As a football fan first, and an amateur photographer second,
I shall always remember the 2005/6 Season at Reading FC for the football, for
the atmosphere and excitement generated by a winning team, an experience that I
was to enjoy time and time again PITCHSIDERFC. When I say winning team, what I
really mean is the fans, for it is the fans, the supporters that make the
atmosphere and generate the excitement.
Like most football supporters, I could only ever really
guess what it’s like to score a goal in front of 20,000 plus fans, to hear the roar of the crowd, and to
receive such adulation, as deliriously happy fans celebrate your
achievement.
Now that I have
experienced this close up, through my lens, sensed that a move was building, an
opportunity to score, the crossed ball, the leaping forward, the anticipation
in the crowd, the moment of impact player and ball, without seeing the end result, the
explosion of noise from the crowd, the reaction of the player, telling me that he had scored.
The player running towards you, arms outstretched, chest out, as if
soaking up the atmosphere, some times close enough to touch, I now know what it
is really like to score a goal. It is these moments that I will always remember
from this first season with Reading FC, treasure, if you like.
And then there will be those other moments, experiences that
I had no idea would come my way at the start of the season. There were many of
these, but if I had to list a few, they would have to include:
The home game against Crystal Palace at the start of the
season, great game, great goals, in particular Leroy Lita’s overhead, which I
snapped perfectly.
The Carling Cup game, away Arsenal in their last season at
Highbury. Coming face to face with Mr Wenger (miserable git), sitting alone in
the Arsenal dressing room, and then being shown the front door through the main
reception.
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| Arsene Wenger |
The 2-1 home win against Sheffield Utd in the league, and
that wonderful last minute winning goal from Bryjar Gunnarsson to clinch the
points.
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| Reading players celebrate, Sheffield Utds despair |
Travelling to the Walkers Stadium, and hearing the news at
full time that Reading had achieved certain promotion, then witnessing the
scenes of celebration of the travelling fans and players. Being shoved through the
dressing room door to photograph and share in the joy of the moment.
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| Kevin Doyles equaliser against Leicester City |
Winning the Championship in such an emphatic way, beating
Derby County 5-0 at home. Making it to the Directors Box, via the Home dressing
room, to see the pitch covered in fans.
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| View from the Directors Box |
The final game of the season, beating QPR 2-1 with only
minutes to spare, Graeme Murty scoring only his second goal for the club in 5
years, to earn Reading a points total record of 106. The Championship Trophy
presentation after the game, and lap of honour.
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| Champions 2005/6 |
And so finally, one of those once in a lifetime opportunities,
to be part of an Open Top Bus Tour of the “City”, as the Reading Team showed
off their Trophy to their adoring fans. How many times have you watched this
type of thing on the news, and thought to yourself, I’d love to do that, or I
wonder what that must feel like. Well I got to experience just that on the day
after the QPR game, when I was put on the second bus carrying family members,
club officials, radio, KINGSLEY, oh and a certain Brian McDermott, the then
Reserve Team Manager and Chief Scout, I wonder what happened to him?
So here to round off an historic season for the Royals, are
just some of the images I captured from the Open Top Bus Tour, and Stadium Lap
of Honour.
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| Marcus Hahnemann ready to take some pictures of his own |
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| Kingsley prepares to meet the crowds |
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| Fans cheer the passing bus |
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| City Centre packed with cheering fans |
After we, myself and the other club photographers, had
thought we were finished for the day, there was one more job. We were told to
bring one camera, and go pitchside. When we arrived, the Stadium was completely
empty, eerily quite, save for one camera crew interviewing someone or
other.
In what was a nice touch, and certainly very much
appreciated, we were each handed the Championship Trophy to have our pictures
taken with it. Here is mine, complete with a stupid grin.
To tell the truth I felt quite honoured to be holding such a
prestigious trophy, being that it was the old
English Football League Championship trophy, designed and manufactured
by Vaughtons of Birmingham in 1890.
Known sometimes
as “The Lady” because the lid bears the figure of a woman, the trophy has been
presented to some of English football’s legendary teams. They include the great
Huddersfiled Town triple title winners of the 1920s and the Arsenal teams that
won five titles in eight seasons in the 1930s. Manchester Uniteds Busby Babes carried
off the trophy in 1956 and 1957 before the Munich air disaster and Liverpool
collected the trophy 11 times in 18 seasons between 1972/73 and 1989/90. The
last team to collect the trophy as English champions were Leeds United in
1991/92.
So in other
words, I was now holding the same trophy that had been held by every major
football player and manager to have won the league title, played in England since before the
start of the last century. That’s a bit mind blowing, Matthews, Best, Charlton,
Blanchflower, Hurst, Busby, Law, Graeme Murty, the list goes on.
It doesn’t get much better than that, and seemed a fitting way to end
the 2005/6 Championship winning season.
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