Cometh the hour cometh the man – substitute Jamie Cureton. Jamie has been very much out of favour this season despite scoring thirty-one goals last year. But with eleven minutes to go he scored the vital goal, his sixteenth of the season.
The Royals made three changes to the team that drew with Peterborough a week previously. Injury meant that John Mackie was unable to take up his place in central defence so he was replaced by Adie Williams. In midfield Sammy Igoe returned to the starting line up after injury, replacing recent signing Kevin Watson.
Up front Martin Butler replaced Anthony Rougier. Butts was making his first start since his injury last November. There was a place on the bench for loan signing Michael Branch who has been out with a hamstring injury lately. Bas Savage was also on the bench, he came on in the dying moments to make his Royals debut.
The first half was an exciting one, despite the limited number of strikes on goal. The opening stages were somewhat scrappy, with both sides wanting to stamp their authority on the game. Referee Mr Stretton did a generally good job throughout the afternoon, doing particularly well to control the game early on so that it did not develop into a nasty brawl for promotion.
The first opening of the game almost came about for Martin Butler in the fourteenth minute. The ball was flicked through by Forster for butts who was miles clear of the flat footed defence but unfortunately Paul Smith was quick out of his goal and reached Fozzy's ball before Butler did. Minutes later Reading forced a corner but Forster was only able to volley well wide.
But Brentford have played well this season, Stephen Hunt shot just over Phil Whitehead's crossbar in front of the 2,500 Reading fans packed into the terrace behind the goal. The first shot on target came from Blackburn on loan striker Ben Burgess in the twenty-third minute. Burgess rose to meet a Ijah Anderson cross at the near post but Whitehead was equal to it, making a superb one handed save to tip it over the bar.
Steven Sidwell wreaked havoc in the Reading area but the Royals managed to get it clear, ensuring that the first half hour passed without a goal. A Graeme Murty effort at the other end flew just over the crossbar following a corner.
Former Brentford striker Nicky Forster showed great pace and determination to beat a defender and reach the byline. Fozzy darted goalwards and played it across the face of the goal but behind Martin Butler. There was no Reading player following up to side foot the ball into the unguarded net. It was as close as the Royals came in the opening half.
With very little time remaining in the first half former Slough Town striker Lloyd Owusu almost let Stephen Hunt in for the opening goal but a heroic clearance from Graeme Murty prevented him from doing so. Owusu broke past the defence, powered into the box and played the ball across the face of goal. Murty was able to get to the ball in front of Hunt and turn the ball round the post from a yard out with the striker closing.
From the resulting corner a goalmouth scramble ensued but the Royals cleared eventually. At half time 0-0 was a fair score. Brentford had maybe had the better of the chances but hadn't capitalised. Back at the Madejski the five thousand fans watching on a big screen were left tearing their hair out as a technical fault meant that they missed the opening quarter of an hour of the second period.
Salako almost gave the Royals the lead early in the second period, his cross was inches ahead of Butler before it curled just the wrong side of Paul Smith's post. The Bee's keeper was stranded.
After having played so well for forty-five matches the Royals made it hard for themselves, conceding an early goal. Martin Rowlands cracked Lloyd Owusu's cross into the back of the net, giving the Bees the promotion innovative.
Needing a goal Reading piled forward but Parkinson effort to get the Royals back in it immediately were thwarted, Smith stopped Parky's header with a good leaping save. With the minutes ticking away the Bees were able to stop everything Reading threw at them, it looked as if would be the Play Offs again for Pardew's boys.
But whilst this team probably hasn't performed as well as last years there is more ability and experience than there was previously and that was the difference between promotion and failure in the final minutes of the game.
With just eleven minutes of the game remaining cool as you like Jamie Cureton fired the Royals back into the game. A long free kick from Adie Viveash was flicked on by Parky over the head of Curo's marker for the number twelve who controlled it before flicking it over the impressive Paul Smith.
In the end Brentford weren't good enough to win promotion. Lloyd Owusu's powerful effort was comfortably saved by Whitehead just two minutes after the Royals had pulled level. Cureton almost got his second but was thwarted by an excellent save from Smith. The Bees hung on, just.
Most of the remaining play was in the Royals half, it was a heart in mouth scenario. Eight months of hard work and one error could have undone it all. Reading held firm. A late Paul Evan's free kick was headed off the line by Aide Williams in dramatic circumstances but it was Reading's day. The final whistle blew and Reading were where they had failed to reach after extra time at Cardiff last year.
Phil Parkinson was naturally delighted to win promotion in his testimonial year, he told readingfc.co.uk "Absolutely delighted, we went one down but the character of the lads to pull it back is magnificent. We haven't played that well recently, but the character has never been on question. The pressure valve has been waiting to be released, we've been so close for so long, but we're delighted to be in the First Division! The players have worked very hard this year!”
"We see finishing like that goal every single day in training from Curo, and when I saw him in that position I had absolutely no doubt that it was going in the back of the net. I made a run and Viv picked me out so I just got a flick on it, so it was nice to play a part in it.”