TWO months ago the prospects of Wanderers getting their head above water in the relegation race seemed minimal – but for more than an hour tonight, it became a reality.

Sadly, having got themselves into a winning position against a woeful Reading, Phil Parkinson’s side simply stopped playing.

Reece Burke and Darren Pratley put a spirited Whites into a commanding and fully deserved two-goal lead by the time the whistle blew for half time.

Yet the second half was a tale of growing pressure, and mounting frustration at the Macron, and late goals from Liam Moore and Leandro Bacuna gave the Royals a point they probably deserved in the end.

Despite considerable concern on the injury front before the game, Wanderers were able to make just one change from the team which drew at Preston North End.

Mark Beevers celebrated his 28th birthday on the suspension list, replaced by Burke, but full-backs Antonee Robinson and Mark Little were patched up to allow Parkinson to retain the same 4-2-3-1 system.

Barely a whole minute had ticked by when Wanderers had a chance to open the scoring.

Reading’s risky strategy of playing it short at the back backfired, and Moore’s poor backpass to Anssi Jaakola nearly fell for Gary Madine.

The Finnish keeper managed to spare his side the embarrassment – but his first half would quickly deteriorate.

Only Fulham have had more possession than the Royals in the Championship this season and at times their determination to keep the long passing strings going bordered on the farcical.

With Josh Vela and Madine bearing down on them at every turn, no visiting defender looked particularly comfortable and the high pressing effort was clearly a game-plan constructed on the training ground.

Wanderers’ brand of football may be less civilised, and not fashioned from the Ajax Academy, but in this instance it was infinitely more effective.

Sammy Ameobi was dragged down by Tyler Blackett on the right on one of his customary mazy runs and, from Vela’s free-kick, Madine got a flick and Burke ghosted in at the far post to head his first goal for the club since joining on loan from West Ham in the summer.

Reading were rattled. Pratley angered them further with a strong challenge on Moudou Barrow – the former Bolton trialist.

The protesting visiting bench claimed an elbow but ref Andrew Madley was unmoved. In fact, to the West Yorkshireman’s credit, he did not respond to the numerous visiting players who threw themselves on the floor at the merest hint of physical contact, so well done him.

A couple of minutes later and another straightforward set piece left Stam’s side floundering.

Vela’s corner found Pratley virtually unmarked, leaping high to head past Jaakola, who could only look up from the turf with an accusatory glance at his defenders.

The keeper, playing his first league game, looked as nervous as anyone at the back – his kicking much more Jussi Jaaskelainen circa 1997 than 2007. But he would end up having the last laugh.

Reading did have their moments but suffered from a lack of presence up front.

On a couple of occasions crosses, flicks and corners skidded across the penalty box without anyone attempting to get a decisive touch.

Moore sent one header just past Ben Alnwick’s left-hand post, which did constitute a real let-off for the Whites, but otherwise Parkinson’s side were more comfortable than they could ever have expected to be at half time.

So surprising was the result that the scoreboard was briefly set back to 0-0 when the game resumed.

Alnwick did more work in the opening five minutes of the second period than he had to that point, his first act being a brilliant finger-tip save to push Sone Aluko’s swerving shot around his post.

Wanderers failed to clear the corner effectively and when Armstrong allowed Gunter to wriggle clear on the right, Alnwick was there again to make a block.

The lead continued to look brittle as the half progressed but just as the Whites appeared to have absorbed everything Reading could dish out, they found a way back into the game with 12 minutes to go.

Barrow’s low cross found Moore at the far post, and the former Leicester defender bundled the ball over the line.

Wanderers sat deeper and deeper – Parkinson bringing Will Buckley on to try and revive something in attack. Instead, Reading capitalised on the encouragement and got themselves level from the penalty spot.

Ameobi has been, at times, devastating in the attacking third but his trip on Barrow as the winger surged into the box was cumbersome, and possibly highlighted his fatigue at that point. Bacuna’s finish from 12 yards was decisive.

Oddly, Wanderers attacked more in the last few minutes than they had for the whole half. Jaakola pulled off a point-blank save from Burke, whose header from Vela’s corner seemed destined for the back of the net.

And he surpassed that effort with another wordie from substitute Le Fondre, who was picked out perfectly by another lively replacement, Craig Noone.

The unbeaten run stretches to seven games but for Wanderers it was another case of what might have been.

Fans will undoubtedly point a finger at the dugout and ask if substitutions should have been made earlier. They may well have a point.

More dropped points and late goals conceded certainly lend a pedestal to the 'glass half empty' brigade.

Perhaps most pertinently it begs the question of whether Parkinson needs to change his side more drastically for the game at Molineux this weekend, and inject some fresh impetus into the team.