IPSWICH Town marksman, Jon Stead, simply loves scoring against Reading.Having netted in both games against the Royals last season, to wrap up a league double, Stead lost no time in tormenting the Berkshire hosts again with a ninth minute opener in Saturday's 1-1 draw at the Madejski Stadium.

Carl Marston

IPSWICH Town marksman, Jon Stead, simply loves scoring against Reading.

Having netted in both games against the Royals last season, to wrap up a league double, Stead lost no time in tormenting the Berkshire hosts again with a ninth minute opener in Saturday's 1-1 draw at the Madejski Stadium.

Even though Roy Keane's men could not hold out for a first away win of the season, undone by Simon Church's fortuitous 47th minute equaliser, Stead is convinced that Town have turned a corner.

They have also leapfrogged Peterborough United in the Championship table, to finally drag themselves off the bottom rung for the first time since late September.

“Psychologically, it's a little boost to get off the bottom,” admitted Stead.

“There's still a long way to go, but we're on a decent run now, without losing. I'm massively confident that we'll be a lot higher in the table soon.

“We've definitely turned a corner. We've grafted and picked up points in our last five games, which is giving us a platform.

“Today and the last game (1-0 win over Derby) is the worst that we've played in the last five or six matches, but we're scrapping and getting the results. That's a bonus for us.

“We're not playing well and yet we're still getting points. We've got another gear. We showed in some of the games a few weeks ago that we can play a lot better,” added Stead.

Ex-Sunderland and Sheffield United target man Stead has now scored two goals in three games, following his previous strike in the 1-1 draw at Plymouth Argyle. That was his first of the campaign.

His spectacular overhead kick secured a 1-0 win for Jim Magilton's Ipswich side at the Madejski Stadium last March, while earlier in the season he had smashed home a long-range pearler in a 2-0 home win over Reading, on what was his Town debut.

“I've scored quite a few goals against Reading,” confirmed Stead.

“I was pleased to score again, though it was a bit of a shin roller! That doesn't matter, though. All that matters is that it finished in the top corner (of the net).

“Had we gone two-up in the first half, it would have been a lot more comfortable, but in the end we were hanging on again.

“We dealt with it, though. We made a couple of important blocks, and although you could say we got a bit lucky, we were in the right places to make those blocks,” concluded Stead.

Town have now a two-week break for internationals, before returning to action at home to Sheffield Wednesday in a live televised game on Saturday, November 21 (kick-off 5.20pm).