Under-pressure Alan Pardew endured another uncomfortable afternoon on his return to the Madejski Stadium as Dave Kitson's hat-trick destroyed woeful West Ham.

Kitson, who scored twice in the corresponding fixture last season, took his tally for this term to 16 as Pardew found himself being barracked by both sets of fans by the end of another insipid showing from his side.

It is 18 months since Pardew's acrimonious split from the Royals to take over at West Ham, but in that time he has clearly yet to take his team through the basics of defending set-pieces.

Kitson was left unmarked twice in the opening half-hour, and twice he made the Hammers pay with fine headers past helpless goalkeeper Stephen Bywater before completing his treble after the break.

Teddy Sheringham bagged a late consolation but could not stop West Ham crashing to a third successive defeat and drifting further away from the promotion picture.

Reading created the first goalscoring opportunity when West Ham's makeshift back four - including debutant Shaun Newton at right-back - failed to deal with Glen Little's corner.

The ball came out to Ricky Newman, who had time to tee up a volley which Bywater managed to push on to a post.

The hosts went ahead in the 12th minute after Dean Morgan tumbled under the challenge of Malky Mackay.

Nicky Shorey floated in the free-kick and Kitson rose unchallenged to plant a superb downward header past Bywater.

Buoyed by the goal and a vociferous home support, Reading began attacking at will with Dean Morgan, Little and Kitson causing the creaking Hammers' rearguard all sorts of problems.

One jinking Kitson run was only stopped by Chris Powell's last-ditch tackle, before Morgan dragged a shot wide from a good position.

Kitson felt he was denied a penalty when Bywater stopped him in his tracks in the area, but from the ensuing corner he doubled his tally for the afternoon.

Andy Hughes flicked on Shorey's cross and Kitson thumped another header home with the West Ham marking again conspicuous by its' absence.

Little began to run at the Hammers' defence again immediately after the break, and his clever reverse pass left Steve Sidwell one-on-one with Bywater, but the midfielder blasted his shot wastefully over the bar.

But Reading did not have to wait long for their third, and, after Morgan forced a smart save from Bywater, Kitson was on hand to snaffle the rebound at the second attempt.

The former Cambridge striker almost grabbed a fourth when, unsurprisingly, he lost his marker from another Little corner, but this time Bywater was able to hold the ball on the line.

Sheringham neatly tucked home the consolation from a rare West Ham attack but Reading comfortably held out to record their first win since Boxing Day while heaping more pressure on their former manager's shoulders.

Teams:

Reading Hahnemann, Murty, Shorey, Sonko, Ingimarsson, Hughes, Sidwell, Newman (Brooker 82), Little (Harper 81), Kitson, Morgan (Owusu 85).

Subs Not Used: Young, Keown.

Booked: Newman.

Goals: Kitson 13, 27, 57.

West Ham Bywater, Newton, Powell, Mackay, Mullins (Ward 87), Noble, Lomas, Fletcher (Chadwick 45), Etherington, Zamora (Sheringham 62), Harewood.

Subs Not Used: Walker, Reo-Coker.

Booked: Fletcher.

Goals: Sheringham 82.

Att: 22,268

Ref: P Joslin (Nottinghamshire).