James Harper struck in stoppage time to deny Burnley a first win in 13 away league games.

The midfielder's late effort not only salvaged a point for Reading, but stole the limelight from Burnley defender Mo Camara.

Camara had hitherto been the central figure in a game which lacked sparkle, although a draw was probably a fair result given the circumstances.

It was the full-back's error which gifted Lloyd Owusu the opener, but he atoned just four minutes later by setting up Ian Moore for the equaliser.

They were the only incidents of note during an otherwise drab first 45 minutes, but Camara played an integral part in David May's 68th-minute goal, only for Harper to land the decisive blow in the first of three minutes added on.

There was precious little to excite the fans in the opening quarter of an hour, in particular, with misplaced passes far more commonplace than meaningful chances.

There was not a shot on goal until Reading opened the scoring in the 19th minute thanks largely to a breakdown in communication between Camara and Brian Jensen.

Camara, attempting a header back to his goalkeeper, succeeded only in nodding the ball into the path of Owusu, who had an unguarded goal at his mercy.

For the Burnley fans who had made the trip south it was a worrying flashback to their side's defensive shortcomings in the first half of the season.

Whatever accusations can be levelled at the Clarets backline, few can fault their attacking instincts, as evidenced by their thrilling 4-2 win over promotion-chasing Ipswich on Saturday.

Burnley's response to falling behind at the Madejski was almost immediate, Camara starting a move which ended with Moore peeling off his marker and firing low past Marcus Hahnemann from six yards.

The introduction of Bradley Orr for Richard Chaplow by Burnley boss Stan Ternent at half-time did little to affect the flow of the game, with Reading continuing to enjoy the majority of possession.

They failed to translate that into goalscoring opportunities and were punished for their lack of cutting edge midway through the second period when Camara fed May, who turned the ball past Hahnemann from close range as Reading's defenders waited for the offside flag that never came.

Robbie Blake tested Hahnemann from distance before Owusu struck the Burnley woodwork two minutes from time, but the visitors' joy was short-lived as Harper beat Jensen with a low drive in time added on.

Teams

Reading Hahnemann, Murty, Newman, Ingimarsson, Shorey, Hughes (Murray 71), Sidwell, Harper, Salako (Morgan 56), Goater (Kitson 71), Owusu.

Subs Not Used: Williams, Young.

Goals: Owusu 19, Harper 90.

Burnley Jensen, Roche, May, McGregor, Camara, Little, Chaplow (Orr 45), Grant, Weller, Blake, Ian Moore.

Subs Not Used: West, Alan Moore, Chadwick, Rachubka.

Goals: Ian Moore 23, May 67.

Att: 10,543

Ref: A Penn (W Midlands).