Your Top 3 RFC Games Seen, EVER

[who are ya?]

And an obscure one, 1-1 draw vs Ipswich in January 2004 (or possibly 05). Dire game for 88 minutes, Darren Bent scores in 89th minute for them and Ipswich fans go wild only for Scott Murray to latch onto one of Hahnemann's long goal kicks and cross it in for Owusu to equalise in 91st minute

Never forget that one. One minute I'm walking down the stairs and doing one, next thing I find myself on the brown "track" surrounding the pitch jumping up and down like a man possesed. Talk about mood swing!

[Terminal Boardom]

Beating Plymouth 3-2 in 93/4 was special. Tilehurst End going mental with a JQ special in the dying embers of the game. And I got on the pitch

[Jackson Corner]

As a lot of games have already been mentioned, to be different

1979 Reading 4 Aldershot 0 Part of that great team that didn't concede a goal for 1,103 minutes and won the title to boot.
1987 Reading 3 Chelsea 1 A full strength Chelsea team ripped apart by the pace of Gilkes in the league cup.
1993 Blackpool 0 Reading 4 A sublime display of passing football which even had the home fans aplauding us off the pitch.

[Terminal Boardom]

As a lot of games have already been mentioned, to be different

1979 Reading 4 Aldershot 0 Part of that great team that didn't concede a goal for 1,103 minutes and won the title to boot.
1987 Reading 3 Chelsea 1 A full strength Chelsea team ripped apart by the pace of Gilkes in the league cup.
1993 Blackpool 0 Reading 4 A sublime display of passing football which even had the home fans aplauding us off the pitch.

I was only thinking of that Blackpool game earlier today. Burnley away was a bit special too where Mick Gooding scored with a header

[Gandalf Presley]

Amazed there has been no mention of Wolves home game in 94/95. McGhee had just left and this game probably typiifed the quality that the team had at the time. Preston (a) in 05/06 is another as I should have known then this was going to be a season to remember. Lastly, and another for the old g1ts, comprehensively outplaying a recently relegated from the prem Oldham (ask your dads, it is true) at the ever cold Boundary Park again in 94/95 - I finally acccepted Osborn was a better player than Kevin Dillon...

[under the tin]

Can't remember the dates, my memeory ain't what it used to be......

Reading 3 Liverpool 1
Playing at the same level, and to beat the 5 times European champions, a household name, represents IMO, the high water mark in the club's history.

That Newport away game. The thing that endures in my memory about that day was the fact that they put the home fans in the away end.
When Newport ran out onto the pitch, there was a round of polite applause. When we came out, the ground lit up.
I was stood under the tin at the "home" end with thousands of fellow royals. Happy dayz.

Reading 4 Plymouth 3
What a comeback.
That game gave birth to the terrace song, to the tune of the British Airways advert:
"We've been three nil down, but we won, but we won".

A special mention to the Simod cup final. I organised a coach for my local at the time, the Yeoman in Woodley.
I can still see the look on my ex wife's face when I told her that I had put £900 on the credit card after phoning up Wembley, and buying 52 tickets.
Fortunately, I sold them all (bar mine of course) in the pub.

[Platypuss]

As a lot of games have already been mentioned, to be different

1979 Reading 4 Aldershot 0 Part of that great team that didn't concede a goal for 1,103 minutes and won the title to boot.
1987 Reading 3 Chelsea 1 A full strength Chelsea team ripped apart by the pace of Gilkes in the league cup.
1993 Blackpool 0 Reading 4 A sublime display of passing football which even had the home fans aplauding us off the pitch.

Was at all of those. First was my very first game.

[Dick Habbin's hairdo]

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.

These, Ark, although I would have Newport away, Tranny at home with *that* goal, Simod Cup and Notlob in play-off final on the bench - along with Blackpool away in ??'91?? - similar performance to the Tranmere play-off semi.

[Dick Habbin's hairdo]

As a lot of games have already been mentioned, to be different

1979 Reading 4 Aldershot 0 Part of that great team that didn't concede a goal for 1,103 minutes and won the title to boot.
1987 Reading 3 Chelsea 1 A full strength Chelsea team ripped apart by the pace of Gilkes in the league cup.
1993 Blackpool 0 Reading 4 A sublime display of passing football which even had the home fans aplauding us off the pitch.

Was at all of those. First was my very first game.

Oh - and all of these, too - although I would put the game at Stamford Bridge in there. Pishing down and Colin Gordon brace to see us through.

[bassavage]

Play off Semi against Wigan was class. IIRC Wigan had a pitch invasion after the 0-0 draw in the first leg? The 2nd leg was just sheer electric. The day Nicky Forster became a Reading legend.

Anfield this year - WOW. Would have been a travesty if we'd have lost that game, we had so many good chances looking back on it (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KFDbk6DH7YY). And almost witnessed one of the great FA Cup goals with Jobi's run.

Third one's a toughie. It's between two 3-1 away wins. Either the one at Sheffield United in the 02/03 season (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bfppxHO2b88). Quality performance against the team in 3rd and had beaten a few Premiership sides in the cup at home that year including Liverpool. Or Bolton away 06/07. It put the ghosts of 95 to bed with 3 goals in the last 6 minutes. Awesome away day.

[Royalee]

Tranmere 1 Reading 3 Playoffs 1994/95

Sheff Utd 1 Reading 3 2002/3

Ipswich 0 Reading 3 2005/7

[bakerlou]

Reading 2 Stockport 0 Boxing Day 1993 - Reading fans in the away end, brilliant atmosphere on a grotty day
Burnley 2 Reading 5 in 2003 - not many loyal Royals in support, but this is when I first thought we had a handy looking team
Reading 5 Derby 0 in 2006 - I didn't go to Leicester, so this was the celebration for me

[Archies Left Foot]

For pure memorability..

