Worst matchday experience?

[harryroyal]

Personal anecdotes and sh/t grounds in general? I fell over and hit my head on the burger van at the madstad, pretty sh/t experience.

[Davezk]

Losing 3-0 away at Portsmouth in the FA cup was a pretty rubbish match day. Far too young to drink and some of the fans nearby were starting on other Reading fans.

[St Pauli]

Bayer Leverkusen Reserves/Amateurs Vs. FC St Pauli in the Regional League North in 2005/06.

We did an all nighter Friday night in Hamburg and got on a 6am train for a 15 hour round trip to Leverkusen which meant occasional vomiting on a train full of other pissed up St Pauli fans and having to wake up to change trains every hour or so as we were using the cheap regional trains, waiting for connections in howling wind in the January night at sub zero temperatures.

Got to the ground to find the usual rag tag army of pissed up local punks to welcome the travelling fans, punks who knew none of the songs, or cared about the game, proceeded to get smashed in the away end on Vodka and collapsed in front of us. Got searched on the way in to the ground with the police running their fingers round the inside of my belt, the ground was tiny, essentially 50 seats and a concrete bank, it started snowing, was about 2 degress, and we lost 2:1.

[Upper West Ginger]

Sunderland in the rain is still seared on my brain.
(Hmm... that could be the lyric from a song ...)

[NewburyURZFan]

Having a snooker ball thrown at my head when we played Cardiff in the Coca Cola cup at Elm Park. Pretty young at the time so a very scary experience, but having said that probably the most exciting game I've been to for many reasons.

[Millsy]

Wembley 95. The day was pretty good until about 86mins then it went a bit wrong.

I would say any game under Parj before pants day, but those days were actually quite fun because I could get to sit where I wanted and the chanting boys would find their way to the back of the east and get quite a few good chants going. I fact I miss those days, even though the matches were awful.

[Platypuss]

For that authentic harryroyal experience, simply sort threads in The Team in reverse date order.

[Stuboo]

Being knocked out of the play offs by Burnley. Horrible. It hurt. And being in Y25 you had the jeering, celebrating away fans rubbing it in. Then I had to face the banter in the pub afterwards. Painful.

Second to that, one of the home games when we were doing rubbish under Brendan Rogers. One game the home fans turned on each other in Y25/26. Some were booing the team and others took offense to this, shouting back at them. It was just an awful atmosphere a) because we were on a massive losing run; b) because of the bitterness between the fans.

[Rex]

Being knocked out of the play offs by Burnley. Horrible. It hurt. And being in Y25 you had the jeering, celebrating away fans rubbing it in. Then I had to face the banter in the pub afterwards. Painful.

Second to that, one of the home games when we were doing rubbish under Brendan Rogers. One game the home fans turned on each other in Y25/26. Some were booing the team and others took offense to this, shouting back at them. It was just an awful atmosphere a) because we were on a massive losing run; b) because of the bitterness between the fans.

QPR away was the real turning point there. Rogers had well and truly lost the support that day. That was probably the death knell.

[Niko]

The 2nd playoff final I remember crying my eyes out after the match. Was at the first one too, but was a bit too young then for it to really get me. 3rd wasn't anywhere near as bad as the other 2 (this reminds me, don't go to any of our potential future playoff finals).

[Marc89]

QPR away when Rodgers was in charge, or Wolves v Reading play off semi in 2003, was only young and remember hot drinks being thrown from above and all sorts, and then the walk to the car after was horrible!

[Reading4eva]

Maccesfield away, think it was 1998. Peeing down with rain, crap ground, got beat.

Bristol Rovers Home, god only knows when, 6-0... less said the better.

[SouthernExile]

Any match at Vicarage Road. Terrible experience on every level.

[glenroyal]

vs Bournemouth at Elm Park early 80's, with Mrs G (pregnant with our eldest) got caught in away fans post-match "riot" with milk bottles and windows being smashed in the narrow terrace streets. Ten years before we went to another Reading game .... a long story.

(Nearest equivalent experience was away at Wolves in the early noughties.)

[el_presidente]

Cheltenham away in the cup, open away end, horrible non-league ground, freezing cold, pissed it down for 90 mins and we scraped a draw on a bog of a pitch. Grim.

[Schards#2]

For worst all round experience rather than worst performance (but incorporating a terrible performance) i'd go with Rochdale away circa 1980.

In those days we used to take two coaches at most to away games up north many of whom were women or pensioners, therefore, there were only a handful of young males that were considered legitimate targets by the rougher home fans. There was no segregation and we were spat at and intimidated by 10-20 Rochdale fans all game which we lost 4-1 in pissing rain. Followed by a life endangering unescorted walk back to the coach which was hit by a stone on the way out of town.

I do wonder how some of our younger gobby contingent would have got on in those days.

[cmonurz]

Getting stuck in traffic on the way to Ashton Gate, we were already 1-0 down when we arrived, and the second goal went in as we walked into the ground. Iirc we lost 4-0 and hardly touched the ball.

Luton away in the league cup wasn’t great either. Again arrived late, ended up near the back, literally cut both knees to shreds so cramped were the seats, got piss on my shoes (and someone else’s) in the bogs, and got a parking ticket to boot.

[cmonurz]

Thinking back the last game at Elm Park was a bit miserable too. Atmosphere never really took off, we played utter gimp, and then a load of chavs ran on the pitch and ripped it to pieces. Brilliant. Not the sentimental final game at our old ground I’d hoped for.

[Warfield North Stand]

Thinking back the last game at Elm Park was a bit miserable too. Atmosphere never really took off, we played utter gimp, and then a load of chavs ran on the pitch and ripped it to pieces. Brilliant. Not the sentimental final game at our old ground I’d hoped for.

The Norwich fans that day were utter, utter oxf*rd.. And god we were shit that season!!

[pea]

QPR away when Rodgers was in charge