MARCUS HAHNEMANN made a succession of superb saves in the second half to deny Alex McLeish a winning start in his first home game as Birmingham manager. Mikael Forssell gave the Blues a fourth-minute lead but a converted penalty by Stephen Hunt and Hahnemann’s dexterity and obstinacy combined to rob McLeish of a perfect day.

“It was a very spirited performance and after losing a bad goal in the second half we pinned Reading back,” McLeish reflected. “They were dangerous on the break but we were in control. The ball just wouldn’t go into the net for us.”

When Hahnemann was finally beaten by a header on the rebound from Sebastian Larsson he was able to rely on Ibrahima Sonko’s fortuitous clearance off the underside of the crossbar. Gary McSheffrey also struck the bar from a free kick but Reading’s resilience was worthy, ultimately, of halting their run of six successive away defeats.

“The pace of the game, especially in the second half, was magnificent and the commitment was terrific,” said Steve Coppell, the Reading manager. “Marcus made some terrific saves and others that I expected him to make and Sonko’s last-ditch clearance also helped out. It was a fiery encounter all round.”

Coppell selected the same team which beat Liverpool last weekend while Damien Johnson started his first league game of the season for Birmingham, playing well after recovering from a long-term hamstring injury. Within the opening five minutes, Birmingham were in front when McSheffrey floated over a corner, Fabrice Muamba headed it on and Forssell, from point-blank range, shot against Nicky Shorey on the goalline before forcing over the rebound.

But Birmingham did not press home their advantage and Reading took control of possession. Hunt might have done better with a series of crosses that did little to trouble the Birmingham defence. The home side were unable to make Larsson the useful outlet he can be on the right wing and McSheffrey was making no impact on the left.

A free kick by Shorey was headed over by Kevin Doyle and Reading showed no real bite until a minute before the interval when Maik Taylor, the Birmingham goalkeeper, was forced to make his first save, blocking a shot by James Harper with his legs after the midfielder had worked his way in behind the Birmingham defence. Hahnemann was forced to save another effort from Forssell after the Finnish international’s initial shot was blocked.

Birmingham began the second half briskly, with Cameron Jerome advancing into the Reading penalty area, playing in Forssell and the breaking ball falling for Larsson, who dragged his shot wide.

Kalifa Cisse did the same for Reading at the other end from a cross by Shorey before Reading took advantage of a poor error of judgement by Mat Sadler. His back-pass for Taylor was badly underhit, Hunt nipped in and managed to get round the Birmingham goalkeeper, who in turn brought him down with his outstretched arm. Referee Lee Probert pointed immediately to the spot and Hunt, as he did a week ago against Liverpool, despatched his penalty kick, sending Taylor the wrong way.

Stirred into a response, Birmingham played their best football of the game, finally utilising Larsson’s skill on the right to create significant gaps in front of Hahnemann. A superb cross by the Swede found Jerome who headed over the crossbar before a defensive header by Sonko, under serious pressure, compelled Hahnemann to tip the ball over for a corner, the first of a series of interventions by the Reading goalkeeper.

McSheffrey whipped in a telling cross for Jerome whose header forced the American to move quickly to his right to turn the ball over again and a minute later he saved a well-struck free kick from 25 yards by Larsson. Then he pushed away a header by McSheffrey from Stephen Kelly’s cross at the expense of another corner. Birmingham were encamped in Reading’s half and the pressure was intense. Another free kick by McSheffrey struck the bar and Larsson headed goalwards from the rebound but, just short of the line, Sonko touched it onto the bar and somehow it rebounded to safety.

Cisse’s shot was saved by Taylor in a rare Reading counter-attack before substitute Shane Long fluffed an opportunity to win the game with a shot that looped up in the air from Hunt’s cross, Taylor gathering easily before Hunt shot wide from a Dave Kitson cross. “I felt good about today and I’m only sorry we didn’t get the three points,” said McLeish.

Match stats

Star man: Marcus Hahnemann (Reading)

Player ratings

Birmingham: Taylor 6, Kelly 6, Schmitz 7, Ridgewell 7, Sadler 6, Larsson 7, Johnson 6, Muamba 6, McSheffrey 7, Forssell 6 (O’Connor 75min), Jerome 6

Reading: Hahnemann 8, Murty 7, Sonko 7, Ingimarsson 6, Shorey 6, Hunt 7, Harper 6, Gunnarsson 5 (Cisse 28min, 6), Convey 6 (Long 84min), Doyle 6, Kitson 6

Scorers: Birmingham: Forssell 4. Reading: Hunt 50 pen