Reading 4 Doncaster Rovers 1: Doncaster come up short after Jones’s departure

Injury to his captain Rob Jones – taken to hospital with a suspected broken arm after an aerial collision with Sean Morrison – compounded his dismay.

Reading went ahead early on when midfielder Danny Guthrie guided a long-range shot high into the roof of the net, but Doncaster levelled when substitute Theo Robinson latched on to a loose ball in the home area.

The Royals regained their lead through Adam Le Fondre before half-time and added two goals in the second half through Garath McCleary and Pogrebnyak.

Although Doncaster began brightly in the second half, their fate was effectively sealed after Jones’s enforced departure.

With Dickov having used his three substitutes, his side were reduced to 10 men for the last 12 minutes and almost nine minutes of stoppage time.

Reading took advantage scoring first through McCleary, with a low shot after good work by Hal Robson-Kanu, and then through the back-in-favour Pogrebnyak.

“Reading started very quickly but, once I had changed the system, we got back into the game,” Dickov said. “I still fancied us to win the game at 2-1 down but playing with 10 men made it very difficult. Reading took full advantage of the situation and just picked us off.

“I still feel a bit aggrieved and disappointed about the scoreline. Although it was 4-1, I thought we competed well.

“When we win matches, we try to draw the line under it quickly, and we’ll be doing that with this game as well.”

Reading manager Nigel Adkins said: “We started the game extremely well and scored an unbelievable team goal. We never allowed Doncaster to play the ball around at all. But some players then stopped doing what they had been doing successfully.”

Reading: Federici, Gunter, Pearce, Morrison, Bridge, McCleary, Baird, Guthrie (Akpan 83), Obita (McAnuff 73), Pogrebnyak, Le Fondre (Robson-Kanu 62). Unused substitutes: Kelly, Gorkss, Blackman, Stuart Taylor.

Doncaster Rovers: Turnbull, Quinn, Khumalo, Jones, Wabara, Coppinger (Bennett 72), Keegan, Wellens, Furman (Robinson 23), Duffy, Brown (Paynter 64). Unused substitutes: McCullough, Maxted, De Val Fernandez, Cotterill.

Referee: Andy D’Urso (Essex).

Man of the match: Theo Robinson.