Your first game

[Jackson Corner]

v Doncaster August 1978 3-0 Kearns 2 Bowman We went on to win the league that year. Been to over a 1000 Reading games since that day yet I remember that game as clearly as anything.

[URZZZZZZZZ]

First Royals game, Wycombe 1998.

Been to about 175 Reading games and the rest will round me up to 200. I need to grow up!!

[Royal_Delight]

Mine would be the Crystal Palace match on the 8 December 2009. Coming to the match was a defining moment for me as it was the first time I went to the mad stad.
Saved money for 2 years just to come to the UK to watch a Reading match.

[hutch]

Mine was Bristol city away, the second last game of the 85/86 season. We lost 3-0 and played apallingly but I was still hooked. I think Keith Curle played for city that day, later to join us of course.

[Kitsondinho]

Crewe Alexandra H D 1-1 Gooding

This game at Elm Park from this season.....

http://www.royalsrecord.co.uk/seasons/1989.html

I was in the Tilehurst end with my Dad and Uncle. I was 7 and nearly got the sh*t kicked out of me because I spent the whole game telling anyone who would listen that Senior was total sh*t. A rather large bloke behind my Dad about 15mins from the end said "That kid wants to watch his mouth round here!"

[Broxroyal]

Home to Oxford 1966/7. Pat Terry gave us the lead but Oxford won 2-1.

[ArfnipIsARoyal]

First ever football game Chelsea v Wimbledon in 1996. Wimbledon winning 4-2.

First ever Reading game was FA Cup 2nd round, Reading v Halifax on 20th November '99. In front of slightly under 6000 people. Caskey scored a penalty with 15 mins left to take the game back to The Shay. Next game after that was a 1-0 loss to Cardiff the following March and although I had never tasted a Reading victory I was hooked and this season is first one since that I haven't had a ST

[Row Z Royal]

This one

http://www.soccerbase.com/results3.sd?gameid=218911

5/2/94 Reading 1-2 Port Vale.


Thought it was the year before that, so I'm clearly more plastic than I thought.

[Basingstoke Royal]

Reading 4 V 3 Oxford

Caskey, Cureton, Rougier (2)

28th October 2000

This was a classic, I had the bug after seeing Rouge come off the bench to score two!

[fruits]

9th January 1957. Reading 1 Wrexham 2 in an FA Cup replay. If we had won it would have been the Busby Babes at home in the next round , as it was Wrexham lost 5-0 not a bad result for them considering the Man U side was one of the greatest ever and sadly torn apart by the Munich air disaster.

Not a good start but I was hooked after that reserve games, "A" Team, Berks Bucks Cup , I was there.

My favourite game in the 53 years, Reading 4 Plymouth 3 in 1985. We were 3-0 down and won in the last minute, closely followed by Reading 1 Arsenal 2, in 1972 in the FA Cup how we lost I do not know. Great goal from Wagstaffe for us, although I watched the game the next day with an Arsenal supporter and all he could do was blame Bob Wilson for being too far out of his goal allowing Wagstaffe to chip him.

I know there have been much more important games over the past 53 years, where wins have secured promotion, or saved us from relegation but the other
three games really stick in my mind.

[RobRoyal]

Reading 1 - 0 Stockport, Nov 1997.

A poor game won by a Trevor Morley pen. Never looked back...

[Darlo Royal]

First Reading match: last game of the 1964-65 season: 4-2 win over Peterborough. Sitting in the stand with my grandad. Great game: set me on course for a lifetime of disappointments, frustrations, elation and anti-climax. Wouldn't change a thing.

First game at Elm Park: England Schoolboys 9, (Northern?) Ireland Schoolboys 1, possibly on Grand National day in 1965. Memory a bit hazy there. Standing on the South Bank.

[The Faith Healer]

Looks like the same as Hampshire Royal - Stockport County 1967. I believe it might have been the first home game of the season, if not actually the opening game. Definitely 3-0 and Reading were in sky blue that season. Can't remember much else. Didn't know any of the Reading players having just moved from..er.... Stockport a couple of months before.

My first ever game had been at Edgeley Park a few years previous, but I'd never developed the full-blown affliction that was to be my Reading fate.

Seem to remember a rather fleshy Derek Kevan playing for County. My Dad assured me that Kevan had played for England, but let's say he looked past his best by 1967!

[glass half full]

Not the first game that I watched but I do remember a match at EP in the 60s when we played Walsall and Walsall players kicked lumps out of anything that moved in blue and white hoops. The referee (Mr. Setchell?) did nothing and there were no cautions. Reading fans were incandescent and the referee had to have an escort off the pitch - almost unheard of in those days...

[Ark Royal]

First Reading match: last game of the 1964-65 season: 4-2 win over Peterborough. Sitting in the stand with my grandad. Great game: set me on course for a lifetime of disappointments, frustrations, elation and anti-climax. Wouldn't change a thing.

