Team Line Up
		24. Radek Cerny
6. Mikele Leigterwood		3. Damion Stewart	5. Fitz Hall		16. Matthew Connolly
10. Akos Buzsaky		4. Gavin Mahon	14. Martin Rowlands (c)		17. Lee Cook
		7. Daniel Parejo
		19. Angelo Balanta
		22. Samuel Di Carmine
		9. Dexter Blackstock
Substitutes

So on the back of one defeat in four games Rangers sacked Iain Dowie and left Gareth Ainsworth in charge for the daunting trip to Reading.

Rumours on Friday suggested that Flavio Briatorie handed Iain Dowie a team sheet for who he should pick which was the final straw for Dowie. That team included Leigterwood and Connolly as full backs, Di Carmine up front and Parejo just behind him.

Of course these reports have been rubbished by the Flavio fans on message boards but it was certainly going to be interesting to see what Gareth Ainsworth's first team selection would be.

Ainsworth made three changes to the side that drew at Swansea with Leigterwood at right back, Connolly replacing Delaney at left back. Parejo started behind Di Carmine as Blackstock dropped to the bench which of course proved those rumours of Flavio picking the team were clearly false.

I opted to watch the game at home on television rather than make the short trip from Langley to Reading which always makes me feel guilty but with the cost of going to away games now soaring I don't think I'm going to be alone in picking and choosing my away trips this season.

I was a little concerned with the line up for the game as we looked weak in the full back area and lacked pace up front especially against a side as strong as Reading. Thankfully my fears never really came to fruition as Rangers produced or best away performance since that win at Villa Park last month.

We started brightly as Rangers looked to keep possession in midfield with Parejo seeing plenty of the ball whilst Di Carmine was making some good runs down the channels to try and get in behind the Reading defence but the old problem of failing to get men in the box meant our goal threat was minimal.

Reading were very quiet early looking to get Hunt in the game but Leigterwood was excellent at right back using his speed and strength to cut out any danger from Hunt and it didn't take long before the Reading danger man moved flanks to have a go on the right which has to be a real feather in Leigterwood's cap.

Kevin Doyle has been the main man at home for reading this season but he was being very well marshalled by the excellent Damion Stewart. Doyle 's only real chance of the game came when he got space away from Stewart and lifted in an excellent cross over Cerny which the other Hunt threw himself at with a diving header but the ball just evaded him and went wide.

Radek Cerny was again looking like a keeper in form and he was claiming his crosses with ease for a chance. He did drop one from a corner which was hacked away from danger but it was good to see Cerny make a decision and stick to it rather than the indecision he has shown at times this season.

Rangers were controlling possession with Parejo, Rowlands and Buzsaky stroking the ball around well and it was nice to watch our patient build up. Di Carmine was playing a similar role that Kevin Gallen used to in dropping deep to hold the ball up which worked well but what we lacked was something getting in behind him to cause the reading defence a problem.

For much of the first half Reading couldn't get the ball off us but when they did get it they looked more of a threat than we did.

Rangers had a few long range efforts which were off target but our best chance came to Di Carmine which he made himself spinning away from his defender down the left hand side and he hit a near post shot which curled viscously at the last moment only for the keeper to palm it wide.

At the other end Cerny made a good save from noel Hunt but chances were few and far between and at half time Rangers must have been pretty pleased with how things were going.

I felt we were controlling the game in midfield and looked very organised and solid at the back. As has been the case away from home this season though we were not getting enough men in the box and seemed to be playing good football in the middle third but not really knowing what to do in the final third of the pitch.

There was still a long way to go though and Reading came out for the second half fired up and going for the jugular. Rangers couldn't get hold of the ball as the home side began to dominate.

Stephen Hunt had a penalty shout turned away as he broke down the left and smashed a ball against Mahon's arm. Mahon was a yard away from him and could do nothing about it but the commentators on Sky seemed convinced it was a blatant penalty. I've seen them given but it would have been a harsh one.

Reading had a series of corners which they almost scored from as a goal mouth scramble ended with a Reading player slicing wide. Rangers were defending well though throwing bodies in the way of everything and despite a spell of pressure from reading the defending of Stewart, Hall, Connolly and especially Leigterwood was great to see and they were really working hard to earn a clean sheet.

