Bristol City 1 Reading 1: Paul Hartley admits Bristol City are going through a 'sticky spell' and insists the rest of the Christmas period now becomes even more important.

The Robins have now won just one of their last eight games after Reading substitute Simon Church's stoppage-time goal cancelled out the Scotsman's early penalty.

City have a trip to old rivals Queens Park Rangers before they end the year with a home game against Watford. Both teams will know City are vulnerable in the closing stages as their last home win – 3-1 against Plymouth on October 20 – fades further in the memory.

Hartley insisted the worrying habit of conceding late on was not weighing on his team-mates' minds. He said: "We can't seem to see a game out when we are leading 1-0, but you have to give Reading credit.

"I don't think you get into a game and think you are going to lose a late goal. It is just something that happens in football.

"We are going through a little sticky spell just now, but we have to stay together and we will come back because we have some good players in the squad. The next few games are very important for us.

"We have the belief in the dressing room that we can win football matches. We know we can play a lot better. We will sit down and analyse it and see how we can be better.

"You just have to see the game out. You have to be strong and keep the ball and we don't seem to be doing that."

City actually began the game impressively, with Cole Skuse and Jamie McAllister both testing former Robins loan keeper Adam Federici with long-range efforts.

And they were handed the chance to take the lead when makeshift defender Jay Tabb ran into the back of Nicky Maynard, who was heading away from goal.

Hartley stepped up to rocket his third goal in City colours into the roof of the net from 12 yards.

"I am pretty confident when I take a penalty," he said. "I have got a fairly good record over the last few seasons. I think I have taken about 18 penalties and scored every one of them, so I was confident."

Reading should have levelled almost straight away when Jobi McAnuff played in Grzegorz Rasiak and the Poland international fired straight at Dean Gerken.

Then Gylfi Sigurdsson beat the offside trap and rounded Gerken, and only a last-ditch sliding block from Bradley Orr denied him.

Icelander Sigurdsson then fired straight at Gerken from the edge of the box as Reading pushed hard for a leveller.

City could have been two ahead on 38 minutes but recalled skipper Louis Carey glanced Hartley's free-kick well wide.

Reading nearly grabbed the equaliser their first-half play had deserved when Alex Pearce's shot was stabbed wide for a corner and Marek Matejovsky's lob was held on the line by Gerken.

After the break Carey almost clipped in an Orr cross but saw the ball drift just wide in a rare counter-attack by the hosts.

Former Motherwell striker David Clarkson was handed his first start since the 3-0 drubbing at Cardiff in August but he saw precious little service and was replaced. Also making an early exit was Evander Sno, who was particularly ineffective. However, his replacement, Marvin Elliott, lasted only 23 minutes before succumbing to a twisted knee.

Church looked to have missed his chance to level when he stabbed wide of the near post before Reading left-back Ryan Bertrand saw red for a foul. Fortunately for the on-loan Chelsea man, referee Mark Haywood had pulled out the wrong card and he was only booked.

Bertrand almost made good his 'reprieve' but Gerken superbly saved his shot. Reading were undeterred and they were rewarded when sub Jimmy Kebe crossed from the right and Church cleverly clipped the ball home. The Wales international then completed what may be a unique feat – he was sent off for the second of two cautionable offences that both occurred off the field. He had been warming up on the touchline in the first half when he was booked for protesting about City's penalty.

After scoring he ran towards the travelling Reading fans, was mobbed by his team-mates and – he claims – was inadvertently pushed over an advertising hoarding. Haywood showed no sympathy and Church had to go.

City manager Gary Johnson felt his side could have had penalties either side of half-time for fouls on Orr and Alvaro Saborio respectively. But he conceded that to win in that manner would not have been just. He said: "If we had got the two penalties then it would probably not have been the right result for Reading because I felt they deserved at least a draw, if not more."