When Reading take on Chelsea at the Madejski Stadium tomorrow evening, the cameras will focus on Stephen Hunt and Petr Cech as they shake hands before kick-off. It will be their first meeting since the pair collided in the opening stages of Reading’s 1-0 defeat in October, when Cech, the Chelsea goalkeeper, suffered a fractured skull that needed emergency surgery.

Yesterday, Graeme Murty, the Reading captain, attempted to play down the potential for ill feeling when Chelsea return. In the same match last year, Carlo Cudicini, Cech’s replacement, left the pitch on a stretcher after challenging for the ball with Ibrahima Sonko, the Reading defender.

“There may be something talked up in the media and no doubt Cech will be shown on television wearing his skull cap,” Murty said. “But we’ve got a fantastic young man in Stephen Hunt, who came through it all with a lot of credit after what was an horrific injury to an opponent.”

Murty has spoken to Steve Sidwell, the midfield player, who joined Chelsea from Reading on a free transfer in May, and believes that there will be no bitterness. “There’s nothing left over,” Murty said. “I’ve talked to Steve and he says they are the same at Chelsea.”

Neither Cech nor Hunt played in the 2-2 draw at Stamford Bridge on Boxing Day. Cech had not recovered fitness, while Hunt was an unused substitute. Both should start tomorrow, with Steve Coppell, the Reading manager, unlikely to shield Hunt.

“There’s no way that the manager will be dictated to for his team selection,” Murty said. “And Stephen is mentally strong enough. If anyone on the Chelsea side thought Stephen did it on purpose, there would have been 25 players around and their bench would have been up. Everyone realised it was a genuine guy going for a genuine challenge.”