Hogg's dismissal proves costly for Town as Royals ease home

Tommy Smith scored Huddersfield Towns second goal in the 5-2 FA Cup defeat at the hands of Reading.

HUDDERSFIELD TOWN were denied an FA Cup fourth-round meeting with Walsall as Reading beat their 10-man visitors at the Madejski Stadium.

Huddersfield had led 2-0 after only 15 minutes of the third-round replay with goals from Jamie Paterson and Tommy Smith. But they lost Jonathan Hogg, red-carded for a last-man challenge on Matej Vydra, and Lucas Piazon reduced the gap from the resultant free-kick.

Down to 10 men, Huddersfield were unable to cope in the second half, with Vydra helping himself to an expertly executed hat-trick. Alex Fernandez added Reading's fifth in stoppage time.

Huddersfield went into the game on a six-match unbeaten run, while the Royals had won only twice in seven matches since former Leeds United boss Brian McDermott was appointed as manager, for his second spell at the club.

The teams drew 2-2 in the first meeting and it was Town who started the better on this occasion. In the eighth minute, Paterson exchanged passes with Wells before drilling the ball high into the net past Ali Al-Habsi.

Then, in the 15th minute, shortly after Emyr Huws had nodded against the Reading crossbar, right back Tommy Smith beat Al-Habsi with a low, angled drive from wide on the right that flew in off the far post.

Huddersfield were rampant and could have stretched their lead further, with Al Habsi saving well from Nakhi Wells and Paterson, but the dismissal of Hogg changed the course of the tie.

Reading: Al Habsi, Gunter, Ferdinand, Cooper, Taylor, McCleary (John 44), Norwood, Piazon (Alex 79), Williams, Vydra (Orlando Sa 90), Robson-Kanu. Unused substitutes: Bond, Quinn, Cox, Keown.

Huddersfield: Murphy, Smith, Hudson, Lynch, Davidson, Huws, Dempsey (Miller 77), Hogg, Paterson, Wells, Lolley (Whitehead 28, Cranie 76). Unused substitutes: Husband, Duane Holmes, Allinson, Bajaj.

Referee: Oliver Langford (W Midlands).