Royals cruise past Rovers

Reading cleared some of the gloom surrounding the Madejski Stadium with a convincing 2-0 Championship victory over Doncaster.

The Royals, who went into the game on a four-match losing streak, dominated throughout and were good value for their three points. Second-half goals from Simon Church and Adam Le Fondre ensured Brian McDermott could sleep a little easier, after the Reading manager revealed earlier this week he was being kept up until the middle of the night by his side's precarious position in the table. Reading started brightly, with Jimmy Kebe forcing Neil Sullivan in the Doncaster goal into an early save. Church centred and Kebe nodded goalwards, only for former Wimbledon stopper Sullivan to push the effort around the post after seven minutes. And Church acted as provider once more two minutes later as his cross found Noel Hunt, but the Irishman could not direct his header and the ball drifted behind for a goal-kick. After taking quarter of an hour to settle, the visitors steadily began to find their feet, but for all the early promise the game hit a lull in the middle of the first period. Church should have ended that, and put the Royals in front, on 32 minutes but failed to beat Sullivan after being put clean through on goal by Jobi McAnuff. But quickly the home side began to assert themselves over their visitors from Yorkshire. Mikele Leigertwood saw his drilled shot fizz just wide eight minutes before the break, and only a desperate clearance by Sullivan denied Church from following up McAnuff's original effort. Just before the interval, the impressive Church had a good effort blocked by George Friend as Reading ended the opening 45 minutes at a canter. The game picked up almost exactly from where it left off after half-time, with McAnuff blasting over the bar from long range, but soon the Berkshire outfit found themselves in front. Sullivan fumbled a high ball, leaving Church with the simplest of tap-ins, and the striker took the chance his performance richly deserved. Reading were soon dominant. Church went close with two attempts before Le Fondre, on as a first-half substitute for the injured Kebe, found himself in acres of space to head Joseph Mills' cross home for his first goal for his new club on his second appearance. Doncaster rallied a little late on, with James Coppinger firing against the post, but it was an isolated moment in a display of comfortable control from Reading.