16/05/01 - Reading 2-1 Wigan

4 minutes to go, 1-0 down to probably the best defence in the division, Curo's penalty saved, Forster scoring the winner in the last minute, chap from 3 rows back comes sailing over the top of us, the best atmosphere in the Mad Stad to date...

20/04/02 - Brentford 1-1 Reading

Promotion from the 3rd tier, everyone going absolutely hatstand when Curo's equaliser lifts over the keeper, god it took an age for that ball to drop into the net, Andy Hughes on top of the team coach back at the Mad Stad, me dancing around holding a pint of beer on my head (I still have no idea to this day why)...

25/03/06 - Leicester 1-1 Reading

Another draw again to secure promotion, this time to the top divison, the stadium announcer congratulating us on promotion before kick off, the Foxes fans appluading us at the end, fans, players and coaching staff at the end nuff said...

[Forbury Lion]

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.

That game had everything, midweek atmosphere, floodlights, balloons on the pitch, play stopped for balloon popping after one player lost possesion of the ball after it hit a balloon and bounced away from him, away fans invading the pitch, police horses invading the pitch, a late winner.... best game ever, better than the playoff final.

[RobRoyal]

Third one's a toughie. It's between two 3-1 away wins. Either the one at Sheffield United in the 02/03 season (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bfppxHO2b88). Quality performance against the team in 3rd and had beaten a few Premiership sides in the cup at home that year including Liverpool.

Good call. Up to that point it was about as well as I'd ever seen us play, and given that I could walk home it was definitely one of my most enjoyable 'away' games. A lovely chipped finish from Adie Williams, and one of the best counter-attacking goals I've seen Reading score, largely courtesy of the pace of Nathan Tyson.

To make up the trio, I'll go with:

Reading 4-3 Oxford - going top of the league in a local derby with 2 late goals in torrential rain. Tough to beat.

And an obscure one just for fun: Reading 2-0 Stoke, 1998. O'Neil, Meaker, Neville Southall. I even believed we might stay up. A game probably better remembered for the "c*nt like a bucket" chant.

[floyd__streete]

20/04/02 - Brentford 1-1 Reading

Promotion from the 3rd tier, everyone going absolutely hatstand when Curo's equaliser lifts over the keeper, god it took an age for that ball to drop into the net, Andy Hughes on top of the team coach back at the Mad Stad, me dancing around holding a pint of beer on my head (I still have no idea to this day why)...

When someone comes to re-write the history of the club then Brentford away should get its very own chapter. The silent journey up to Brentford on a rickety old slam-door train, the pre-match pint in The New Inn which didn't really want to go down. The sense that Reading fans were outnumbering Brentford fans despite this being an away game. Lloyd Owusu skinning his man and Rowlands smashing Brentford into the lead. A phone call from a colleague at the Madj, the big screen had gone down and fans back in Reading were literally in the dark. THAT goal, one of Parky's last touches in a Reading shirt flicking on the Viveash free kick. Outrage when a stonewall freekick wasn't given in favour of Forster who was chopped down right in front of us. An interminable 13 minute + wait and then we were there. A less than friendly invasion of Brentford fans at the end. Bas Savage break-dancing. A beaming Curo held aloft on Parky's shoulders. The train home, standing room only and ear-drums perforated. A brick coming through the window and almost hitting some bloke on the bonce. Some boke shaking everyone's hands back at Reading station as the hoardes descended from the train, into the Guineas and dancing on the tables with only a few Chelsea fans spoiling for a fight likely to sour the atmosphere. At the Madj, Jon Mackie dances on the roof of the returning team bus. The following day a parade of a town, back home to throw up, fall asleep and wake up at 7pm with a terrible hangover.

[Riseley]

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

I remember it as it was the last game of a season that included 6-2 and 6-3 home wins and Southport beat us 6-2 at Haig Avenue -My choice made at this precise moment would be..
Plymouth 4-3
Tranmere 3-1
Simod final
Bolton 2-1
Wolves 4-2
Ask me in a minute and I might give you a new choice!
Memory not what it once was etc etc.

[brendywendy]

liverpool in the cup
west ham 6-0
boro 3-2
forest -james lambert goal/steve stone miss
millwall 5-0 -first time i realised that team was very special that year
any of the games Vs mgoos teams at elm park
3-2 palace in the cup-litas overhead.

oops thats 7

[Ark Royal]

As a lot of games have already been mentioned, to be different

1979 Reading 4 Aldershot 0 Part of that great team that didn't concede a goal for 1,103 minutes and won the title to boot.
1987 Reading 3 Chelsea 1 A full strength Chelsea team ripped apart by the pace of Gilkes in the league cup.
1993 Blackpool 0 Reading 4 A sublime display of passing football which even had the home fans aplauding us off the pitch.

I was only thinking of that Blackpool game earlier today. Burnley away was a bit special too where Mick Gooding scored with a header

Cu nt.

[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.

These, Ark, although I would have Newport away, Tranny at home with *that* goal, Simod Cup and Notlob in play-off final on the bench - along with Blackpool away in ??'91?? - similar performance to the Tranmere play-off semi.

Blackpool away (in 93/94) was a very special performance. First sighting of Dylan Kerr's shirt-over-the-head celebration, Tom Jones wearing the last bleached pair of shorts out of the bag, Archie just unplayable and the superb Blackpool support clapping us off at the end. A great day by the seaside.