Barclays Premier League
Chris Kershaw reports from the Madejski Stadium
Reading striker Kevin Doyle's 63rd-minute header was the narrow margin between the two sides in a scrappy encounter at the Madejski Stadium.
The frontman's glanced effort following a Graeme Murty cross from the right earned the home side the points in this early Sunday afternoon encounter.
American Benny Feilhaber came in for his first start in a Derby County shirt and there was also a recall for Andy Griffin at the impressive Madejski Stadium. Tyrone Mears took up a position on the right of midfield, a role he had played previously at Preston under Billy Davies.
The home side started brightly and Stephen Hunt was presented with a great opportunity inside three minutes. After Doyle and Dave Kitson had combined the ball fell to Hunt, but he could only blaze over an angled drive from ten yards.
On 11 Feilhaber, who clearly has the ability to pass the ball well, fed a delivery in behind the Reading defence and on to the surging Kenny Miller. Sadly the Scot was a yard too quick for his own good and was offside but the vision of the American midfielder and run of the frontman were promising signs.
At the other end Dean Leacock blocked a Doyle shot and then on 14 the same defender was adjudged to have climbed on Kitson and Liam Rosenior curled the resulting free-kick around the post.
On 20 Rams skipper Matt Oakley (pictured) did well to dispossess Brynjar Ingimarsson but his pass forward in the direction of Miller had a tad too much pace on it and went all the way through to Marcus Hahnemann.
Hunt headed just past Bywater's back post from a Doyle cross as both teams tried to break the deadlock on a lovely afternoon for football in Berkshire. From the early proceedings it was clear to see there was very little between the sides.
Miller then took the ball of Ingimarsson in the left-hand corner and played in Stephen Pearson, who in turn squared a pass to Oakley. His drilled right-footer from 30 yards whipped past the post.
Almost immediately at the other end Rosenior broke into space on the right and flighted over a cross onto the head of Doyle. He tried to guide it back across Bywater and in at the back post but it went just over.
On 30 Griffin found himself in enemy territory and breezed past a couple of defenders before curling a low left-footed shot agonisingly only just past the woodwork from 20 yards out.
Ingimarsson received the first yellow card of the game on 31 for up-ending Miller and the Rams tried to work a decent shooting opportunity from the resulting set-piece but were denied by the hosts who were determined to throw bodies in the way.
With ten minutes of the first half remaining Reading were awarded a free-kick ten yards outside the box after Hunt was tripped. Nicky Shorey sent in a left-footed cross but it was over the head of every player in the box and drifted behind for a goal-kick.
On 36 the home side argued they should have had a penalty when Murty's shot hit Jay McEveley but referee Lee Mason waved play on. Murty sent a second shot just wide of target and then within seconds the Royals believed they had another spot-kick shout, this time when the ball bounced off Leacock.
Claude Davis picked up a booking for a foul on Doyle as the half came to a close and Bywater stood tall to tip a Brynjar Gunarsson header over the bar.
In the last minute of the first half the Rams created a chance from a lovely early Pearson ball from the left. He curled in a cross with pace that found Miller at the back post, however the ball bounced too high for a first time shot and by the time the striker brought it under control the opposition were able to clear.
There were no changes for either side as the second half got underway and the fans had to wait six minutes for the first decent chance, an Oakley piledriver that flew just a couple of yards wide of the post and into the stand occupied by around 2,000 Rams fans.
On 54 Pearson charged into the Reading penalty area from the left and forced a corner off Murty. That came to nothing but a couple of minutes later the same player very nearly put Derby ahead when he latched onto a Mears cross and drilled a left-footed volley wide when he had time to have hit the target at the very least.
Just after the hour-mark the Rams launched a counter-attack through Mears but surprisingly the assistant referee's flag went up against Miller, the recipient of Mears' pass out to the left, when the hosts were clearly playing the Scot on.
But there was worse to follow soon after. On 63 the Royals went in front through Doyle.
Murty made ground down the right and sent in a cross that flicked the head of Howard, who was back there helping to defend, and into the path of Doyle who headed back across Bywater and in at the back post.
Almost immediately Billy Davies responded by bringing on Giles Barnes for Howard and Eddie Lewis for Feilhaber in a double substitution.
Rams record signing Rob Earnshaw also came on for the last 15 minutes in the final throw of the dice as the visitors endeavoured to get back into the match.
And the Welsh striker almost made an immediate impact within 60 seconds or so as he picked up a Miller pass and curled in a lovely effort that floated narrowly past Hahnemann's post with the keeper beaten all ends up.
Derby did look livelier with Lewis, Barnes and Earnshaw buzzing around but were struggling to create clear-cut chances. Reading on the other hand seemed content with their 1-0 lead and rarely attacked towards the end of the match, partly because they were having to soak up pressure from their opponents.
In the end Doyle's header was to prove to be the winning goal and the Rams' wait for not just an away point but an away goal continues.
READING: Hahnemann, Murty, Shorey, Gunnarsson, Doyle, Hunt, Kitson, Harper, Ingimarsson, Rosenior (Oster 60), Duberry.
SUBS: Federici (GK), Lita, Fae, Bikey.
DERBY: Bywater, McEveley, Leacock, Oakley, Howard (Barnes 65), Miller, Griffin (Earnshaw 75), Davis, Feilhaber (Lewis 66), Mears, Pearson.
SUBS: Price (GK), Todd.
ATTENDANCE: 23,091.
