Reading 3, City 0

CITY ousted Eastenders to belatedly get their live shot on the BBC – but there was no cliff-hanging storyline for the nation last night.

The plot at the Madejski, for what it was worth, lasted all of nine minutes. By that point, Reading were two up and cruising towards a Wembley date with Arsenal.

For the League One underdogs, it made for viewing every bit as depressing as the worst Albert Square episode.

City's first appearance on terrestrial TV was doomed from that point – although listening to the magnificent fans, you would never have guessed.

Around 3,500 West Yorkshire voices shouted themselves hoarse in a valiant attempt to coax a comeback of Stamford Bridge proportions.

Sadly it failed to materialise but not for a want of trying from the away end, who had travelled the length of the country through some appalling traffic to give their all. Weary lads and lasses, take a well-earned bow.

But City's FA Cup journey ground to a halt 40 miles short of Wembley. Phil Parkinson's knockout kings had been dethroned in the royal county of Berkshire.

The Bantams can still look back proudly on another cup run with so many highlights, none more so than one unforgettable afternoon against Jose Mourinho's aristocrats in west London.

And the club coffers have been swelled by the tune of £1.7million – a very healthy dollop of cash that gives them a foundation to build on for next season.

But there was still a huge sense of disappointment that City were unable to have more of a go. In the 37th cup tie of Parkinson's reign, Reading were never in danger of becoming their 15th victim from a higher division.

There is also the added blow of losing Filipe Morais for the next three games after his red card from over-zealous top-flight referee Mike Jones.

Still, who would have imagined, when Lois Maynard fired Halifax in front after three minutes at The Shay, that City would get as far as their eighth FA Cup game.

That deficit on Remembrance Day sprung from a sloppy back pass out of play from Alan Sheehan at centre half. A lot had happened since.

The Irishman was back in the same role last night after Andrew Davies' damaged arm had not healed in time. Sheehan got the nod over Gary MacKenzie, who had proved an uncompromising deputy on Saturday.

Billy Knott, another of the six changes from the weekend, was given the 'number ten' role behind James Hanson and Jon Stead – who was playing his sixth game at the Madejski for a fifth different team.

Sadly a significant number of City fans were not in the ground for kick-off because of traffic troubles outside. But those inside still out-sung the home support, whose rehearsed rendition of 'Sweet Caroline' fell predictably flat.

Away supporters were still filing in when Reading caught the Bantams stone cold with a devastating early one-two.

Reading had been accused of killing the first game and setting up for a draw. But this time they went at City from the start with two wingers – and both immediately got their rewards.

The first corner produced the opening goal as Hal Robson-Kanu rose above Stephen Darby to angle a header down past Ben Williams.

And it quickly got worse when Garath McCleary, the hosts' other wide man, held off James Meredith and his shot looped up off Andy Halliday to leave Williams groping at thin air as the ball dipped in under the bar.

This was not in the script, although the impressive wall of noise behind the City goal chanted defiantly how they had been here before. But their team had not got out of the blocks – and there was little indication of a Chelsea-style fightback on the cards.

Williams palmed out a 25-yard drive from Robson-Kanu as Reading continued to drive forward with real purpose. Apart from a half-hearted header from Hanson, there had been little response.

Referee Jones did not improve the mood by flashing his yellow card and both Knott and Sheehan had grounds to feel aggrieved for their bookings.

The midfield was being pulled around and McCleary ghosted past Morais as if he wasn't there before firing an angled shot over the bar.

Reading v City match pictures

Reading simply looked quicker to the ball and stronger with it. There was none of that spark that had been such a feature of City's progress through the rounds – apart from in the stand.

They could point to several refereeing decisions that did not go their way and Parkinson was up in arms when nothing was given as Hanson was shoved going for a high ball.

But there was no hint of a reprieve from his painful return to a club which he graced as a player for over a decade. Both sets of fans sung his name in tribute at times but that would have been little consolation for the Bantams boss.

His troubles increased when City were reduced to ten men after Morais caught Nathaniel Chalobah with a high boot. There appeared no malicious intent with the challenge but, given the way Jones had been itching to get a card out, the Portuguese cannot have been too surprised to see the red appear.

Reading quickly made the man advantage pay as Jamie Mackie held off Sheehan to fire goal number three and milked the celebration with the home crowd.

One fan, clearly tired and emotional, appeared topless on the pitch and embarked in a few shambolic forward rolls in front of the away end before the stewards finally stirred enough to remove him.

The proper lesson in support came from those who had got up early and were getting home late. As Reading savoured their first FA Cup semi-final since 1927, the travelling City army kept up a wall of noise to do their club proud.

Attendance: 22,908