I spent my early childhood being told stories of Robin Friday, Steve Death, Maurice Edleston, Steve Hetzke, Neil Webb, Kerry Dixon, to name but a few. He absolutley loved Reading Football Club.
When i was old enough to see over the South Bank wall, he managed to persuade my mum to be allowed to take me too. I'm sure he'd never realise that he was directly responsible from that moment on for my total and utter obsession with Football and in particular the Royals. First game was in Oct 84. 2nd game was the Fireworks night match v NZ with George Best, Martin Peters, Steve Death and the Hofmeister Bear to name but a few!!
We were regulars in the old Family Enclosure at the Tilehurst end of the South Bank in the mid-late eighties, as well as the odd away game when he got permission from the Duchess and when he could skip out of work!
Ill health and mobiliity issues had meant he could no longer attend games but we chatted after every single game for me to de-brief him on the match, who had played well, who was rubbish, general nonsense really.
At the end of the Leicester game in the 106 year, I rang him and simply held my phone up in the air so he could hear the celebrations and general melee as that was the next best thing to him being there.
Anyway point is.... Last nights game meant so much to me. He would have absolutley loved watching that on TV, ringing me to discuss and annoying my mum by insisting watching it again this morning no doubt. I had so many texts from people saying they were thinking of him knowing how pleased he would have been.
Gutted he wasnt around to see it last night and gutted he wont see us at Wembley again.
But pleased as punch the the team pulled out a performance like that last night when I needed it most! Fingers crossed they can do me and dad proud at Wembley too!
URZZZ.