First game at Elm Park: England Schoolboys 9, (Northern?) Ireland Schoolboys 1, possibly on Grand National day in 1965. Memory a bit hazy there. Standing on the South Bank.

24th April 1965
Reading 4 (Crawford o.g., Terry, Webb, Thornhill)
Peterborough 2
Att: 6177
Wilkie, Evans, Meldrum, Thornhill, Spiers, Bayliss, Fairchild, Shreeve, Terry Webb, Knight

If anyone else wants details of their first game, let me know.

[Ark Royal]

Looks like the same as Hampshire Royal - Stockport County 1967. I believe it might have been the first home game of the season, if not actually the opening game. Definitely 3-0 and Reading were in sky blue that season. Can't remember much else. Didn't know any of the Reading players having just moved from..er.... Stockport a couple of months before.

My first ever game had been at Edgeley Park a few years previous, but I'd never developed the full-blown affliction that was to be my Reading fate.

Seem to remember a rather fleshy Derek Kevan playing for County. My Dad assured me that Kevan had played for England, but let's say he looked past his best by 1967!

19th August 1967 (was indeed first game of the season)
Reading 3 (Sainty 2, Allen)
Stockport County 0
Att: 9819
Dixon, Bacuzzi, Spiers, Meldrum, Chapman, Yard, Allen, Scarrott, Collins, Sainty, Harris

[Ark Royal]

9th January 1957. Reading 1 Wrexham 2 in an FA Cup replay. If we had won it would have been the Busby Babes at home in the next round , as it was Wrexham lost 5-0 not a bad result for them considering the Man U side was one of the greatest ever and sadly torn apart by the Munich air disaster.

Not a good start but I was hooked after that reserve games, "A" Team, Berks Bucks Cup , I was there.

My favourite game in the 53 years, Reading 4 Plymouth 3 in 1985. We were 3-0 down and won in the last minute, closely followed by Reading 1 Arsenal 2, in 1972 in the FA Cup how we lost I do not know. Great goal from Wagstaffe for us, although I watched the game the next day with an Arsenal supporter and all he could do was blame Bob Wilson for being too far out of his goal allowing Wagstaffe to chip him.

I know there have been much more important games over the past 53 years, where wins have secured promotion, or saved us from relegation but the other
three games really stick in my mind.

January 9th 1957 - FA Cup 3rd round replay
Reading 1 (Dixon)
Wrexham 2
Att: 26306
Meeson, McLaren, Reeves, Anderton, Spiers, Evans, Campbell, Whitehouse, Dixon, Leach, Wheeler

[Ark Royal]

It was the Sheffield Wednesday game for me (well RFC anyway). John Fantham scored the winner for Wednesday in the last few minutes 2-3. Wednesday were a top side in those days and made it to the Cup Final.
The crowd was over 25000. Was this the last attendance of this size since we finished up at Elm Park?

Think the crowd for the Wednesday game was given as around 22,000 (can confirm later). From memory, the Arsenal attendance was 25,756 (or something really close to that).

22nd January 1966
Reading 2 (Thornhill, Evans)
Sheffield Wednesday 3
Att: 22488
Dixon, Faulkes, Meldrum, Thornhill, Spiers, Evans, Scarrott, Allen, Terry, Webb, Travers

5th February 1972
Reading 1 (Wagstaff B.)
Arsenal 2
Att: 25756 (got it right!)
Death, Dixon, Butler, Wooler, Harley, Morgan, Wagstaff B., Cumming, Chappell, Harman, Habbin

[Ark Royal]

v Doncaster August 1978 3-0 Kearns 2 Bowman We went on to win the league that year. Been to over a 1000 Reading games since that day yet I remember that game as clearly as anything.

16th September 1978
Reading 3 Bowman, Kearns 2 (1p)
Doncaster Rovers 0
Att: 5394
Death, Peters, White, Bowman, Hicks, Bennett, Earles, Hetzke (Kearney), Kearns, Sanchez, Lewis

[Ark Royal]

First game was home to Donny in December 1971, aged 5. A convincing 3-1 with Dick Habbin amongst the scorers.

That may have been my first game watching the Biscuitmen, I honestly cannot remember but it was around that time.

My first ever game was Chelsea Everton at Stamford Bridge. I remember Alan Ball playing for Everton.

I was taken there by my grandfather who was an avid Chelsea fan. He was old and I always thought he followed them because at that time Chesea where known as the pensioners

27th December 1971
Reading 3 (Harley, Chappell, Cumming)
Doncaster Rovers 1
Att: 7123
Death, Dixon, Wagstaff B., Harley, Butler, Wagstaff A., Flannigan, Cumming, Chappell, Harman, Wooler (Habbin)