Barclays Premier League

READING 0-3 WIGAN

It's a tale of agony and ecstasy down at the bottom of the Premier League this afternoon as Wigan take all three points from the Madejski Stadium - and in some style too. A quick-fire double from Arouna Kone in the dying minutes of the first half put paid to Reading's hopes of getting something from the match. Maynor Figueroa's neat finish put the final touches on a thoroughly deserved win for the Latics, and in the last 30 minutes both sides just went through the motions. Stuck in the relegation zone, with their main striker now absent for three games - times are looking tough for the Royals, but Wigan might have just taken a big step towards securing another season in the top division.

GAME OVER

The whistle goes, and a game that we all knew the result of for some time comes to an end.

HUGE RESULT

"We shall not be moved" chant the Wigan fans. These three points will move them up to 17th, while Reading will fall to 19th place.

INTO STOPPAGE TIME

Three minutes will be added on here. 180 seconds until Brian McDermott is put out of his misery.

STARTING TO EMPTY

A lot of fans have seen enough today - the Reading faithful are flooding out of the Madejski Stadium. It hasn't been their day today, but the visiting fans will no doubt be absolutely ecstatic.

ALCARAZ BACK

As well as the scoreboard, Wigan fans will find great joy in the sight of Antolin Alcaraz taking to the field for the first time in six months. Emmerson Boyce is the man to make way.

FLYING SAVE

Earned his corn today, Adam Federici - he has been Reading's best player by some distance. He thwarts Jordi Gomez after the Spaniard exchanges passes with Kone on the edge of the area and drives the ball towards the near corner.

DI SANTO REPLACED

Franco Di Santo, who despite not scoring has had a decent game, fires over from the edge of the area, before being replaced by Jordi Gomez.

NOTHING GOING RIGHT

The Reading fans are getting really desperate here. After a cross is back-heeled away by Scharner, Ali Al Habsi does brilliantly to prevent the ball going for a corner, and the majority of the Madejski Stadium ambitiously appeals for a back-pass. Unsurprisingly, no dice from the referee.

READING CHANGE

Jem Karacan is brought off, and he is replaced by Garath McCleary. This game can't end soon enough for the hosts.

WIGAN ENJOYING THEMSELVES

It's staring to resemble an exhibition match out there at the moment. Kone, Maloney and Di Santo exchange flashy one-two's before the move breaks down. Needless to say the Reading fans didn't really appreciate that.

NO WAY BACK?

Your mission, Reading, if you choose to accept it, is to come back from three goals down with ten men. Forget Le Fondre, Brian McDermott could have done with throwing on Harry Houdini here. Wigan have the firmest of strangleholds on this match.

HARSH BOOKING

The fans might be beginning to get to Phil Dowd here. They are screaming for a red card for Emmerson Boyce, when in all honesty he barely even touches Leigertwood. A booking is given - poor decision.

PENALTY APPEAL

"You don't know what you're doing!" scream the home fans. From a corner, Paul Scharner looks like he handles the ball in an aerial tussle. It's not intentional though, and it would have been harsh to award a penalty for that.

POGREBNYAK OFF!

A straight red card for the Russian, and rightly so. Frustration is boiling over in all corners of the ground at the moment, but there is no excuse for this challenge - he intentionally stamps on Figueroa's left ankle, leaving the Wigan man writhing in agony. What a terrible afternoon for Reading.

LE FONDRE ON

I forgot to inform you that super-sub Adam Le Fondre replaced Hope Akpan at half-time amidst all the kerfuffle.

ALMOST FOUR!

This is beginning to get ugly for Brian McDermott and his men - they are literally inches away from conceding a fourth here. Arouna Kone escapes down the right-hand side, and his cross across the box just eludes the sliding Franco Di Santo. Think Gazza against Germany - it was that close!

READING 0-3 WIGAN

He doesn't score many, but when he does, they tend to be a bit tasty. That is certianly the case here, as the full-back plays a lovely one-two with Di Santo down the left, before coolly slotting the ball through the legs of the hapless Federici.

GOOOAAALLL!!!

Maynor Figueroa has surely put the game beyond Reading here!

BACK IN PLAY

Reading get the second half started. They have recovered from 2-0 down before this season, remember.

