Reading v Derby County 01.04.06

Coming after the joyous celebrations at Leicester City the week before, the next home game against Derby County gave Reading to opportunity to guarantee winning the 2005/6 Championship.  Played on a bright sunny April Fools Day, Reading still needed three more points to make it absolutely certain that they would be this seasons Champions.

Before I get into who scored what, when, I thought readers would find it interesting to see behind the scenes, inside the dressing room, and maybe get a flavour of what went on pre-match to help motivated the team to win.

Here is part of a picture that I took post match inside Reading’s dressing room. It shows what must have been part of the pre-match team discussion, and what some of the players thought the answer to the question, “So why we will beat Derby”, would be.

Pre-Match "Why we will beat Derby"

First up was Leroy Lita, “we don’t want to do what SWFC did back in 83/84”. I’m guessing a reference to Sheffield Wednesday who lost out to Chelsea who won the old second division in that season.

Next up was Sonko, obviously a man of few words, “J.F.D.I”. The missing word was a J. I’ll let you decide what this means, but I think you will get the drift.

And lastly from “Steve “The Truth” Shorey”, presumably some in-joke referring to Nicky Shorey, “because top teams do not take their foot off the pedal”.

Whatever the pre-match discussion, whatever the motivation required to secure the three more points needed, Reading walked out onto a sunny Madejski Stadium to a near capacity crowd, determined to win the Championship in front of their home supporters.

For the first 45 minutes, it didn’t look as though Reading had listened to their own pre-match motivational chat, as it ended goalless, neither side particularly dominating play.

Fortunately, the expectant home crowd didn’t have to wait to long into the second half before Reading opened the scoring through James Harper who fired in a shot on 59 minutes. This goal seemed to spur on the Reading side, as within 6 minutes Reading went further ahead through a headed goal from Kevin Doyle.

Now 2-0 up and confidence levels raised, John Oster joined in by scoring his first goal for the club on 70 minutes. The complete demolition of the Derby side was finished off by Shane Long who scored two goals in two minutes to make the final score 5-0 to Reading. 

At the final whistle, nothing was going to keep the Reading fans from invading the pitch and start their own celebrations. By the time that I had, packed up my gear, and started to make my way across the pitch, well if everyone else is going on the pitch then why not me, the pitch was a sea of cheering Reading supporters.

Having pushed through the throng now surrounding the dugout area, I finally made it to the front of the crowd, and was allowed pass through the ring of security men.

Before I had time to catch my breath, I was once again told, “bring your camera and follow me”. Hang about I thought, that’s the second time I have heard those words in the space of a week.

To be continued…………

James Harper opens the scoring on 59 minutes

Kevin Doyle, scorer of Reading's second goal

A winning team

John Oster scores his first goal for Reading

And is mobbed by his team mates

Steve Sidwell at full stretch to control the ball

Dave Kitson shoots for goal

Promotion Celebrations with the Fans

From here on in, I will let the pictures tell the story. How on a cold damp Saturday afternoon in March 2006, in one corner of an empty Walkers Stadium in Leicester, the players, management and 3,000 travelling fans celebrated promotion to the Premiership. It was maybe sad that promotion could not have been won at the Madejski Stadium in front of more fans, but for all those fans that were there, it was maybe made all the more special because they were the privileged few.

With the Championship still to play for, the rest of the home fans would still have a chance to celebrate the next target, promotion as Champions.

Travelling Royals Fans hear the promotion news

News of promotion gets through to the players

and it's smiles all round

This scarf says it all as fans show their joy at winning promotion

Marcus Hahnemann salutes the fans

Steve Coppell gets ready to lose his coat...!!!!

John Madejski and Steve Coppell show their joy

Steve Sidwell goes a little "over the top"

Glen Little applauds the travelling fans.

As Glen Little left the chaning room, he hung his matchday pass round my neck, not sure why but it made a nice momento of the day.

The "Management" team come together to celebrate promotion

Just in case anyone was in any doubt....!!!!

More happy faces..............

.....and a "silly" one.....!!!!

Graeme Murty arm in arm with kit man Ron Grant

New boy Shane Long applauds the crowd

Reading fans to wild with delight................

some more than others.........!!!!!

