BITTER-SWEET DAY...Chaplow celebrates his second goal with Earnshaw but finished on the losing side

HAT-TRICK hero Leroy Lita provided the firepower for runaway Championship leaders Reading to come from two goals behind to win this pulsating FA Cup third-round replay in extra-time.

Bryan Robson's 'babes' looked like easing through to a fourth-round Hawthorns derby against Blues, who beat Torquay 2-0 in their rematch, thanks to Richard Chaplow's first-half double - his first goals for the club.

The England Under-21 international, making only his sixth start of the season, scored in the ninth and 31^st minutes to give a Baggies starting XI with an average age of twenty-three-and-a-half a 2-0 lead at the break.

But Lita proved to be the scourge of Robson's men as he responded with a superb 15-minute brace early in the second half, netting in the 50^th and 65^th minutes, to take the tie into extra-time.

And the £1million summer recruit from Bristol City completed his first treble for the Royals three minutes after the restart to send another Barclays Premiership club crashing out of the competition.

Mounting injury problems forced the Albion chief to make five changes as he handed 19-year-old Jared Hodgkiss his debut at right-back.

Chris Kirkland, Martin Albrechtsen and Chaplow were also elevated to Robson's XI while £3.5million striker Robert Earnshaw made his first start in more than two months.

The suspended Darren Moore, injured trio Steve Watson, Paul Robinson and Kevin Campbell, and Tomasz Kuszczak, who dropped to the bench, were the men to make way.

ELL OF A STRIKE...Nathan pulls the trigger

The Royals created the first opportunity in the sixth minute when Junichi Inamoto was dispossessed on the halfway line by Steve Sidwell.

The Reading midfielder threaded the ball through to Lita who could only fire his shot into the side-netting from a difficult angle.

But it was Albion who took the lead in the ninth minute when Ronnie Wallwork played a pinpoint pass over the top to set Chaplow free on the left-hand side of the penalty area.

The ex-Burnley midfielder kept his head to stroke a low shot into the bottom far corner.

The hosts responded in positive fashion and ten minutes later man-of-the-match Curtis Davies had to be alert to deny Shane Long a free header on goal from John Oster's centre.

Stephen Hunt instantly chipped the ball back in and this time Wallwork was on hand to head clear.

Moments later, Long came within inches of connecting with Hunt's knock forward but he could not stretch far enough with his right boot and Kirkland gathered the ball.

Lita then headed Oster's curling cross over from 15 yards while at the opposite end Graham Stack had to be brave to prevent Davies, who fouled the Royals keeper in the challenge, heading home Jonathan

JUST THE CHAP...Richard taps home his second

Greening's left-wing corner.

Greening headed forward in the 27^th minute but Nathan Ellington's decision to control the ball first before shooting allowed Graeme Murty to block.

Yet the Baggies DID extend their lead in the 31^st minute.

Darren Carter swung a perfect left-wing cross to the back post for Ellington, whose first-time volley was only half-stopped by Stack, granting the predatory Chaplow a simple tap-in to double his tally.

Wallwork was again in the right place at the right time four minutes before the break as he prevented Lita getting on the end of Long's dangerous-looking centre into the box.

Long threatened again in the dying seconds of the half but failed to make clear contact with the ball in front of goal and Davies and Albrechtsen combined to scramble it away and preserve the Baggies' two-goal advantage.

However, it took Steve Coppell's men only five minutes after the interval to halve the lead when Lita latched onto Oster's driven ball into the box, turned sharply and smashed a low 12-yard shot past Kirkland.

MIDFIELD TUSSLE...Sub Dyer holds off Sidwell

Ten minutes later, Wallwork just managed to get a toe in to prevent Long getting on the end of Sidwell's pull-back into the six-yard area as Reading continued to threaten.

Brynjar Gunnarsson strode out of defence in the 63^rd minute and laid the ball off to Sidwell whose rasping long-range strike whistled inches past the left-hand post with Kirkland beaten.

Reading eventually got the leveller that had been coming two minutes later when they broke swiftly and Sidwell squared for Lita, whose 25-yard exocet gave Kirkland no chance as it sailed into the top left-hand corner.

Ellington burst into life in the 72^nd minute when he cut inside from the right and muscled his way past Ivar Ingimarsson and Chris Makin before forcing Stack to parry his fierce angled drive at the near post.

Inamoto made a vital block to halt Oster's goalbound drive in its tracks and then, from a right-wing corner, Albrechtsen cut out Hunt's overhead kick.

Japan international Inamoto was booked for tripping Lita on the edge of the area and from the resulting free-kick, Kirkland just managed to grab Lita's drive at the second attempt as the match drifted into extra-time.

Robson made a change at the interval as he handed 18-year-old Rob Davies his competitive debut in place of Inamoto.

ON TARGET...Chaplow slots home his first

But it was the Royals who were the brighter after the restart and Sidwell somehow forced his way past Albrechtsen in the box to give Lita the chance to smash home his hat-trick strike from ten yards in the 93^rd minute.

Kirkland then made an impressive save low to his right from Kevin Doyle's angled drive after the Reading substitute had burst into the box.

Albrechtsen also had to head clear Harper's goalbound header from Sidwell's right-wing flag-kick.

Lita then broke past Curtis Davies in the box and Kirkland again needed to be at his best to deny him with his legs.

Eighteen-year-old striker Stuart Nicholson was also handed his debut in the 107^th minute as he replaced the hard-working Wallwork.

But Robson's changes proved in vain as Reading ran down the clock to book their place in the next round.

ALBION (4-4-2): Kirkland; Hodgkiss, C Davies, Albrechtsen, Carter; Chaplow, Wallwork (S Nicholson 107), Inamoto (R Davies 91), Greening (Dyer 81); Earnshaw, Ellington. Subs not used: Kuszczak (gk), Elvins.

GOALS: READING - Lita (50, 65, 93). ALBION - Chaplow (9, 31).

BOOKINGS: READING - Long (foul 38), Lita (incitement 94). ALBION - Inamoto (foul 79).

REFEREE: P Taylor (Hertfordshire).

ATTENDANCE: 16,723.

ALBION STARMAN: Curtis Davies.

(PICS BY LAURIE RAMPLING)