Now Ferguson is planning to introduce Carlos Tevez.
"I was considering using Carlos at Portsmouth anyway but obviously, he will come into our thoughts even more now," said Ferguson.
"If Wayne had stayed on, we would have gone on to win the match. That lack of a central striker cost us."
"I have looked at it again and his (Kitson's) foot probably was a little bit high," said Reading boss Steve Coppell.
"The difference between a malicious, red-card challenge and a very good challenge is a milli-second.
"Possibly he deserved to be sent off but Dave is not a dangerous player.
"After watching the guys on TV, I almost feel like I have to apologise," he said.
"It does bother me because I want people to think we are more than just a defensive side.
"But your season-long dreams can be shattered very quickly here. I would have loved to have gone 4-4-2 and seen what happened but we would have got hammered."