Despite Ethan Pinnock's 91st minute goal, Barnsley stretched their winless run to 10 league matches, it is the Reds worst run of form since an 11 match winless run which stretched from October 2012 to New Year's Day 2013.
This 10 match drought has encompassed four draws and six defeats, the 2012-2013 11 game run had four draws and seven defeats.
This run is also the longest current winless run in the Championship.
It has been a woeful 2017 for the Oakwell faithful, in total The Reds have won just FOUR Championship games at Oakwell in 2017, it is their worst calendar year record at home since 1986 when they won only three (NB, Barnsley won 13 home league games in 2016)
Only two of those victories this year have come when the side has kicked off at 3pm on a Saturday.
Barnsley have now played 36 home league games since winning promotion back to the Championship, and won only nine.
Pinnock's 91st minute equaliser was the third time Barnsley have scored in injury time this season - two have been from defenders.
It is however the lastest goal The Reds have scored at Oakwell since another defender - Angus MacDonald - headed in a 93rd minute equaliser against Sheffield Wednesday in April.
It was Barnsley's first goal at Oakwell in five matches, ending a 473 minute drought in front of their own supporters (including stoppage times)
Both goal-scorers scored their first goals of the season.
Barnsley's last four games have now been 0-0 at half time - the first time this has happened since Feb-Mar 2015. Prior to this run, only three of their first 21 league matches had been goal-less at the break.
However whereas The Reds went on to win all four in 2015, they have drawn three and lost one this time around.
This was the eighth time a Barnsley match has been goal-less at half time in 2017-2018 (all competitions) and only the third time they have not gone on to lose.
This was also only the third time this season in the league that the Reds did not lose when conceding the first goal - all three occasions, v Sheffield Wednesday, Norwich and now Reading the games have all ended 1-1.
Barnsley are now winless in seven home league matches against Reading, avoiding defeat for only the second time in that run.
Their last Oakwell triumph against the Royals came way back in August 1996 when Darren Sheridan and an Andy Liddell brace secured a 3-0 win.
73% of Reading's goals in the Championship this term have now been scored in the second half (22 of 30); a league-high proportion.
Barnsley have won only three of their last 11 final games of a calendar year (W3 D4 L4)
Barring some incredible turn of fortune today, Paul Heckingbottom will become the first Barnsley manager to see two turns of a year in charge (2017 and 2018) since Danny Wilson (2014 and 2015)
Since relegation from the Premier League only Heckingbottom, Wilson, Mark Robins (2010 and 2011) and Simon Davey (2007, 2008 and 2009) have been in the hotseat for two successive New Year's Days.
Barnsley Team:
Adam Davies
Andy Yiadom
Ethan Pinnock
Liam Lindsay
Zeki Fryers
Harvey Barnes
Joe Williams
Gary Gardner
Adam Hammill
Tom Bradshaw
Mamadou Thiam
Substitutes:
Jason McCarthy (for Yiadom 69)
Lloyd Isgrove (for Barnes 70)
Ike Ugbo (for Thiam 70)
Unused Substitutes:
Nick Townsend, Stevie Mallan, Brad Potts, Jared Bird.
Match Reports:
Sky Bet Championship results:
Friday 29th December 2017:
Cardiff City 0-1 Preston North End
Clarke 90
Milwall 1-0 Queens Park Rangers
Morison 55
Saturday 30th December 2017:
BARNSLEY 1-1 Reading
Pinnock 90+1 Kermorgant 68
Birmingham City 1-0 Leeds United
Maghoma 83
Brentford 2-0 Sheffield Wednesday
Vibe 20
Jozefzoon 83
Burton Albion 0-0 Norwich City
Hull City 2-2 Fulham
Bowen 32 Kamara 48pen, 85
Dicko 36
Ipswich Town 1-2 Derby County
Garner 66 Winnall 13, 49
Middlesbrough 0-1 Aston Villa
Snodgrass 75
Nottingham Forest 0-1 Sunderland
McGeady 40
Sheffield United 0-1 Bolton Wanderers
Madine 21
Bristol City 1-2 Wolverhampton Wanderers
Reid 53 Douglas 66, Bennett 90+4
Barnsley lie in 20th place in the Sky Bet Championship with 23 points from 25 games.
We are 18 points outside the Play-Offs, 25 points off the Automatic Promotion Places, 35 points off First place and 1 point above the Relegation Zone.
Up to 31/12/17
Next Up:
On The Road:
Sky Bet Championship Matchday Twenty Six: Sunderland v Barnsley: Monday 1st January 2018. Kick-Off: 3pm
At Oakwell:
Sky Bet Championship Matchday Twenty Seven: Barnsley v Wolverhampton Wanderers, Saturday 13th January 2018. Kick-Off: 3pm