Philip Billing spared the blushes of teammate Rajiv van La Parra, who missed a penalty, to give Huddersfield Town a valuable three points in their SkyBet Championship promotion push.

The midfielder scored his second of the campaign, blasting home an 81st-minute winner after Tommy Smith’s shot from the edge of the box deflected into his path.

Before that it looked as if David Wagner’s men would rue a number of chances not taken – including seeing the 36th-minute penalty saved by Ali Al-Habsi.

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It was Town’s first league penalty to be awarded since they beat Leeds United 4-1 at Elland Road on March 19, 2016, when Nahki Wells’ effort was saved that day by Marco Silvestri.

And history repeated itself as van La Parra was this time the unfortunate culprit to squander a chance from 12 yards out.

You have to go as far back as February 7, 2015 for the last time Town were awarded a penalty which they converted in the league – away to Millwall – while in comparison the visiting Royals have already had an incredible 11 spot-kicks awarded so far this campaign.

Before the game Wagner once again shuffled his pack, making nine changes to the side that performed so heroically against Manchester City.

But unlike that encounter, few would have been surprised at the starting 11, with key men Aaron Mooy, Christopher Schindler and Michael Hefele all returning to a side in which only Philip Billing and Rajiv van La Parra were retained from the FA Cup fifth-round encounter.

Whether familiarity breeds contempt (this was the sixth game between the pair in the past two seasons), or whether it was Reading’s preference for a slow and laborious possession game, there was a distinct lack of fizz in the opening exchanges.

Undeterred, Town attempted to play their usual game of high intensity ‘gegenpressing’ but with only the home side appearing to want to win the game, the opening half an hour mirrored a training match of attack v defence.

Town’s Rajiv van La Parra and Elias Kachunga were unable to capitalise on chances before there was a warning sign for Wagner’s men as Reading’s first real foray brought a save from Danny Ward, tipping Roy Beerens’ curling effort onto the bar.

The game finally sparked into life in the 35th minute, though, when Izzy Brown was brought down in the box by Tyler Blackett.

But after clinically dispatching Town’s only other penalty of the season, in the FA Cup fourth round at Rochdale, Brown was unable to undertake his spot-kick duties due to what appeared to be illness.

So up stepped van La Parra, whose effort was saved by veteran Reading keeper Ali Al-Habsi and, as the Town fans were still reeling, they were dealt another blow by the enforced change of Brown for Jack Payne.

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With Reading perhaps seeing the penalty save as a let-off, the game began to open up at the end of the first half, with Jordan Obita and Lewis Grabban having a couple of chances and Chris Lowe stinging the palms of Al-Habsi with a shot at the other end.

As the second-half played out in swirling wind and rain, the game began to break down into a scrappy affair.

Both sides made changes as they tried to break the deadlock with Aaron Mooy having the best of the few opportunities on offer, Al-Habsi having to tip the Australian’s effort over the bar.

And as the game looked to be petering out for a draw, Billing gave Wagner’s men a more than worthy win and further consolidate Town’s promotion credentials.

It wasn't pretty but no-one of a Huddersfield Town persuasion will care.