READING 0-2 WIGAN

In a first half that ebbed and flowed, it is the visitors who go into half-time with a massive psychological advantage. Wigan were the brighter team to start, before the Royals gradually worked their way back into the match, and started to assert some sort of dominance. However, the last five minutes were arguably the worst many Reading fans will see this season as they conceded two poor goals from a defensive point of view. It was too easy for the Latics in all honesty, but something tells me that their fans will care not a jot. Big 45 minutes coming up you feel.....

HALF-TIME

Phil Dowd blows his whistle, and the majority of the Madejski Stadium are making their feelings heard. Who saw this scoreline coming?

READING 0-2 WIGAN

Brian McDermott looks like he has just been told that Christmas has been cancelled - oh to be a fly on the wall of the Reading dressing room at half-time! Di Santo receives the ball in the centre circle, turns, and picks out the onrushing Kone with a beauty of a pass. The scorer of Wigan's first makes no mistake with his finish, a delightful dink over Adam Federici capping a nightmare couple of minutes for the Royals.

GOOOAAALLL!!!

Would you believe it? Kone has doubled Wigan's advantage!

READING 0-1 WIGAN

It won't win the goal of the month award, but that is a priceless goal for Wigan! A corner from the left causes chaos in the home area. First Gary Caldwell gets a free header, which is diverted into the path of Jean Beausejour, whose header is inadvertantly diverted in by the chest of Arouna Kone.

GOOOAAALLL!!!

A scrappy goal from Arouna Kone puts the Latics ahead!

SHARP SAVE

Federici hasn't had much to do so far this afternoon, but he pulls off a great stop to deny Wigan here. Again Emmerson Boyce sprints down the right, and his ball into the box pinballs off player after player, before Arouna Kone gets it under control and curls the ball towards the far corner. Reading's stopper flings himself across to his left to palm away the Ivorian's effort, though.

OVERDUE BOOKING

He's been snapping at heels for the best part of 30 minutes, Mikele Leigertwood, but too literally on this occasion, as he is deservedly booked for a cynical foul on Di Santo. Maloney's subsequent free-kick is a good one, but it just eludes everyone.

BETTER TOUCH NEEDED

For the first time in a while, the Latics burst forward with Emmerson Boyce down their right-hand side. The defender provides a good cross, as well, but Di Santo is always struggling to get the ball under control, and the hosts are able to snuff out the danger easily.

LOST MOMENTUM

Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers in the crowd there - to borrow a phrase of his, Roberto Martinez will be bitterly diasppointed with the way his team have been playing in the last ten minutes. Reading, on the other hand, have done a great job of asserting their authority on this match.

CRUCIAL INTERCEPTION

Paul Scharner deserves a pat on the back there! He has just saved his side from going behind. A defensive header from Reading travels all the way up to Kebe, who finds himself in all sorts of room. He advances towards the area before crossing low and hard - it looks for all the world as though Pogrebnyak is about to stick it in, but Scharner slides across to avert any danger. Top defending.

STRANGE DECISION

I can't quite see what Phil Dowd has adjudged Shaun Maloney to have done there. As the forward shapes up to shoot, it looks like he is pulled to the ground by Sean Morrison - the Wigan players are appealing for a penalty, but a free-kick is given the other way. Baffling.

PULLED WIDE

The tide has reversed somewhat in the last couple of minutes. All of a sudden it is Wigan who are beginning to look a little tetchy. James McArthur dithers on the ball near his own area, and Mikele Leigertwood snatches it off him. A decoy run from Pogrebnyak earns him some more space, but he doesn't make the most of it, dragging his effort well wide of the far post. Better from Reading, though.

SIDE NETTING

Some sections of the ground thought this was in! From a rare foray into opposition territory, Reading send a corner deep to the back stick - it is flicked on by Pavel Pogrebnyak into the path of Jimmy Kebe, but the latter sends his shot the wrong side of the post. Only just, mind.

GREAT PRESSURE

Roberto Martinez will be very happy with his men so far. They are pressing Reading at every opportunity. On this occasion, Emmerson Boyce forces Stephen Kelly into a mistake, and earns his side a corner in the process. Paul Scharner rather fluffs his lines with a free header, though.

