Top Three Matches watched

[bobbybottler]

Beating Bolton 2-1 a month or so before the 95 Wembley playoff - Osborn's amazing goal-line clearance, Nogan's last minute winner, EP heaving. Fantastic!

Beating Stockport on Boxing Day 93, over ten thousand in EP, including a few hundred Royals in the away end. Stockport had been a genuine threat to our title chances until that match, but I didn't rate their chances after that.

And something nice, beating Derby 5-0 the week after Leicester, wondering what the Premiership was going to be like.......and wondering if it ever occured to me when watching Division 4 rubbish and Division 3 mediocrity at EP that I'd one day be wondering what we'd be like in the Premiership now we'd got there.

[Dirk Gently]

Beating Bolton 2-1 a month or so before the 95 Wembley playoff - Osborn's amazing goal-line clearance, Nogan's last minute winner, EP heaving. Fantastic!

I remember being locked out of that game - completely and utterly failing to get in, despite having a season ticket! By the time I'd got through the ticketless throng outside the turnstiles the SOuth Bank was full, and they weren't letting anyone. Gave it up at half time and listened to the second half in the car going home.

[SirGarth]

Cambridge away, April 1977, 2-2, promotion for the first time in god knows how long.
All locked in the ground after the game, good 30 mins on the pitch, team came out into the stands. My first every away day, great night!

3-2 against Boro has to be there and even though we lost, play off against Bolton at Wembley

[Jackson Corner]

The semi final of the Simod against Coventry was a special night in someways better than the final, the atmosphere at EP that night was just magical packed in the South Bank when Gilksey smashed home the winning pen everyone going mental hugging each other I will never forget it.

[Schards#2]

My 3 most memorable are:

Reading 3-2 Middlesboro

Bolton 4-3 Reading

Man Utd 3-5 West Brom

Honourable mentions to Plymouth and Brentford

[taipeiroyal]

Beating Bolton 2-1 a month or so before the 95 Wembley playoff - Osborn's amazing goal-line clearance, Nogan's last minute winner, EP heaving. Fantastic!

I remember being locked out of that game - completely and utterly failing to get in, despite having a season ticket! By the time I'd got through the ticketless throng outside the turnstiles the SOuth Bank was full, and they weren't letting anyone. Gave it up at half time and listened to the second half in the car going home.

Yeah, I remember that. But what happened was, they said it was full and then about five minutes later said another few hundred can get in. I managed to barge my way through to get in and see what was definitely a classic game. Lee Nogan was a god for a while. He probably played the best football of his life during that run in.

[Huntley & Palmer]

The three where I got the most drunk, Wigan, Brentford, Leicester

[Blue and White Toucan]

Well to pick just 3 is not easy, and would be between the Simod Cup (Final and Semi) Newport away, Barnsley (7-0), Tranmere (Fridays - that goal) , quite a few from the Championship season, Liverpool this year was special as was Boro last year.

However just for its relevance I will go for the Luton game (first at the Mad Stad)

That game signalled the start of a new era for the club and I will always remember walking up to the stadium and then going in and then looking out at the stadium and thinking to myself 'This is Reading Football Club - Wow!!'

You can not recreate the way it felt to see the team in the new stadium. Don't get me wrong I loved Elm Park for its nostalgia and 'rusty tin' but that day marked a change for the Club and we haven't looked back.

Long may it continue...........

[taipeiroyal]

The three where I got the most drunk, Wigan, Brentford, Leicester

Ha Ha, yes being very drunk at games always enhances the experience.
Most drunk for me, that I can remember are Bolton p/off final(steaming), Watford away When we last won(we were all drunk and led the singing which we NEVER usually do!) and Ipswich away in the promotion season when we all nearly got arrested for arguing with the police who kept telling us to sit down.

close contenders: Wolves play-offs away, Wigan p/offs home

[Huntley & Palmer]

Ditto on Wolves away, though avoiding getting a kicking after the match was not much fun. I was too nervous and had to come straight from work for the Wigan second leg. The playoff final saw quite a lot of drinking but couldn't numb the dullness of the match, quite odd for a game with so many goals in.

[Ark Royal]

Reading 4 Plymouth 3 (85/86 - just the greatest comeback ever)
Tranmere 1 Reading 3 (94/95 PO - perfection and best ever away performance)
Reading 4 Wolves 2 (94/95 - first post-McGhee game)
Reading 2 Bolton 1 (94/95 - just a great night. Loudest I have heard Elm Park. Tilehurst End went chicken oriental when Nogs scored)
Reading 8 Southport 0 (69/70 - just a shitload of goals)
Reading 3 Orient 2 (69/70 - great top of the table clash)
Reading 2 Wolves 2 (85/86 - just could not make it win number 14, but great night)
Reading 5 Tranmere 0 (75/76 - great team display and THAT goal)
Reading 3 WBA 1 (67/68 - my first ever giant-killing!)
Exeter 4 Reading 6 (93/94 - I honestly predicted the score for this one!)
Blackpool 0 Reading 4 (93/94 - Blackpool fans applauded us off)
Reading 3 Bournemouth 3 (00/01 - A right old ding-dong)

[papereyes]

Beating Bolton 2-1 a month or so before the 95 Wembley playoff - Osborn's amazing goal-line clearance, Nogan's last minute winner, EP heaving. Fantastic!

