February proved a hectic month for Reading, with seven fixtures to cram in as the season began to enter its final stages.

1,400 supporters made the short hop to Oxford for the reverse Thames Valley Derby, this one moved forward to a 12.30pm kick-off at the request of Thames Valley Police.

Falling behind in the first half to Mark Harris’ strike, many feared the worst.

However, the Royals dug in at the Kassam Stadium and were rewarded with an own goal 15 minutes from time to ensure the spoils were shared yet again with the Us.

Three days later, Reading earned their second away win of the season against Stevenage- battling Steve Evans’ direct football and a storm in Hertfordshire in what was a wet and windy evening.

Charlton Athletic brought nearly 3,000 supporters down to Berkshire for what was Nathan Jones’ first match in charge, but they were sent home disappointed as Femi Azeez’s stunning brace secured a vital 2-0 win over relegation rivals.

A disappointing spell followed, one which sucked Reading back down into the dogfight after doing well to claw themselves away from danger.

Lewis Wing rifled a long-rage effort into the net with 15 minutes remaining at Fleetwood Town, looking set to earn a third successive win and keep those chasing them at arms length.

With less than 30 seconds remaining on the clock, the official missed an offside call and Brendan Wiredu slammed a dagger into Royal hearts up on the Fylde coast to drop two crucial points.

Little was expected, and little was gained, at league leaders Portsmouth the following Saturday, although the players gave a decent account of themselves at Fratton Park in the 4-1 defeat.

Reading professionally saw off Port Vale 2-0 in the replayed fixture after January’s abandonment, with thousands of red cards held up in protest to Dai Yongge.

Following the pitch invasion against Vale, threats of a points deduction remained lingering over the club should they interrupt a fixture again, so peaceful and non-disruptive measures remained key for the final few months of the campaign.

It is also worth noting that a true bond has been forged with the Valiants this season for the way they supported Royal fans during their protest. In return, almost £10,000 was donated from Reading fans to build legendary Vale boss John Rudge a statue.

During the rescheduled fixture, Rudge was welcomed onto the pitch and received a standing ovation from all four sides of the SCL Stadium.

The month ended with another five-goal thriller against Shrewsbury Town, and yet another narrow defeat to the Shrews.

Paul Hurst’s side were two up within five minutes but pegged back to 2-2 by the 36th minute. Looking to build on the comeback in the half-time break, Tom Bloxham’s stunning strike put the visitors back ahead in stoppage time and their resolute rearguard kept the Royals at bay to end February in disappointing fashion.

To add insult to injury, two more points were docked on February 27 as Dai Yongge continued to miss payments.