Your Top 3 RFC Games Seen, EVER

[The Goat was fed]

My top 3.

Wolves 0 Reading 2

The game where to me it became clear we were going to the Prem for the first time.

Mega plus one. Boxing Day against those mega scummers, and to be fair the scoreline flattered them. It was the moment Glen Little dispossessed Joleon Lescott and then skinned him twice before putting a floated cross on to Kitson's nogging that did it for me!

[Forbury Lion]

Reading 2-1 Wigan play off semi-final 2nd leg

Reading 5-0 Derby County championship clincher

Reading 3-0 Luton Town... although I'm sure a number of games in our 106 season could beat it, unfortunately right now they've all blurred into one.


Others worth a mention

Reading 3-3 Stoke - The start of the turnaround and the rediscovery of fighting spirit
Reading 6-0 Sheffield Wesdnesday
Reading 3-1 Liverpool.
Reading 5-0 Oldham
Reading 5-1 Swansea
Reading 6-0 West Ham
Reading 0-0 West Ham 11/09/01 - 6-5 on penalties
Reading 5-0 Millwall


The 7-4 defeat to Pompey was a cracker, however I wasn't there so can't include it.

[West Stand Man]

Feeling my age today as I seem to be the only one who rates the 8-0 thrashing of Southport! Was I the only one there!!?

[Tony Le Mesmer]

The 7-4 defeat to Pompey was a cracker, however I wasn't there so can't include it.

Well from where i was standing it wasnt! Pretty horrendous viewing from start to when i left at 6-3. Didnt intend to stay around to watch us let in 7 for the 1st time in my supporting lifetime.

Think i would actually but that in my bottom 3.

The 6-4 at Spurs was an absolute belter mind.

[papereyes]

1) Reading 2-1 Wigan, p-off semi 2001. Absolute spazdomonium when we scored, I thought my head was going to explode. It seemed like we had buried 6 years of mediocrity, frustration and misery in an electric 3 minutes at the end of this game. And 20,000+ people watching a Reading home game was a bit for someone of my generation.

I had the pleasure of watching this one via the text updates on the JCR telly.

There must have been another game on - CL? - and that game finished and the text highlights kept showing as 1-0.

So I troop off down the bar. About 60 minutes later, I wander back up. Maybe there's highlights on. And the text update has, well, updated.



My TOP 3 games.

Reading 2 - 1 Bolton on a school night. Packed Elm Park, late goals. Chinese on the way home.

Reading 3 - 2 Middlesboro' Just because. Although the 5-0 thrashing of Derby to get the title and the 1-1 to get promotion were big games, this one was the release of a summer of real anticipation. My next games that season were away loss to Villa (order restored) and a narrow win vs City (wait a second chaps ... we're not bad). I'm sure there were better games in that first season up - Villa at home (bossed 'em), Spurs at home, Sheffield United and De La fucking Cruz scoring to settle it.

Liverpool 1 - 2 Reading Decided to go at the very last minute, iirc, and after charming the locals ("Sorry, I didn't understand a word of that"), saw Reading at Anfield for the first time. And I think this stands as one of the biggest single results in our history. But it was the liveliness of the crowd, the relative friendliness of most of the oppo fans and the 30 minutes plus where we knew we were going to win this one and Liverpool knew it and the Final Countdown and then its over and we'd done it.

[handbags_harris]

It was the moment Glen Little dispossessed Joleon Lescott and then skinned him twice before putting a floated cross on to Kitson's nogging that did it for me!

Glen Little admitted to floyd and myself during two hours of intense discussions on the way back from the City Ground last season that the cross was actually intended for Doyle

[Ark Royal]

1. Reading 4 Plymouth 3 (85/86)
Just the greatest comeback in the club's history and against a team that was on a 14-match unbeaten run.

2. Reading 2 Bolton 1 (94/95)
Probably the most rabid I have ever seen Elm Park. A Friday night under the lights, a fantastic game against a fantastic team that you just knew we would meet again. When Nogs scored the winner, I had never, ever witnessed the Tilehurst End go so hat-stand.

3. Tranmere 1 Reading 3 (94/95)
In context, probably the finest performance ever. We absolutely destroyed the team with the best home record in the division and the Tranny fans applauded Reading off the park. A wonderful day.

[brizzle royal]

Feeling my age today as I seem to be the only one who rates the 8-0 thrashing of Southport! Was I the only one there!!?

Not the only one there but far too one-sided. The reward was pretty good though, Man U in the Watney (IIRC ) Cup

[Archie's penalty]

Tranmere 1 Reading 3. Superb performance (is this on youtube yet?).

Bolton 4 Reading 3 for the sheer drama of it all.

Manchester United 1 Reading 1 - the feeling of playing at Old Trafford as equals cannot be beaten.

(Loved the Bolton 1 Reading 3 game as well - I feel good! ).

[Gav]

I can't believe I omitted Leciester away. Can't remember anything about the game apart from Doyle's goal celebration, but it's got to be top three for the sheer occasion of it all.

