Striker eyes three points

Reading striker Noel Hunt is looking for the perfect Christmas present, three points against Birmingham on Saturday.

If the Royals were to beat the Blues on Saturday lunchtime they would leapfrog them in the Championship table and go into the second automatic promotion spot and Hunt would be delighted.

"It is a massive game," Hunt told the Post "We need to go up there and have a big, big performance.

"The gap is down to a point now and there is a chance we can leapfrog them if we do the right things and if we play our game.

"It would be a great Christmas present to win. We will need to be on top of our game, though, because Birmingham are a really good side. They have some very good players.

"We want to go there and win. It's a hard ask but we have high standards at this club and we should be going to every team and winning.

"That's how the manager sets us out. We don't have that right. We have to earn it."