Reading 1 Newcastle United 0: Kitson on target to hit Owen comeback

The good news for Reading was that last night's deserved victory lifted them into the last Uefa Cup qualifying place. The good news for Newcastle, and England, was that Michael Owen returned to action after an absence through injury of 10 months and 10 days, and completed his first full 90 minutes of action since Boxing Day 2005.

England's coach Steve McClaren wasn't at the Madejski Stadium to witness Owen's reassuring effort, but his deputy, Terry Venables, was. And the forthcoming matches against Brazil on 1 June and Estonia on 4 June now stand as possible targets for the consummate target man.

Such speculation was tetchily dismissed afterwards however by Newcastle's manager Glenn Roeder. "We are fed up hearing about Michael Owen of England and Newcastle. It's the other way round, and anyone who thinks different is out of order."

Roeder, who added that he was "not losing a second's sleep" over rumours that his job was not secure, said that Owen should never have been taken to the World Cup, where he sustained the serious knee injury which has required two operations. "When he was called up to the squad he had a sore metatarsal," Roeder said. "When you include that injury he's been out of action for 16 months."

The Newcastle manager insisted that he had not planned to keep Owen on for the whole match, but was obliged to after injuries to Antoine Sibierski, who broke his wrist, and Emre, who suffered a bad knock on his ankle.

"I kept asking Michael if he was OK and he kept giving me the thumbs-up," Roeder said. "He was extremely tired at the end, but should be OK for Saturday."

For Reading, who will finish their season with a home match against Watford and a trip to Blackburn, European football looks distinctly likely. And although their manager Steve Coppell has repeatedly fought shy of the notion, even he was obliged to offer a wry acceptance of their happy position.

"Let's get it out of the way," he said with a grin. "We're going for Europe now. The chairman's told me I can have £200m extra so it's just a case of me writing the cheques." Jesting apart, Coppell is on the brink of a startling achievement with the side he has guided to the top flight for the first time in their history. Victory came thanks to another striker making a comeback, Dave Kitson, whose powerfully struck effort in the 50th minute, after Kevin Doyle had dummied Seol Ki-Hyeon's cross from the right, brought him his first League goal since the opening day of the season, when he sustained the injury which has caused him to miss six months of action.

"The season has been a write-off for me personally, but a great one for the lads," Kitson said.

Owen's personal journey since he crawled, full of foreboding, over the touchline during England's World Cup match against Sweden on 20 June last year has been both physically and mentally arduous. A measure of impatience was understandable last night, and it took him just 30 seconds to get his first touch of the ball as he dispossessed Reading midfielder Brynjar Gunnarsson. Seven minutes in he had the ball in the net, despatching the ball with the nerveless aplomb of old only to see the assistant referee's flag raised for offside. It proved to be his high point - but the fact he could walk off in one piece was far more significant.

Goal: Kitson (51) 1-0.

Reading: (4-4-2): Hahnemann; De la Cruz, Ingimarsson, Duberry, Shorey; Ki-Hyeon, Gunnarsson (Harper, 89), Oster (Bikey, 94), Hunt; Doyle, Kitson (Long, 89). Substitutes not used: Federici (gk), Halford.

Newcastle United (4-4-2): Harper; Solano, Bramble, Taylor, Carr; Milner, Emre (N'Zogbia, 60), Dyer, Sibierski (Ameobi, 54); Owen, Martins. Substitutes not used: Srnicek (gk), Onyewu, Carroll.

Referee: M Riley (W Yorkshire).

Booked: Reading Hunt, Kitson.

Man of the match: Doyle.

Attendance: 24,109.