Birmingham City have a 1-0 lead over Reading on the opening day of the Championship campaign.

The Royals almost made a dream start as midfielder Oliver Norwood hit the crossbar from a free kick on the edge of the box, after a foul on new striker Orlando Sa.

Birmingham controlled much of the first 25 minutes, but struggled to create any clear openings as they peppered the Reading box with crosses, but the defence was capable coped well.

Reading almost grabbed the lead as the game drifted towards the break, as Paul McShane's shot was blocked on the line, before Norwood tested Tomas Kuszczak from distance.

However, the Blues took the lead through David Cotterill's bending free kick, which took a wicked deflection five minutes before the break.