Reading were left to rue poor finishing as they failed to take advantage of a
host of chances and dropped two points at struggling Gillingham.
The Royals would have moved above Sunderland and into third in the
Championship if they could have found the cutting edge needed to see off the
Gills.
Glen Little had the ball in the net after 81 minutes but his header was
chalked off for a push on Gills defender John Hills and the home side held on.
Gillingham boss Stan Ternent named an unchanged line-up following a 3-1 win
against Coventry in their last outing, while Graeme Murty passed a fitness test
to start for the Royals.
Defender Ian Cox scored twice against the Sky Blues and came close to grabbing
another from the first chance of the afternoon after 10 minutes.
Nicky Southall's outswinging corner picked out the centre-half but his
close-range header cleared the crossbar.
James Harper was well wide with a speculative 25-yard drive, before fellow
midfielder Steve Sidwell sent a free-kick sailing over as Reading responded.
The visitors were beginning to dominate, and striker Forster should have done
better with a header from six yards from a dangerous Shorey cross in the 19th
minute.
Little was inches wide with a shot from just inside the area, while at the
other end Nyron Nosworthy had Marcus Hahnemann scrambling to keep out a fizzing
30-yard effort.
But it was Reading who continued to threaten as the half progressed and, after
Ibrahima Sonko had headed a Shorey free-kick past the upright, Andy Hughes
failed to trouble Steve Banks with a weak shot from the edge of the box.
The second half started in the same vein, with Royals forward Forster and
Gillingham's leading scorer Darren Byfield both failing to hit the target with
shots from distance.
The Gills made a substitution on the hour, with Darius Henderson coming on for
the ineffective Mamady Sidibe as Ternent looked to boost his attacking options.
Reading looked the more likely winners, though, with Hughes firing wide once
again when well-placed in the 62nd minute and Little seeing a goalbound header
blocked by John Hills shortly afterwards.
Gillingham hit back as Andrew Crofts sent a shot just past the right-hand
post, but the visitors were straight back on the attack.
They had the ball in the net with nine minutes remaining when Little headed
home Shorey's cross, but referee Steve Bennett ruled it out for a foul by the
winger on Hills.
And the Gills almost snatched maximum points in the closing stages, with Cox
sending a header inches wide from a Southall corner.
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