Town’s final way game of the season at Reading remains 0-0 at half-time.
Luke Woolfenden and Ben Folami were handed their full Championship debuts and Adam Webster returned to the side after his hamstring injury, while Cole Skuse, Luke Hyam and Cameron Carter-Vickers missed out.
Skuse was considered a doubt going into the game due to illness, along with Hyam, who had suffered a knock. It’s understood Carter-Vickers picked up an injury in training on Friday.
Woolfenden was recalled from his loan spell at Bromley on Friday with his only previous Town appearances one start and one sub appearance in the Carabao Cup.
The 19-year-old started on the right of a back three with Webster and stand-in skipper Jonas Knudsen, with Jordan Spence at right wing-back and Myles Kenlock on the left.
Callum Connolly and Tristan Nydam formed a midfield duo with 18-year-old Folami, who had made three previous sub appearances in the Championship, and Mustapha Carayol either side of Martyn Waghorn up front, the pair swapping flanks on a number of occasions during the first half. Ben Morris, Barry Cotter and Shane McLoughlin were among the subs.
For the Royals, who went into the game needing a point to confirm Championship survival, striker Yann Kermorgant replaced midfielder Joey van den Berg, whilst Omar Richards took over from the suspended Tyler Blackett at left-back.
Carayol struck the first shot of the game for Town, in their Magical Vegas-sponsored red away kit, in the second minute, the Gambian international using his pace to take him into the left of the area before hitting a strike across Vito Mannone which the Reading keeper palmed away.
Despite the early stages of the game being evenly balanced in terms of possession, the Blues were the ones creating the few opportunities.
On 14 Carayol burst into the right of the box following good work from Folami and cut across but the ball was cleared by Royals skipper Chris Gunter ahead of Waghorn and fell to a Reading player.
In the 18th minute Kenlock crossed from the left and Carayol, who had created the danger by turning his man on halfway when receiving a Webster pass, hit a well-timed effort which looked on its way into the net until it struck Folami.
Reading had their first serious chance of the match two minutes later, Sone Aluko’s corner eventually falling to Yann Kermorgant in a dangerous position inside the box but the Frenchman’s effort was deflected wide. On 22 Knudsen diverted Jon Dadi Bodvarsson’s effort from distance wide.
In the 24th minute after good work from Kenlock and Folami on the left Carayol, Town’s main attacking threat, unleashed a fearsome 30-yard strike which Mannone did very well to paw away from goal away to his left.
Despite Town having looked the more likely scorers up to that point, Reading should have gone ahead in the 29th minute.
Mo Barrow was sent away on the left by Kermorgant and cut the ball across for Bodvarsson, who came close to joining the Blues on loan last summer, but the Icelandic international somehow failed to get a touch on the edge of the six-yard box and the danger was cleared.
Town’s 14-goal top scorer Waghorn struck his first effort of the afternoon in the 35th minute, Carayol having caught a ponderous Reading defender in possession on the right of the box before rolling the ball behind him into the striker’s path. Mannone saved Waghorn’s strike from a tight angle.
The Blues, playing rather more football than has often been the case this season, continued to carve out more of the game’s chances. On 41 Spence’s cross from the right was unconvincingly palmed away by Mannone and fell to Folami beyond the far post but the Australian’s shot was blocked.
The Royals quickly broke to the other end and Aluko fed Barrow, who shot over. Soon after, the former Rangers and Hull striker curled a shot into Bartosz Bialkowski’s arms from the edge of the area.
Two minutes before the break the Blues lost their first-half danger man Carayol to what looked to be a pulled muscle, the former Boro and Forest man frustratedly making his way to the touchline as he was replaced by Freddie Sears.
Just before half-time, Kermorgant flicked a stooping header towards goal but was unable to trouble Bialkowski.
The Blues will have gone off pleased with their first-half display having created more of the game’s chances - although Bodvarsson spurned the only really clear-cut opportunity for Reading - and having been much better on the ball than has generally been the case.
However, Carayol’s loss just before the break was a blow with the January signing again putting in a dangerous display before succumbing to injury, the story of his time at Town.
Reading: Mannone, Gunter (c), Richards, Moore, Ilori, Swift, Kelly, Aluko, Barrow, Kermorgant, Bodvarsson. Subs: Jaakkola, Elphick, Van den Berg, Rinomhota, Edwards, Martin, Smith.
Town: Bialkowski, Spence, Webster, Knudsen (c), Woolfenden, Connolly, Nydam, Kenlock, Carayol (Sears 44), Waghorn, Folami. Subs: Celina, M Crowe, Gleeson, Morris, Cotter, McLoughlin. Referee: Keith Stroud (Hampshire).