Visitors West Brom had come to celebrate their promotion to the Premiership, but Reading are in the hunt for a play-off slot and Sidwell's strike keeps them in the frame.

Sidwell was allowed to run with the ball unchallenged before pulling the trigger with a 25-yard drive into the bottom corner.

It was his ninth goal of the season with one game to go - not a bad return for a midfielder.

The 21-year-old, who grew up in South London, joined Arsenal when he was nine and won two FA Youth Cups with them.

He left the Gunners in January 2003 in search of first team football and he soon enjoyed rave notices that led to a call-up by England U-21 coach David Platt.

If Reading go up then Sidwell could yet come back to haunt his former boss Arsene Wenger.

Elsewhere Blackburn's Jon Stead enjoyed another terrific performance, this time netting the winner against Manchester United at Old Trafford.