Rangers began to get back in the game and passing the ball around with a bit more urgency in midfield as the game stepped up to a frantic pace. Buzsaky was brought down for a free kick as we sent the big men forward but frustratingly Parejo went for a shot rather than get the ball in for the Hall and Stewart. His effort was on target but it was going to take some special to beat Hahnemann from that distance as he made a comfortable save.

Ainsworth then made a change bringing on Blackstock for Di Carmine which really injected some pace into our attack and for the next ten minutes Rangers looked more like scoring than they had at any other time in the game.

Buzsaky brought down a loose ball from 30 yards on his chest before smashing in a great volley which was parried by the keeper and Blackstock ran in for the rebound but ended up just clattering the keeper.

Blackstock then chased a lost cause as the defender allowed the ball to bounce and that meant Blackstock got in and with the keeper rushing out Blackstock had a split second where he could have shot and scored but he took it wide past the keeper before laying it back for Parejo who shot low but the keeper got down well to save it. Parejo could possibly have got more power in his shot but it was good stuff from Rangers.

Lee Cook had been very quiet up until now but he got space inside and had a shot from long range which Hahnemann again made hard work of parrying it away.

The pressure continued as we worked the ball down the right with a ball in by Leigterwood flicked goal wards by Blackstock and for a second I thought it had gone in but Hahnemann did well to claim it with both hands under his own crossbar.

This was certainly much more like it from rangers and if we'd shown as much attacking ambition at Swansea we'd probably have started the game in the top six.

As time ticked by though rangers began to look happy with a point as reading began to push forward a little more but from open play they posed very little threat to be honest. Cerny was called into action from set pieces where the delivery of hunt was a problem.

Hunt curled a free kick just wide of the post which Cerny appeared to have covered but the danger from free kicks did not pass as another Hunt delivery was headed just post the post by Rowlands for what would have been a spectacular own goal.

Reading were finishing the game well and went close through two corners. Hunt again the man to deliver the ball as Bikey rose highest and headed wide of the post with Cerny beaten.

Cerny was not to be beaten though and from another Hunt corner he looked to have waited too long as Cisse headed towards the back of the net but he dived to his left and punched the ball wide of the post. An excellent save from Cerny and made sure we were going home with at least at point.

At the other end Parejo had a weak penalty appeal turned down after he dived under a poor challenge from Bikey. I think if Parejo had dived over the tackle rather than around it he'd have got the penalty but he was rightly bollocked by Rowlands just before he was taken off.
Rangers negotiated the three minutes stoppage time without any more problems and Gareth Ainsworth's first game in charge ended with an impressive point.

This was Rangers second 0-0 game in a row but the performances couldn't have been more different. A thou' shall not pass the halfway line attitude at Swansea was followed by a hard working and ambitious performance at reading where we could easily have turned an impressive point into all three and was Rangers best performance since the win at Villa Park last month.

The back four all played well with Leigterwood for me man of the match for an outstanding performance at right back, a position he started his career at and could well be one he makes his own this season.

The midfield kept the ball well with Parejo involved in everything but a lack of pace in the team going forward was disappointing. Di Carmine had a decent game up front but looks like he will be better playing in a pair rather than as a lone striker.

Ainsworth can be rightly pleased with his teams efforts, quite how much influence he had on team selection is anyone's guess but he made positive changes a during the game and the players seemed to respond to him.

In truth the performance was similar to many under Dowie this season with the side well organised at the back, playing nice football in midfield but lacking a cutting edge up front. I think the performance shows there was not a great deal wrong with things under Dowie but he's gone now and we certainly have a good enough squad to compete in the top half of the division which is what whoever the new manager is will be expected to do.

Ainsworth is likely to be in charge again for the home game against Birmingham on Tuesday and if we can get a positive result in that one then our right winger may well be in with a chance of the manager's job.

Man of the Match: Mikele Leigterwood

Players Ratings: Cerny 8, Leigterwood 8 , Connolly 8, Stewart 8, Hall 8, Buzsaky 7, Mahon 7, Rowlands 7, Cook 6, Parejo 7 (Balanta 7), Di Carmine 7 (Blackstock 7)