I remember being locked out of that game - completely and utterly failing to get in, despite having a season ticket! By the time I'd got through the ticketless throng outside the turnstiles the SOuth Bank was full, and they weren't letting anyone. Gave it up at half time and listened to the second half in the car going home.

Yeah, I remember that. But what happened was, they said it was full and then about five minutes later said another few hundred can get in. I managed to barge my way through to get in and see what was definitely a classic game. Lee Nogan was a god for a while. He probably played the best football of his life during that run in.

A metric shitload came in over the walls in that game.

It was on an odd night - Friday evening, maybe. That was a pretty good game.

[Huntley & Palmer]

i was a mere pup (17) in the Bolton end for the 3-2 match a few seasons later, where Bobby got injured and Quinn went in goal? Had a good old LOL @ the Bolton side of my family stood with me in the away end and plenty of funny looks from the other fans as I celebrated our goals. Revenge was sweet

[Franchise FC]

A metric shitload came in over the walls in that game.

It was on an odd night - Friday evening, maybe. That was a pretty good game.

I'm a bit old school - does anyone know the conversion rate from metric to imperial shitload ?

[79Royal]

93/94 season, Exeter 4-6 Reading, IIRC.

Can anyone confirm?

[Dr Hfuhruhurr]

Peterborough 1 Reading 2
Posh score in the first 10 minutes, nothing happens for 70 minutes - then they have a man sent off and we score two late goals, the place goes radio rental and I wake up in Newcastle 6 hours later. Dont make them like that anymore.
Cardiff 2 Reading 2 (I think)
Boxing Day, nobody turns up. Turn up hour early - PA winds everybody up. We play well, become surprisingly lairy and go home surprisingly unscathed.
Blackpool ? Reading ?
Cant remember the score, but I believe we won. Andy Hughes' first game - he seems excited. It absolutely buckets down all day and we get wedged into the shittiest corner of the shittiest stand. I leave drunk, drenched, singalong to Daydream Believer in a pub full of Glaswegians, meet Declan OHara's Grandad and go home on the Blackpool to Manchester special with half a dozen dope smoking hen and stag parties. Dont make them like that anymore.
Burnley 2 Reading 5 (or something absolutely ludicrous like that)
There was 20 minutes at the end of this game where we just couldnt stop scoring. Mental.
Bristol City 3 Reading 3
There was 20 minutes at the start of this game where either side just couldnt stop scoring. Mental.
Sheffied United 1 Reading 3 (Though I could be wildly off with that scoreline)
Singing Blue Army for 45 minutes. And at the right speed as well. Blue Army has never been sung so well since.
Grimsby 0 Reading 2
Best. Own. Goal. Ever. Genuine Tourettes bloke in the pub. Went home with the wrong jacket on.

And I havent even touched on the play off / promotion games such as Brentford and Wigan.

Ah, the good old days - though, remember kids - the Premiership, best league in the world.

[Dr Hfuhruhurr]

93/94 season, Exeter 4-6 Reading, IIRC.

Can anyone confirm?

Oh, that reminds me.
Plymouth 2 Reading 2 (or it could have been 1-1)
Flew there in a propellor driven plane to the airport whose baggage carousel is merely a hole in the wall. Spent the whole day getting into the sort of state where you forget the game, though Sidwell got very excited when he got the equaliser. Slept on a settee in a Travelodge, ate breakfast in Englands most Baroque greasy spoon and still had to wait three hours for my flight despite there only being 12 people at the airport.

[Tony Le Mesmer]

Some great memories reading this thread. Very difficult, but i've gone for:

1st: Reading 3-2 Boro 2006
2nd:Reading 1-1 Coventry (Simod Semi) 1988
3rd:Brentford 1-1 Reading 2002

The Liverpool game was the best single result, but it just didn't carry the importance or significance of my top 3.

Of my 30 years a Reading Fan, i think the Brentford game was the most pivitol moment for the club.

[Ark Royal]

93/94 season, Exeter 4-6 Reading, IIRC.

Can anyone confirm?

Absolutely correct. Also only Football League game in history where five different players scored two goals: Quinn, Taylor, Lovell, Ross & Jepson.

[PEARCEY]

93/94 season, Exeter 4-6 Reading, IIRC.

Can anyone confirm?

Absolutely correct. Also only Football League game in history where five different players scored two goals: Quinn, Taylor, Lovell, Ross & Jepson.

Extra-ordinary stat.........I cant even remember this game