Steve Sidwell's second half header proved to be enough to give the Royals their third consecutive league win and top spot in the early season Championship table.
And there is double reason for Steve Coppell to celebrate this evening as the win is Reading's third success in the league on the bounce, it comes on the back of home wins over Preston and Gillingham.
The Royals last recorded three league wins on the trot a whopping 19 months ago.
Amazingly the Madejski Stadium side, one of the smaller clubs in the English game, sit top of the Football League tonight for only the second time in their 133-year history.
The only other time the Royals have held the sought after top spot was on the opening day of this season, following our 3-2 win over Brighton.
Steve Coppell's team will be hoping to hold onto their place at the head of the table when they travel to Portman Road to play Ipswich next Tuesday.
Whilst it was all smiles for the Royals at Vicarage Road, Wigan Athletic had a more difficult afternoon. Paul Jewell's side, who had Lee McCulloch sent off, only managed a 1-1 draw at Pride Park this afternoon.
Meanwhile, high-flying Stoke City also only managed to pick up a single point as they were held to a 2-2 draw at Burnley.
It was ten man Ipswich Town who took third place off the Potters. Two late goals from ex-Sheffield Wednesday striker Shefki Kuqi gave the Tractor Boys a dramatic 3-2 win over Plymouth as they kept their good run going.
But the game of the day was at Loftus Road where QPR, who were 2-0 down at half time, fought back spectacularly to defeat Micky Adams' troubled Foxes 3-2.
Lee Cook set the comeback in motion with a goal twenty minutes from time before Paul Furlong found the net twice in quick succession to give ever-improving Rangers an excellent win.
Championship Results:
Burnley 2 Stoke City 2
Derby County 1 Wigan 1
Gillingham 0 Brighton & Hove Albion 1
Ipswich Town 3 Plymouth Argyle 2
Preston NE 1 Crewe 0
Queens Park Rangers 3 Leicester City 2
Rotherham United 1 Millwall 1
Sheffield United 1 Coventry City 1
Watford 0 Reading 1
Wolves 2 Cardiff City 3
Championship Table:
| Last game played on Saturday 25th September 2004 | Pld | Home | Away | Overall | Pts | GD | |||||||||||||||||
| W | D | L | F | A | W | D | L | F | A | W | D | L | F | A | |||||||||
| 1 | Reading | 10 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 0 | 3 | 14 | 8 | 21 | +6 | ||||
| 2 | Wigan Athletic | 10 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 10 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 10 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 20 | 8 | 20 | +12 | ||||
| 3 | Ipswich Town | 10 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 8 | 8 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 20 | 13 | 20 | +7 | ||||
| 4 | Stoke City | 10 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 8 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 12 | 9 | 19 | +3 | ||||
| 5 | Sunderland | 10 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 11 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 17 | 10 | 17 | +7 | ||||
| 6 | West Ham United | 9 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 11 | 9 | 17 | +2 | ||||
| 7 | Queens Park Rangers | 10 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 7 | 8 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 8 | 7 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 15 | 15 | 17 | 0 | ||||
| 8 | Watford | 9 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 7 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 2 | 5 | 1 | 3 | 14 | 6 | 16 | +8 | ||||
| 9 | Millwall | 9 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 8 | 8 | 14 | 0 | ||||
| 10 | Coventry City | 10 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 6 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 7 | 8 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 13 | 12 | 13 | +1 | ||||
| 11 | Preston North End | 10 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 11 | 4 | 1 | 5 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 0 | ||||
| 12 | Derby County | 10 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 9 | 10 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 5 | 14 | 15 | 13 | -1 | ||||
| 13 | Plymouth Argyle | 10 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 6 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 8 | 9 | 4 | 1 | 5 | 14 | 15 | 13 | -1 | ||||
| 14 | Burnley | 10 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 8 | 6 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 6 | 2 | 9 | 7 | 12 | +2 | ||||
| 15 | Leeds United | 9 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 9 | 8 | 12 | +1 | ||||
| 16 | Leicester City | 10 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 7 | 7 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 10 | 11 | 12 | -1 | ||||
| 17 | Sheffield United | 10 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 8 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 9 | 12 | 12 | -3 | ||||
| 18 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 10 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 8 | 9 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 6 | 6 | 2 | 5 | 3 | 14 | 15 | 11 | -1 | ||||
| 19 | Brighton & Hove Albion | 10 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 7 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 9 | 14 | 11 | -5 | ||||
| 20 | Gillingham | 10 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 4 | 8 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 6 | 10 | 3 | 1 | 6 | 10 | 18 | 10 | -8 | ||||
| 21 | Cardiff City | 10 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 8 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 7 | 9 | 2 | 2 | 6 | 9 | 17 | 8 | -8 | ||||
| 22 | Nottingham Forest | 9 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 7 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 7 | 0 | 6 | 3 | 8 | 14 | 6 | -6 | ||||
| 23 | Crewe Alexandra | 9 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 6 | 9 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 7 | 11 | 1 | 3 | 5 | 13 | 20 | 6 | -7 | ||||
| 24 | Rotherham United | 10 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 11 | 5 | -8 | ||||
| COLOUR KEY: | Promotion place(s) | Transfer place(s) | ||
| Play-off place(s) | Relegation place(s) |