NO POSSESSION

The Royals have been in far better form than their opponents as of late, but you wouldn't think so the way the opening ten minutes of this match have gone. The hosts are struggling to string a pass together, while Wigan are looking composed in the attacking third.

DI SANTO CHANCE

An opportunity to open the scoring for Wigan - and it comes from nowhere! From a throw-in in his own half, Franco Di Santo picks up the ball and runs, runs, and, well, keeps on running. He takes on man after man, but when the goal opens up for him, his effort is well stopped by Adam Federici, who had to be agile there.

QUICK START

Both of these teams know how important a win would be for their bid for Premier League safety, and it's showing in the opening minutes here. The match has started at a great pace - long may it continue.

UNDERWAY

After a pre-match huddle for both sides, it is the visitors who kick us off.

FULL TEAMS

Reading: Federici, Kelly, Morrison, Mariappa, Harte, Kebe, Leigertwood, Akpan, Karacan, McAnuff, Pogrebnyak. Subs: Taylor, Shorey, Pearce, McCleary, Robson-Kanu, Hunt, Le Fondre. Wigan: Al Habsi, Kone, McCarthy, Caldwell, Di Santo, Maloney, McArthur, Boyce, Beausejour, Figueroa, Scharner. Subs: Robles, Stam, Alcaraz, Espinoza, Gomez, McManaman, Henriquez.

EARLY TEAM NEWS

Reading hope that winger Jimmy Kebe will be fit to start, after he sat out of Monday's FA Cup clash with Man Utd, while Mikele Leigertwood is a doubt, after he was taken off an hour into the same game. Jason Roberts and Alex McCarthy are still absent with hip and shoulder injuries respectively. Defender Antolin Alcaraz could make his first appearance for the Latics in six months, while Ryo Miyaichi may recover from an ankle injury in time to start. Emmerson Boyce, who has been struggling with a hamstring problem, may also be in contention.

REF WATCH

Today's referee is Staffordshire's Phil Dowd, who is taking charge of his 18th Premier League match this afternoon. The 50-year-old has given out an average of three cards a game this season – all in all his record so far stands at 49 yellows and two reds. Wigan fans won't need reminding that Dowd, who was the man in the middle in the FA Cup final last year, unjustly sent off striker Connor Sammon in their game against Man Utd last season at Old Trafford.

LACKLUSTRE LATICS

While the hosts have had a fantastic start to the year, 2013 has seen nothing but misfortune for Wigan. They have conceded 16 goals so far, more than any other team in the league, they are winless in their last six Premier League matches, and ever since their engrossing five goal affair against the Royals back in November, they have managed just one victory in their last 13 matches in the division. The only positive omen for them going into today's clash is that they have collected more than half of their points away from the DW Stadium this season. Roberto Martinez has masterminded great escapes for his side on many occasions over the last couple of years - it looks like similar heroics may be required again this season.

LE FONDRE IN ROYAL FORM

It is safe to assume that if Reading emerge victorious this afternoon, Adam Le Fondre will probably have played a part somewhere down the line. The man they nickname “Alfie” has been in clinical form as of late, with his last five goals coming from only five shots on target. Whether he starts, or is brought on as an impact sub, as he has been in recent weeks, he is likely to have an impact today. With Le Fondre in form, it seems that Brian McDermott's men are a somewhat rejuvenated outfit - they have amassed 13 points since the start of 2013, the fifth best record in the division, and are unbeaten in their last five league matches at home, winning three of them. Needless to say Reading fans have every reason to be confident ahead of such a nerve-jangling fixture.

PREVIEW

In the wonderful world of football, clichés are tossed around at will, sometimes justifiably, sometimes not. With just hours to go until kick-off at the Madejski Stadium this afternoon, I'm going to throw one at you right now – the classic relegation six-pointer. At this stage of the season, it would be remiss of me not to label today's clash between Reading and Wigan exactly that. With just 12 games to go, 18th faces 19th, both teams knowing that a win would propel them outside of the relegation zone, while a loss would consign them to yet another week languishing in the bottom three, losing ground to the pack of teams competing for safety. However, don't go thinking that this will be a cagey, tactical affair – not on your nelly. The last time these two met, Wigan triumphed 3-2 in a thrilling encounter at the DW Stadium – two teams who play expansive, attacking football, and are in desperate need of a win – bring on 15:00.