READING FC secured their first home victory over Wigan Athletic in more than a decade to seal a play-off spot and send their opponents down.

Yann Kermorgant’s sixth-minute header proved to be the difference between the sides on a day when so much was at stake for both clubs.

In the end, it was Jaap Stam's Reading who were celebrating at the final whistle, though even those were slightly muted after Latics midfielder Shaun MacDonald suffered a suspected broken leg in the first half following a heavy challenge with George Evans.

Play was held up for 10 minutes while medics tended to the stricken Latics man before he was taken to hospital.

Nevertheless, Graham Barrow’s men put up a real fight on the day and were unlucky not to emerge with a point.

Reading Chronicle:

Wigan's Shaun MacDonald is treated for a suspected broken leg.

Stam made three changes from the side that lost 3-2 at Nottingham Forest with Evans, Garath McCleary and Roy Beerens replacing Adrian Popa, Danny Williams and Lewis Grabban.

Wigan made one change from the team that drew 0-0 with Cardiff City as Nick Powell came in for Gabriel Obertan, while former Royals target Oman Bogle was named on the bench.

The Latics had picked up seven points from the previous 12 on offer before today, but they were soon behind here after Royals caught them dozing.

Liam Kelly played a short corner routine back to McCleary and, with no-one closing him down, he curled an inviting cross into the box which Kermorgant dispatched into the top corner with a clinical header for his 17th of the campaign.

It was far too easy from Reading’s point of view, though they, too, sat off too much a couple of minutes later allowing Michael Jacobs to test Ali Al-Habsi from the edge of the box.

But disaster then struck for the visitors when they lost MacDonald to a suspected broken leg following a collision with Evans in the 11th minute.

The seriousness of the injury was clear from the moment MacDonald went down clutching his lower leg. Play was delayed while he received medical attention before he was stretchered off the pitch and straight into an ambulance, with applause ringing around the ground.

Referee Tim Robinson deemed a booking was enough for the distraught Evans, whose head must have been in a spin.

It took both teams a while to settle down with Royals threatening next when Dan Burn blocked a Kermorgant piledriver after good work from Beerens down the right.

However, that led to the Latics’ best spell of the first half as Al-Habsi turned Powell’s low effort around his near post on the half-hour mark before the same player fired narrowly over less than a minute later.

Suddenly, Royals were struggling to get out of their area, though Latics were unable to turn a series of corners into a goal.

But Al-Habsi was easily the busier keeper and on 36 minutes he pulled off another vital save to keep out Powell’s diving header from a dangerous Ryan Tunnicliffe cross.

Stam also had his own injury problems to deal with when McCleary limped off in the 45th minute, with Grabban sent on to replace him.

Yet that was nothing compared to the frustration Barrow must have felt after losing midfielder Reece Burke to another injury on the stroke of half time.

It had been a stop-start first half and, although Reading had their noses in front, they rarely looked comfortable against a Latics side chasing victory.

That theme continued after the break and Stam’s men were relieved to see a free Callum Connolly header fly into the side netting from Jamie Hanson’s centre six minutes after the restart.

Then Powell drilled an effort an inch wide of the far post on the angle after substitute Grabban had given the ball away cheaply on the hour mark.

There was little flow to the Royals who struggled to find their passing game.

But the home fans were screaming for a penalty in the 72nd minute when Kermorgant went crashing to the turf after a Stephen Warnock challenge.

The Frenchman appeared to be goal-side of the Latics skipper as he tried to connect with a Jordan Obita cross, but Robinson did not want to know.

With six minutes to go, Grabban was also a whisker away from connecting with Beerens’ centre in front of a gaping net as Latics began to throw caution to the wind.

And Grabban missed the target again soon after following more neat play from Beerens.

Wigan responded with Connolly blazing a free-kick over the crossbar in the latter stages, but Reading held on for their first home victory against Wigan since September 2007.

It also saw them replace Huddersfield in third place in the Championship table following the Terriers’ 2-0 loss at Birmingham.

But the battle for a top-four finish and crucial home advantage in the home leg of the play-off semi finals goes on, with Reading (82pts), Sheffield Wednesday (81pts) and Huddersfield (81pts) all fighting for third and fourth place.

Reading end their scheduled season with a trip to Burton Albion next Sunday.

Reading: Al-Habsi, Gunter (c), Obita, Moore, Blackett, Evans (Ilori 73), Swift (Williams 60), Kelly, Beerens, McCleary (Grabban 45), Kermorgant. Subs not used: Jaakkola, Mendes, Popa, Oxford. Booked: Evans 14, Moore 45, Gunter 51, Williams 64, Kelly 87.

Wigan: Gilks, Hanson, Morgan, Burn, Warnock, Burke (Connolly 45), Jacobs, MacDonald (Power 21), Perkins, Tunnicliffe, Powell (Bogle 79). Subs not used: Jaaskelainen, Bruce, Colclough, Byrne. Booked: Connolly 49.

Referee: Tim Robinson.

Attendance: 19,177 (Wigan 402).