First Division, a point apiece was a just, perhaps inevitable, outcome. Once Ipswich went ahead, Reading, the sole league club not to have won at home this season, could not realistically countenance more than a draw.

For roughly half the match, it appeared as if Jon Stead’s goal would be the deciding moment, as was the case when he played here last season. A throw from David Wright, a misplaced header from Ivar Ingimarsson, and the lanky, flaxen-haired forward volleyed past Adam Federici without total conviction but with sufficient accuracy.

That was in the eighth minute and, give or take the odd concern in defence, was enough to ensure Ipswich retained the lead until shortly after half-time. Before then, Gylfi Sigurdsson, Grzegorz Rasiak and Brian Howard, who struck the crossbar, could all have equalised. All the while, Roy Keane brooded on the touchline, as ever a man apart.

Still, Ipswich are unbeaten in their last five matches. Keane said afterwards how much he likes the “relaxed area”, likes the club, likes the people, but had the quick-witted humour to admit he had been walking his famed dog at midnight when results were not so impressive earlier in the season. “It is no good my family and I being happy (in Suffolk) if we are not winning matches.

”I am happy with the spirit but our passing, in terms of our angles and the pace of it, was well off. Last week and today we produced our two poorest performances, yet the results have gone for us. Sometimes that happens in football,” he said.

Reading’s equaliser two minutes after half-time was a scrambled affair, the ball running kindly for Simon Church after Sigurdsson’s attempted shot had been parried. The same player, highly praised by his manager afterwards, struck the crossbar,just as Howard had done earlier, and although Damien Delaney had a near-post flick averted by Federici, Reading would have reckoned they should have won by this stage.

”I was disappointed because we gave ourselves a mountain to climb but I was happy with our spirit. If we give away a stupid goal, as we did here, that is the burden of not winning at home. It is another frustrating end to a fortnight. But then earlier in the season we might have lost this match,” said Reading manager Brendan Rodgers.

”Every fixture in this division is fiercely contested but we know we have the capabilities to win every game we play. We have found a good balance, a positive attitude, a strong spirit and that all-important bit of quality. We look to move forward now,” said Rodgers.

Teams: Reading: Federici 6, Tabb 6, Ingimarsson 6, Pearce 6, Bertrand 6, McAnuff 6, Howard 6 (Cisse 74min, 5), Matejovsky 6, Sigurdsson 6 (Kebe 74min, 5), Church 8, Rasiak 6 (Long 61min, 5)

Ipswich: Begovic 6, Rosenior 6, Bruce 6, Delaney 6, Wright 6, Edwards 6 (Peters 60min, 5), Quinn 6 (Colback 79min, 5), Leadbitter 6, Walters 6, Stead 7 (Counago 63min, 5), Priskin 6

Referee: D Whitestone Attendance: 19,053