It was a much-needed win for Steve Coppell's side as they beat bottom huggers Derby County by a solitary goal in their Premiership clash at the Madejski Stadium. The win takes Reading out of the bottom three in the Premier League table.

Steve Coppell had issued a firm warning to his side before the game that he might have to go shopping in January if the Royals continued to display their wretched form. Reading had begun the season well holding Manchester United to a draw, but since then had slipped up.

But against Derby County the home fans egged their team on and were rewarded with a fine win. The last game was a nightmare for the Royals having been trashed 7-4 by Pompey at Fratton Park. Even Derby have had a leaky defence this season, but this game was tense as both teams needed a win.

Reading should have had a penalty in the first half after Jay McEveley handled Graeme Murty's shot. However the miss proved to be irrelevant because Kevin Doyle scored his first goal of the season for the Royals to give them breathing space.

Andy Griffin and Rob Earnshaw had good chances late on for the Rams, but they fired wide. Derby keeper Stephen Bywater was alert in the box and probably saved them from a defeat by a bigger margin. Reading winger Stephen Hunt had some of the earliest chances in the game, but was unable to hit the target.

After the interval, Derby dominated possession with Matt Oakley trying his luck with a long-range effort, which went wide. However against the run of play Murty's right-wing cross found Doyle who made no mistake as he headed in his first goal of the season to give Reading a much-needed win.

Reading next face Blackburn, while Derby travel to Fulham. Watch Premier league live online on free-football.tv.