KEVIN BLACKWELL, THE Leeds United manager, must wonder why some supporters of his club are so hard to please. Despite coming within five minutes of becoming only the third side to beat Reading in the Coca-Cola Championship this season, the final whistle at Elland Road was greeted by booing from a small group. Some fans need a reality check.

OK, so the final hopes of automatic promotion were extinguished by Stephen Hunt’s late equaliser, but Leeds enter late April with something to look forward to for the first time in years. With a play-offs place long assured, Blackwell can treat the final three Championship matches as a second pre-season, with a Premiership place still very possible.

Tomorrow his side visit Sheffield United, who are already promoted. Blackwell’s main concern will be fitness, particularly with a virus sweeping through his squad. “I’ve got bigger things on my mind than having a party at Sheffield United,” Blackwell said. “It’s unusual for all the play-off places to be decided this early — last year West Ham got in on their last kick. The next three games mean nothing, so the focus has to be on the play-offs.”

But the virus, which had already affected Gary Kelly, Gylfi Einarsson and Danny Graham and struck down Robbie Blake on Saturday morning, is a cause for concern. “It has started with flu-like symptoms but has developed,” Blackwell said. “It’s totally debilitating. We have to find the source of it.”

Leeds had marginally the better of an unmemorable first half. Bobby Convey, Reading’s stylish United States winger, carved himself the best chance but shot narrowly wide, while Rob Hulse could not get enough on his header from Stephen Crainey’s cross at the other end to worry Marcus Hahnemann, the Reading goalkeeper.

Hulse proved a hero in his own penalty area early in the second half when he headed out John Oster’s cross from beneath his own bar. After 62 minutes, Hulse was at the centre of the action again, crudely diving over the foot of Ibrahima Sonko in an attempt to win a penalty. Mark Halsey, the referee, waved away his pleas but failed to show enough backbone to book the striker.

Reading are champions for good reason, though, and roused themselves from their slumber in the final ten minutes. This time it was Leeds who failed to clear the ball and Bryn Gunnarsson, who had appeared as a substitute less than two minutes before, sent a cross to the far post, where Ivar Ingimarsson guided a header along the goalline for Hunt, another late substitute, to bundle in.

Reading’s focus is already on next season, although they have set themselves the target of going through their final three matches unbeaten. “The important thing is we give it a go next season,” Hunt said. “If we don’t, we will be hammered and then, what’s the point?”