READING FC made it three consecutive Championship home wins after Tyrese Fornah’z fizzing strike was enough to take the points against winless Middlesbrough.
Fornah made sure his first Royals goal was one to remember as he drilled the ball past Zack Steffen after 28 minutes from outside the box.
The Royals ensured they took the points by earning their second consecutive clean sheet.
After five league matches, Reading are fourth in the table on nine points.
Reading lined up with Dean Bouzanis in goal for his Championship debut with Joe Lumley unavailable to play against his parent club.
Sam Hutchinson returned from injury and was placed straight into the starting line-up to make his competitive Royals debut as Nesta Guiness-Walker missed out through injury.
There was a place on the bench for Lucas Joao who is still working up to match fitness after he scored within eight minutes of coming on against Blackburn in midweek.
The Royals entered the contest on the back of a superb 3-0 win over Blackburn Rovers on Wednesday night, while Chris Wilder’s Boro team were still searching for their first win having drawn three and lost one of their opening four games.
There was an early touch for Bouzanis on his first league start when collected a tame curling shot from Marcus Forss in the first minute of the match.
Reading settled into the game and won their first corner in the 12th minute after a positive burst down the left from Shane Long that was halted by a perfectly timed sliding tackle.
In the aftermath of a corner, Junior Hoilett remained on his toes to make an excellent interception and he burst into the box and tested the gloves of Manchester City loanee Zack Steffen who palmed away his shot.
Tenacious work down the right from Tom Ince won the Royals another corner, but Boro stayed organised to deal with the threat.
There was a let off for the hosts when Boro wasted their chance with a free-kick right on the edge of the box.
Mamadou Loum surrendered possession cheaply in the middle of the park which allowed Forss to breeze past two players before he was hacked down just inches outside of the penalty area by Hutchinson.
They rolled the free-kick short to Alex Mowatt who looked to bend it beyond the wall, but Jeff Hendrick was out quickly to make the block.
Reading grabbed the lead in the 28th minute when Tyrese Fornah scored a beauty to claim his first goal for the club.
A cleared header rolled back into Fornah’s path and the midfielder hit a sweetly struck first timed effort that fizzed past Steffen to rupture the net at the near post.
With a spring in their step having opened the scoring, Reading went in search of another when Tom Holmes floated a wonderful long pass out wide to find Hoilett. The Canadian worked some room for a shot, but with a host of bodies between him and the Boro goal, his shot ricocheted off a defender.
Boro were unable to make their way back into the game to level in the first-half have rarely created a decent opening as the Royals headed into half-time with a one goal lead.
Wilder made a double switch at the break as Matt Crooks and Ducan Watmore Riley McGree and Dael Fry.
Long had a sniff at goal just three minutes after the restart when Andy Yiadom darted into the box before the ball fell invitingly for the Irishman to strike, but he scuffed his shot.
A great chance to add a second passed Reading by when Ince tried to slip in Hendrick but put a tad too much power on his through ball.
Ince made his first change on the hour mark as Joao took the place of Long up top.
Boro enjoyed plenty of the ball throughout the match but struggled to create anything substantial with it as Reading held firm at the back.
Ince’s second switch with just over 20 minutes to play saw John Clarke replace Hutchinson.
A slick Boro move down the right worked an opportunity but Watmore blazed his shot high over the bar.
Boro started to turn the screw in search of a leveller when a cross into the box was won by Crooks, but his header floated just wide of Bouzanis’ far post.
Bouzanis came up with an important stop with 10 minutes to go and did well to hold onto a powerful header just six yards out from Darragh Lenihan.
There was a moment for all Reading fans to hold their breath when the referee pointed to the penalty spot when Crooks was hauled to the ground when trying to win a header in the box, but the linesman had already signalled for offside much to the relief of the home side.
Boro continued to pile on the pressure but Clarke came up with a vital block after the ball had been pulled back into a dangerous area.
Reading are on their travels next weekend when they face Millwall at the Den.
Reading: Bouzanis, Holmes, Hutchinson, McIntyre, Yiadom (c), Fornah, Loum, Hoilett, Hendrick, Ince, Long
Subs: Andresson, Joao, Camara, Abrefa, John Clarke, Ehibhatiomhan, Craig
Middlesbrough: Steffen, Jones, Giles, Fry, McNair, Lenihan, Bola, McGree, Mowatt, Howson, Forss
Subs: Roberts, Hoppe, Smith, Dijksteel, Watmore, Boyd-Munce, Crooks
Goals: Fornah 28’
