Albion and Reading have gone in different directions since promotion but their futures for the rest of this season could revolve around a connected issue.

The struggling Seagulls are missing Graham Barrett, the regal Royals will miss his fellow loan signing from Arsenal Matthew Upson.

Barrett's busy and buzzing approach was conspicuous by its absence in a second defeat against promotion contenders in the space of four days.

Barrett is bound to stay for the rest of the season now that his three months have expired. After all, there is no chance of him seeing any first team action at Highbury with the Gunners already out of the Worthington Cup.

Albion, and more particularly Bobby Zamora, need the Republic of Ireland international back from the knee ligament problem which has sidelined him from the last four matches, preferably in time for Saturday's potentially pivotal basement battle at Sheffield Wednesday.

Zamora, returning from the heel, hamstring and ankle injuries which ruled him out of last Wednesday's 3-2 defeat at Nottingham Forest, was all too often outnumbered by the meanest defence in the First Division.

"It's always going to be the way," said boss Steve Coppell. "He's a marked man now and they are going to be tight. There wasn't a great deal of space for him to manoeuvre.

"Being a lone wolf in the first half was the thing I regretted. I should have played somebody alongside him, although if Graham had been fit that would have made my mind up to play two down the middle.

"It was just too big a job for Bobby, given the injury problems he has had recently. He just needed a bit of comfort of people alongside him.

"In the second half we still didn't see him at his best but he was a little bit more involved in the action and we got a few more opportunities."

Albion had their best period after the break, once Coppell had switched from 5-3-2 to 4-4-2 and introduced Paul Brooker on the left for Nathan Jones.

Brooker was foiled on the hour by his impressive former Fulham colleague Marcus Hahnemann following a mistake by Reading captain Adrian Williams.

American Hahnemann maintained Reading's proud defensive record when, with Daniel Webb thrown on as an extra attacker in place of Richard Carpenter, he saved Kerry Mayo's header amid a flurry of corners in the closing stages.

Coppell conceded: "The first half was really antiseptic. I really chose the wrong style of play. In the second half we had opportunities but not many. It was a little bit blunt.

"After ten minutes I was wanting to change the shape but we got back at two o'clock on Thursday morning and we couldn't have a training session on Friday, so we couldn't really work on anything at all. It was just patching people up to play."

Albion were blunted most notably by Upson. His three-month loan expires after this Saturday's visit to the Madejski Stadium by leaders Portsmouth and Reading manager Alan Pardew does not hold out any hope of keeping him.

A suspension is looming for Sol Campbell, former Seagull Martin Keown is still out injured, so the centre of defence is one area where Arsenal are currently lacking strength in great depth.

It will be interesting to see how Reading react to losing Upson. Former Crawley stopper John Mackie, who was on the bench on Saturday, has a big hole to fill.

With the addition of Upson and Hahnemann, Reading looked a much more accomplished outfit than the team beaten 3-1 in the Second Division at Withdean in February and the one which pipped Coppell's Brentford for the second automatic promotion spot behind the Seagulls on the final day.

"They are a good side," Coppell said. "You don't go six games without conceding a goal by accident. They are very workmanlike and Hahnemann and Upson have given them that little bit extra.

"Upson has been a massive cog in their wheel. He has got pace and he has given everyone confidence. It's ironic, I suppose, that he is deemed at the moment not good enough for the Premiership. If he stayed then you would have to say, injuries, good fortune and good play permitting, they have got a helluva chance."

Albion's chances of beating the drop depend on scoring more goals and not letting in avoidable ones. Twenty in 20 games, including nine blank sheets, is not enough and John Salako's decisive 22nd-minute strike started with slack play at the back. The fleet-footed Nicky Forster exploited the generosity with a square pass for Salako to lash a left-foot shot through Michel Kuipers.

After that, Reading were quite content to play what Coppell described as "hard-nosed First Division football", soaking up what Albion had to offer and using Hahnemann's boot and Forster's speed to hit them on the break.

Five of their six succesive victories have been 1-0, just like the old Arsenal. "They are efficient defensivley and when they do make mistakes the run of form they are in means they don't concede goals," Coppell ruefully reflected. "Any mistake we make at the moment ends up as a goal.

Pardew was more impressed by Albion's performance than Coppell. "They were terrific," he said. "They gave us one of our strongest tests. If they play like that and a bit more luck goes their way then they are going to get out of trouble.

ALBION (5-3-2): Kuipers (gk) 7; Watson (rwb) 7, Mayo (cd) 7, Cullip (cd) 8, Hart (f) 6, Carpenter (cm) 6, Pethick (cd) 7, Jones (lwb) 6, Zamora (f) 6, Rodger (lm) 7, Sidwell (rm) 7. Subs: Butters, Oatway, Brooker 7 for Jones (withdrawn 53), Packham, Webb for Carpenter (withdrawn 76). BOOKINGS: Sidwell (38) foul.

READING (4-2-1-3): Hahnemann; Murty, Shorey, K. Watson, Rougier, Williams, Forster, Hughes, Harper, Salako, Upson. Subs: Mackie, Butler for Rougier (withdrawn 83), Cureton, Ashdown, Newman for Watson (withdrawn 71). SCORERS: Salako (22). BOOKINGS: Forster (8) foul, Hughes (42) foul, Butler (90) unsporting behaviour.

Referee: Mr M. Messias (York). Venue: Withdean. Attendance: 6,817. Pitch conditions: Good. Weather: Rain.

FAN'S VIEW, from Stan Oxley (Worthing): "Reading were quickly out of the traps and soon imposed their control on the game. One mistake, just when we seemed to be coming into the game, cost us at least the point our second-half display deserved. Paul Brooker was outstanding when he came on and we badly missed Graham Barrett. At present, the bench doesn't inspire much excitement. Perhaps the young lad from the Cameroon, with his lightning pace and his unpredictability, deserves a chance. Ian Hart was quick to remind a caller on SCR predicting the worst that no one gets relegated in December. But however optimistic Harty is, defeat at Hillsborough will leave us with a really big mountain to climb."