Nicky Forster scored a priceless winner as Reading kept their Coca-Cola Championship play-off hopes alive with victory over Millwall at the Madejski Stadium.

Lions striker Danny Dichio produced a moment of magic to give his side the narrowest of half-time leads but whatever was said in the home dressing room at the break paid dividends as they controlled the second half.

Royals leading scorer Dave Kitson took his Championship tally to 17 goals with the equaliser and Forster clinched the points late on.

Millwall, unchanged from the side that lost at Leicester, made the better start and dictated the pace of the game in the early stages. But despite enjoying the majority of the possession they failed to create any real openings.

Reading manager Steve Coppell recalled Glen Little after the winger recovered from the groin injury that kept him out of the goalless draw against Sheffield United with Paul Brooker dropping to the bench.

The Royals took almost a quarter of an hour to get to grips with the game and Ricky Newman beat the offside trap before running onto Ibrahima Sonko's pass and playing the ball into the box, just beyond the reach of Forster.

The hosts enjoyed a decent spell of pressure midway through the first half with Little looking lively and Andy Hughes was unlucky to see his header drift wide of the post.

Midfielder Steve Sidwell tried his luck with his weaker left foot from just outside the penalty area but his effort sailed just over the crossbar 10 minutes before the interval.

Coppell's side were made to pay after 39 minutes when Dichio grabbed his 10th goal of the season and his third in as many games.

He took advantage as the Royals defence hesitated and dinked the ball first-time over goalkeeper Marcus Hahnemann.

Ivar Ingimarsson headed over as Reading pressed in search of the leveller right from the start of the second half and Kitson was denied by a last-gasp tackle from Matthew Lawrence.

Hughes made way for Brooker soon after the restart and Les Ferdinand was introduced in place of Little as Coppell tried to freshen things up in attack. Kitson saw a header saved by Andy Marshall before Sidwell's deflected shot looped over the bar.

The pressure eventually paid off after 73 minutes when Kitson was in the right place at the right time to prod home Sidwell's centre from half a yard.

Every time Kitson has scored at the Madejski Stadium this season the Royals have gone on to win and Forster maintained that sequence with the winner with seven minutes left.

Brooker raced clear on the left and when his crossed missed Kitson, Forster arrived at the back post and buried a powerful header into the corner.

Teams:

Reading Hahnemann, Murty, Shorey, Sonko, Ingimarsson, Little (Ferdinand 67), Sidwell, Newman (Harper 71), Hughes (Brooker 55), Forster, Kitson.

Subs Not Used: Young, Keown.

Goals: Kitson 73, Forster 83.

Millwall Marshall, Paul Robinson, Craig, Lawrence, Ward, Sweeney (Impey 63), Livermore, Morris, Simpson (Elliott 67), May (Hayles 63), Dichio.

Subs Not Used: Wise, Peeters.

Goals: Dichio 39.

Att: 14,379

Ref: K Wright (Cambridgeshire).