[ankeny]

1Reading 5 Tranmere 0 ,2 Reading 2 Bolton 1 on a friday night about 96, 3 Reading 1 Burnley 0,league cup about 73,Habbin scoring the goal with Reading 4 Plymouth 3 on their tailcoats

[Shaka]

Exeter 4-6 Reading. (1993) 4-1 to us at half time, they pull it back to 4-4 and we score 2 near the end.

Port Vale 0-4 Reading. (1993) Totally destroyed the pre-season favourites at their own ground and it was Vale's only home defeat of the season (I think).

Liverpool 1-2 Reading. Never thought i'd see Reading at Anfield.

[Kitsondinho]

My top 3
Bolton 4-3 Reading (AET) Play off- Final '95. Best game of football I have ever seen live. We were so good until Skippy got injured, Hopkins came on and it all fell apart.

Liverpool 1-2 Reading (FA Cup 3rd Round replay). What a night, 4 hour drive through driving snow/ traffic jams caused by exploding engines / getting lost in Liverpool/ seeing us win at Anfield with my uni mate I hadn't seen for ages!

Reading 4-3 Oxford. The Rouge's goals from a combined total of a yard were amazing!

[PEARCEY]

Reading 1 Coventry 1. Simod Cup semi-final finishing at the latest time recorded for a match in this Country at the time. Great night. Great atmosphere and great ending with Gilksey taking us to Wembley with the final pen.

Reading 4 Luton 1. Simod Cup Final. The roar every time Gilksey got the ball will always be an abiding memory as will the surprisingly good performance that day. Lol at Luton's defence towards the end of the first-half. They couldn't handle Gilksey.

Reading 4 Wolves 2 in the League Cup. Adie had a nightmare against us and Parky scored a rare scorcher.

[percy_freeman]

Simod Cup Final
First Game at the Mad Stad, both v's Luton
Would of said the first game in prem v Middlesbrough but wasn't there so I'll go for the Archie Lovell extra time brace at Elm Park v Wolves.

[howser]

[quote="West Stand Man"]Feeling my age today as I seem to be the only one who rates the 8-0 thrashing of Southport! Was I the only one there!!?[/quote]

No mate there also that was gonna be my top one, Jack Mansell couldnt get his side to defend but hell could they attack !!

also followimg many a selection on this thread the

Robin Friday V Tranmere

and me first one Reading 1 Port Vale 0

memorable as it was the same day as the Centenary match at Wembley England V Rest of the World and the Port vale side got caught up in the traffic and tha game started at Elm Park about half an hour late, oh yes Mick Travis got the winner.

[roadrunner]

Too many to list only three, but Reading vs Boro on the opening day of our first ever top flight season is right up there. The occasion, the atmosphere, the way we bought back and beat M'boro was unforgettable and sadly only a memory now.

Play-off final at Wembley. We may have lost, but what a great day. So proud to see 'little ol' Reading' grace Wembley. Lee Nogon's goal is still one of the best I've seen for such an occasion. The calm head and skill and then the finish, just awesome. Breathless excitement to go 2-0 up so early, and then the devastating feeling of missing 'that' penalty and feeling on the back foot from then on.

Coming from behind with 2 time added on goals from Archie and if I remember rightly, that ended Wolves play-off hopes and let in Barnsley. Mental atmosphere and piss taking under the wonderful old rusty rough of the South Bank. Good memories. Great memories.

[JoebyRFC]

Searching for some vids of some of those classics and came across the table of the 1985/86 season. Love how we rinsed it but had plymouth, derby and wigan all had much higher goal differences than us. Something you don't see too often these days.

http://homepage.ntlworld.com/carousel/ncfc8586.html

[Victor Meldrew]

Well done Harper for starting this post and bringing back memories about the club we love but have been falling out a bit with lately.
I agree with a lot of those posted but Tranmere away in the play-offs was such an outstanding performance in a crucial match and the football just flowed that day.
Simod final and all those others were marvellous but I would like to mention 3 games.
My first ever game when we beat Norwich 4-2.
A game in Jan 1982 when I watched my son run out as mascot (a very proud moment) along with Lawrie Sanchez,Neil Webb,Kerry Dixon et al in a 2-2 draw with Plymouth in front of 3024 people.
A game v Preston in 1990 that we won 6-0 and I had bet on us winning 4-0,5-0 or 6-0.
We were 6-0 up with at least 20 minutes to go and although everybody was chanting "we want seven" I kept shouting "no,keep it tight".
Stevie Rich sliced a ball over our own bar near the end but I collected on my best ever Reading bet at 100-1.

We have all come up rightly with wins but the 4-0 defeat to Arsenal in the Prem and our 7-0 loss to Man City at home in the FA Cup were probably the best two performances I have seen AGAINST us as footballing lessons.

[PEARCEY]

^ Like the keep it tight comment at 6-0 up.LOL.