150 years in pictures

[Franconian Royal]

Autographed by the man himself and Matt Busby's last game as a player before taking over some struggling northern club.

Ark, are you saying Matt Busby played for us? I can't find any record of this anywhere.

[Ark Royal]

Autographed by the man himself and Matt Busby's last game as a player before taking over some struggling northern club.

Ark, are you saying Matt Busby played for us? I can't find any record of this anywhere.

Yes, he was a regular guest player for us during the war. He was based at Aldersh!t.

[Franconian Royal]

Autographed by the man himself and Matt Busby's last game as a player before taking over some struggling northern club.

Ark, are you saying Matt Busby played for us? I can't find any record of this anywhere.

Yes, he was a regular guest player for us during the war. He was based at Aldersh!t.

Pardon me for this question, but was that allowed back then for players to be 'guests' during the war? I was born a long time later and don't quite understand this.

[paultheroyal]

Good aerial view of EP sometime in its final years. Hard to believe players did some of their training in the car park behind the away end at some point.

What a glorious hole it was. The stench of burgers and piss will stay with me forever.

If we stayed there - imagine what a mish mash of a ground it would be now. No room for development and at best be a poor man's Fratton Park. Thank god for Sir John.

[NathStPaul]

Good aerial view of EP sometime in its final years. Hard to believe players did some of their training in the car park behind the away end at some point.

What a glorious hole it was. The stench of burgers and piss will stay with me forever.

If we stayed there - imagine what a mish mash of a ground it would be now. No room for development and at best be a poor man's Fratton Park. Thank god for Sir John.

Would probably take that over the soulless bowl we have now tbh. Obviously it is better for us as a club for us to be where we are now but I miss the old fashioned football grounds, just not the same any more.

[Ark Royal]

Ark, are you saying Matt Busby played for us? I can't find any record of this anywhere.

Yes, he was a regular guest player for us during the war. He was based at Aldersh!t.

Pardon me for this question, but was that allowed back then for players to be 'guests' during the war? I was born a long time later and don't quite understand this.

The Football League program was suspended at the outbreak of WW2 and a lot of players enlisted in the armed forces. As football was seen as an important recreation - for armed forces and the general public - players were allowed to guest for clubs closest to their home base. Aldersh!t had some of the best players of the time make guest appearances for them: Cliff Britton, Denis Compton, Stan Cullis, Jimmy Hagan, Tommy Lawton, Joe Mercer, Jack Rowley, Frank Swift, Don Welsh. Mercer and Swift also appeared for Reading.

Found this great picture from 1944 of Maurice Edelston and soon-to-be Reading boss Ted Drake.

[Ark Royal]

3rd May 1998. The last league game at Elm Park and a souvenir unused ticket.

[Franchise FC]

Does anyone remember the 1985 white T-shirt’s the club sold to celebrate our record breaking start that season?
The T-shirt showed the full League table after 12 games with the words “Reading first the rest nowhere” printed above the table.

I wore it once in a pub in Cheltenham and received some curious looks. It was a very cheap bit of cloth.

Still got one in the cupboard, along with the whisky glass

[Zip]

Does anyone remember the 1985 white T-shirt’s the club sold to celebrate our record breaking start that season?
The T-shirt showed the full League table after 12 games with the words “Reading first the rest nowhere” printed above the table.

I wore it once in a pub in Cheltenham and received some curious looks. It was a very cheap bit of cloth.

Still got one in the cupboard, along with the whisky glass

I threw mine out many years ago.

[Franchise FC]

Does anyone remember the 1985 white T-shirt’s the club sold to celebrate our record breaking start that season?
The T-shirt showed the full League table after 12 games with the words “Reading first the rest nowhere” printed above the table.

I wore it once in a pub in Cheltenham and received some curious looks. It was a very cheap bit of cloth.

Still got one in the cupboard, along with the whisky glass

I threw mine out many years ago.

I just can't bring myself to throw it out.
Got the Simod shirt and first PL game shirt (replicas as worn to the games, obviously) as well.

They're not going anywhere.

The last time I looked at them (before today to check they're still there) was ... probably 2006 when I put the first PL shirt away

[Brogue]

[Zip]

That must be the 72 FA Cup game v Arsenal.
Watney Cup v Man United 1970?

[Ark Royal]

Brilliant pics. Not seen the Arsenal pic before. L to R: Alan Wooler, John Harley, Steve Death, Charlie George, Alan Ball, Eddie Kelly, Ray Kennedy (RIP), Denis M Butler, Barrie Wagstaff.

[Mr Angry]

Brilliant pics. Not seen the Arsenal pic before. L to R: Alan Wooler, John Harley, Steve Death, Charlie George, Alan Ball, Eddie Kelly, Ray Kennedy (RIP), Denis M Butler, Barrie Wagstaff.

I was at the Arsenal game; I seem to remember Stuart Morgan scoring a fantastic own goal - a header from the edge of the box that Death had no chance with..........

[Ark Royal]

Brilliant pics. Not seen the Arsenal pic before. L to R: Alan Wooler, John Harley, Steve Death, Charlie George, Alan Ball, Eddie Kelly, Ray Kennedy (RIP), Denis M Butler, Barrie Wagstaff.

I was at the Arsenal game; I seem to remember Stuart Morgan scoring a fantastic own goal - a header from the edge of the box that Death had no chance with..........

...and another OG from Will Dixon IIRC. The attendance of 25,756 remains the biggest crowd I had ever been in at Elm Park.

[South Coast Royal]

Best. Away. Win. Ever.

Tranmere, Play Off Semi Final, 1995. Nogan and Taylor in the first pic; Taylor, Archie and Nogan (in the background) for the 2nd.

We looked genuinely Premier League class that day against a really good Tranmere side.

Spot on-the day that many of us believed that we were good enough to play at the highest level.
The result was never in doubt.

[SWLR]

The picture of the pitch being laid reminds me of the time our groundsman put down weedkiller rather than feed pre-season, trying to recall when that was.. 1980's? Was it Neat?

[st george]

Was it Neat?

No , it was oxf*rd awful.

[The Royal Forester]

The picture of the pitch being laid reminds me of the time our groundsman put down weedkiller rather than feed pre-season, trying to recall when that was.. 1980's? Was it Neat?

I am sure it was Gordon Neate, but I think it was at the Mad Stad,

[Fox Talbot]

The picture of the pitch being laid reminds me of the time our groundsman put down weedkiller rather than feed pre-season, trying to recall when that was.. 1980's? Was it Neat?

I am sure it was Gordon Neate, but I think it was at the Mad Stad,

It was summer of 1986.