Royals boss Mark Bowen said that he was a proud man after Reading’s 1-1 draw in the FA Cup fourth round.

Reading fell behind early on, with Callum Paterson capitalising on some hesitancy in the Royals box to convert from close range.

Shortly afterwards, Yakou Meite equalised on an emotional day for the forward after his return to the side following the death of his father.

Bowen was full of praise for Meite after the game.

“He lost his dad this time last week and it’s been a really brutal week for him. He’s got a great bunch of teammates around him who have kept in contact with him every day.

“He made it clear to me [after his fathers funeral] that he wanted to come back and he wanted to play. I’ve always believed that that’s what they love, being out on the grass.

“I’m hopeful that today’s game has helped in that recovery because he got a great goal. He’s in our thoughts and has people around him that care for him – we’ll give him all the support we can.”

After a relatively equal opening 45, Cardiff dominated much of the second half and their dominance only grew following the dismissal of Tom Mcintyre who picked up a second yellow following an unnecessary challenge close to the halfway line.

But Bowen’s men held firm and secured a replay in the Welsh capital.

"You’ve got to stand out and be counted and we had a really young team out there, but they did fantastically well.

“As the game went on with Matt Miazga going off and then the last 15 minutes with ten men, you’re expecting the worst. I thought the young players really stood up to challenge.

“I’m sitting here tonight a proud man.”

Bowen confirmed that Miazga’s injury appears to be, at this point, a ligament injury.

“He heard a loud crack when he landed. He feared the worst. He’ll be leaving the ground on crutches but until you get a scan done, you just never know.

“The feeling is, in terms of the crack, it’s not a bone situation and maybe something to do with the ligaments.”

The game was marred by alleged homophobic and racist chanting from the visiting supporters.

Thames Valley Police have since confirmed that four arrests were made following the chants which were reported by matchday staff. All four were released under investigation.

Last Saturday, the game between Millwall and Reading at The Den was stopped after reported homophobic chanting from home supporters.

Bowen expressed his disappointment after the game, saying: “I was told after the game that something had come over the tannoy.

“It’s unfortunate. No one likes to hear it; you just hope and pray it’s not creeping back into football. It needs to be stamped out.”

Reading's official support account released a statement on social media regarding the chanting, which read: "Two isolated but wholly unacceptable incidents of discriminatory abuse were reported by a matchday steward during the first half of our FA Cup Fourth Round match against Cardiff City this afternoon.

"These incidents will be fully investigated by the club.

"At @ReadingFC we are committed to ensuring that the matchday environment here provides a positive experience for all.

"Discrimination of any form is not ok and all supporters who visit Madejski Stadium are reminded that instances of discriminatory behaviour will not be tolerated."