Birmingham City 2 Reading 3: Lita lights way as Reading narrow the horizons of Bruce

Anyone needing confirmation that football teams reflect the character of their managers should have been at St Andrew's yesterday. In a tie of lukewarm passions on a newly- laid lemon-and-lime striped pitch, Steve Coppell's youthful Reading won with clinical efficiency, and precious little noise, while Steve Bruce's Birmingham City, all honesty and endeavour, exited with loud defiance.

Premiership class, in other words, told against recently relegated Championship opponents who have been without a League fixture since New Year's Day due to problems with their playing surface. Birmingham blustered and had most of the game, but Reading were precise and rarely troubled as they eased through to the fifth round.

Two well-taken goals from Leroy Lita - one in each half, after Dave Kitson had returned from injury to open the scoring after just three minutes in only his second start of the season - gave Reading a luxurious advantage, even if Martin Taylor did pull one goal back to make it 2-1 before a well-flighted free-kick from Sebastian Larsson in the final minute of added time supplied further vain consolation.

For Bruce, beaten and hurting after seeing his team err in defence, waste plentiful possession and miss several decent chances on a bobbling, uneven surface, it was difficult not to feel some sympathy. He was an archetypal centre-half, complete with broken nose and bruises, as he won two FA Cup medals with Manchester United, and his feeling for the tournament remains undimmed. These days it is his club tie, not his nose, which is askew after defeats.

"This club has never won anything and this was an opportunity, but we didn't take it," he said. "We invested heavily in strikers like DJ Campbell, Cameron Jerome and Gary McSheffrey, but they didn't do it and it wasn't our day. I thought we edged it as the best team, but that is no good if you can't take your chances."

Sweeping aside invitations to indulge in clichés about concentrating on the League, Bruce added: "Too many people knock the FA Cup, but not me. We should cherish it and its history. We would have loved a good run, but we have been involved in three great ties." His latest signing, the £2.5 million striker Rowan Vine from Luton Town, was, he said, likely to play on Tuesday against Southend.

Coppell, displaying as much acumen in his comments as he does in the transfer market and team selection, is another Old Trafford graduate in management. He also won an FA Cup with United, in 1977, but is not one for showing his feelings. And his appearance is immaculate, if understated. Here he retained only four of the team who started last weekend's dust-up with Sheffield United, but they had enough nous to soak up attacks and then cut Birmingham open when goals were needed. "It's all right to go through," he said with deadpan delivery.

Coppell did shower praise, however, on Kitson, whose turn in the six-yard box left the £10m- rated Matthew Upson helpless when he swivelled and shot beyond Maik Taylor.

"It's pleasing to see him playing," said Coppell. "He gives us another dimension. We have an aerial option with him and he takes up different kinds of positions." He also scores important goals. What price this homespun Reading for Wembley?