Jamie Mackie’s 14th minute goal has given Reading a 1-0 lead over the Blues at Portman Road at half-time.
Town boss Mick McCarthy named an unchanged side with new signings Richard Chaplow and Luke Varney on the bench.
Teddy Bishop, who signed a new contract until 2018 yesterday, was on the right of midfield with Daryl Murphy up front wearing a mask to protect his nose, which he broke at Fulham last week.
The 21-goal Irishman was the first player to threaten when he brought the ball forward from halfway having been found by strike partner Freddie Sears in the sixth minute.
Murphy looked to return the ball to the ex-Colchester man but it ricocheted back into his path off a defender and he took it on into the the box before hitting a right-foot shot which failed to test Adam Federici in the Reading goal.
Three minutes later Kevin Bru unleashed a well-struck 25-yard effort which Federici saved down to his left with the Blues starting the stronger of the two sides.
On 13 Murphy broke away down the left and held off Alex Pearce before crossing to Sears, who flicked his header well wide. Moments later, after good work from Bru and Tabb, the ex-West Ham youngster hit a shot straight at Federici from the edge of the box.
Despite the Blues having had the better of the early stages, the Royals went in front in the 14th minute via their first shot of the game.
Tyrone Mings stood off Jamie Mackie and allowed him to shoot from 25 yards, the ball creeping into the corner of Bartosz Bialkowski’s net with the keeper likely to feel he might have done better.
Two minutes after going behind the Blues felt they ought to have been awarded a penalty when Murphy’s cross from the right struck Pearce on the arm. Spot-kicks have certainly been awarded for similar incidents in the past.
The Royals went close to going two up when Mackie beat Mings down the Reading right before cutting the ball across to Hal Robson-Kanu, who shot well over when he should have done better.
Town weren’t too far away from an equaliser in the 21st minute when Sears sent over a deep cross from the right and Tabb, facing his old club on his 31st birthday, headed wide from a tight angle.
There was another scare for the Blues in the 29th minute when Robson-Kanu played a chipped pass over the top for Mackie, whose first touch on what was a difficult dropping ball took it through to the advancing Bialkowski.
The Town players claimed another penalty in the 36th minute when Bishop fed in Mings on the left and the full-back sent over a cross to the far post from where skipper Luke Chambers nodded down to Sears, who turned his shot against Pearce. Referee Eddie Ilderton indicated that he felt the ball had struck the ex-Norwich loanee’s thigh.
Three minutes later Pavel Pogrebnyak sent Robson-Kanu away on the left but the Wales international failed to find Mackie with his cross with the former QPR man in acres of space breaking into the Town box.
On 40 Simon Cox hit a shot on the turn which scruffed through to Bialkowski, then at the other end a Sears effort from inside the box was blocked.
In the penultimate minute of scheduled time Sears again failed to get enough on a cross from the left, then Bishop skipped his way into space in the area but failed to trouble Federici with his shot. Neither side threatened again before referee Ilderton brought the half to a close.
Town had started brightly and had created a couple of openings before Mackie’s against-the-run-of-play goal.
From there the Blues’ performance had deteriorated somewhat and with the Royals having carved out a couple of openings from which they might have increased their lead.
Town: Bialkowski, Chambers (c), Smith, Berra, Smith, Skuse, Bru, Bishop, Tabb, Murphy, Sears. Subs: Gerken, Parr, Stewart, Anderson, Chaplow, Varney, Clarke.
Reading: Federici, Kelly, Obita, Pearce (c), Hector, Chalobah, Williams, Mackie, Robson-Kanu, Cox, Pogrebnyak. Subs: Andersen, Norwood, McCleary, Akpan, Yakubu, Blackman, Cooper. Referee: Eddie Ilderton (Tyne and Wear).