Simon Church will reward Reading team-mate and lodger Gylfi Sigurdsson for helping him score his first goal at the Madejski Stadium by kicking him out of his house.

Church has been renting a room out to Sigurdsson in his Berkshire home since last season but has had enough of the Icelandic midfielder's untidiness and is giving him the boot.

The Welshman finally got off the mark for the Royals on home soil in the second half after deflecting in Sigurdsson's effort from close range.

Jon Stead had earlier given Ipswich the lead with a scuffed shot that beat Reading keeper Adam Federici in the ninth minute

Shane Long then had a header hacked off the line by his former Royals team-mate Liam Rosenior before Church hit the bar late on.

The draw stretched Reading's winless run at home to 17 games and saw them slip back into the bottom three, while Ipswich moved one place off the foot of the table.

And Church said: "I am kicking Gylfi out. It's time for him to grow up and move on. He's been a good house-mate but you need your own space.

"He's a great lad, a good cook but just doesn't tidy up after himself.

"He's been living with me since last season. He wanted to stay for a couple of weeks but it has gone on and on.

"I've been charging him rent since he's been there but it's time for him to move on."

One player who is glad he packed his bags from Reading is Rosenior, who was subjected to jeers and boos by the home fans on his first return to the club since joining Ipswich in August.

The right-back was shipped out on loan by boss Brendan Rodgers for a fee of £200,000 after owner John Madejski demanded the club slash the players' wage bill.

Rosenior said: "The reaction I got was to be expected. I was getting grief from the Reading fans when I was playing for the club anyway but you always like to play well against your former clubs.

"I have watched a few of Reading's games and they should be getting more than they deserve, a bit like Ipswich. We're both underachieving but I still think both clubs' aim is to win promotion and that has not changed."

Rodgers, meanwhile, denied reports he would have got the sack if Reading had lost their last two games before the two-week international break.

"Nobody had said anything to me," he said. "I knew when I came here it would be a three-year plan and I have great support from the owner.

"I don't take any notice of what is said about me. As far as I'm concerned, I expect to be a football manager for the next 30 years."

Steve Skerry (Daily Mirror)