Alfie May scores late penalty to rescue Birmingham a point against Reading

Birmingham needed a late Alfie May penalty to earn a 1-1 draw against Reading in League One.

Kelvin Ehibhatiomhan had given the Royals a lead before half-time but debutant May struck with four minutes left to rescue a point.

Harvey Knibbs had the ball in the back of the net for the visitors after just five minutes, but the whistle had already gone for a foul on Bailey Peacock-Farrell.

The Royals did take the lead in the 43rd minute as Ehibhatiomhan found himself one-on-one with Peacock-Farrell and the goalkeeper’s touch was not enough to keep the low-driven effort out.

Reading had the ball in the net for a third time after a breakaway chance in the 52nd minute, but the offside flag was raised to deny Ehibhatiomhan a second.

The hosts were given a lifeline in the 86th minute when Lewis Wing handled the ball in the penalty area and May made no mistake from the spot, placing his effort in the bottom-left corner to drag his side level.

Reading survived a late onslaught as Birmingham were held to a draw in their first game in the third tier in 29 years.