After sometime celebrating with the fans, pictures taken, and generally everyone having a great time, the players and staff slowly began to make their way back to the changing rooms. With nothing left to photograph and needing to catch my breath, I began to disassemble my camera for the second time since the game had finished. Now pack away, and chatting with my opo, I felt a tug on my sleeve. It was Craig Mortimer, now Communications Manager at Reading FC, "Hey mate", he whispered, "come with me and bring a camera", he sounded out of breath having run across the pitch to fetch us. What, bring a camera, it's not that easy to just bring a camera. I quickly unpacked my gear a-g-a-i-n, attached lens and flashgun, and was told to follow him. We ran, he ran, I followed at a more sedate pace, I wasn't going to leave my gear unprotected beside the pitch, while I was going god knows where. By the time I caught him up, just inside the tunnel, it was my turn to be out of breath, and with no time to explain,  on again into the stand.

When he finally stopped outside a door some way inside the stand, I only had the briefest of chances to see where we were, before the door was opened and I was shoved through............

To be continued.......

Leicester City v Reading 25.03.06

Being one of the two official Reading FC photographers at the time, I had guaranteed my seat in the clubs “press boys” car for the trip to the Walkers Stadium for the 40^th league game of the Championship Season 2005/6 to play Leicester City. Also a front row seat on what was hopefully going to be an historic day. The stats were quite simple, win the game, three more points, and Reading would be guaranteed promotion to the Premiership for the first time in their 135 year history.

You could cut the atmosphere with a knife, no not at the ground in the car. With kick off only 30 minutes away, we were lost on a council estate, somewhere on the outskirts of Leicester. We stopped to asked directions from the first local that we came across. After several attempts to understand his broken English (local accent), we were off again in hopefully the right direction, hoping that he hadn’t sent us the wrong way. Fifteen minutes later and with the kick off looming, we were stuck in traffic, this can’t be happening. Don’t say after all this, for such a crucial game we were going to miss the start of the game. Ten minutes to go, we were near the ground but still stuck in traffic and looking for somewhere to park. Bugger this, a mate, another photographer, and me jumped ship, rushing the last 500 yards to the ground, dragging our kit behind us.

The whistle blew, kick off, and the game was underway, just as we arrived pitch side. Like some embarrassed later arrives at the theatre, we scurried around the pitch, no doubt annoying the fans that we walked in from of, and even more those who we sat in front of at our chosen locations next to the pitch. Then scrambled to set everything up, cameras, lenses to cameras, lens hoods to lenses, monopod to camera, seat, settle down, and compose myself. Right what’s happening, get into the game.

Understandably, Reading were a little hesitant at first, and for most of the first half Leicester were the much better side. It was no surprise then, that Leicester took a 38th minute lead, Iain Hume’s strike beating Marcus Hahnemann for a 1-0 lead.

During the second half, Reading had a few chances but couldn’t really make the break through that they so desperately wanted. That all changed, when on 85 minutes Kevin Doyle dramatically equalised with a header from a James Harper corner. The Reading supports directly behind me went wild, as Kevin Doyle wield away after scoring his vital goal, and ran to celebrate in front of them, soon to be joined by the rest of the players. The score was now 1-1 but a draw was not good enough to guarantee promotion.

When the final whistle went it was still only 1-1, with Reading only picking up one point. Any thoughts of promotion were going to have to wait, or so the players thought. By the time that news that other results had gone in Reading’s favour, and in fact a draw was enough to guarantee promotion, many of the players had already left the pitch for the dressing room.

It was only when the Reading players started to remerge from the tunnel and began milling about on the pitch that I was aware that something might be happening. James Harper seemed to be particularly happy and when he started hugging some of his team mates, and there seemed to be a general move towards the Reading fans still waiting in their corner of the ground. I quickly had to reassemble one of my cameras that had already been packed away, and attached a flash if I was going to capture any of the celebrations that were sure to follow.

When it was finally confirmed that indeed that other results had favoured Reading and that they had been promoted, the celebrations could really start.

For the record, to achieve certain promotion Reading had played 40 games, won 27, drawn 11, lost 2, scored 82 goals and conceded only 26, on 92 points.

To be continued……..

Bobby Convey is tackled by two Leicester City players

Marcus Hahnemann cuts out a dangerous cross

Two Reading fans show off their hats

Ivar ingimarsson is tackled at full stretch to deny him the ball

Kevin Doyle takes control of the ball

This young fan is showing no signs of nerves

1-0 down and the tensions is showing on the bench

James Harper battles for the ball

Kevin Doyle turns to celebrate after scoring his 85th minute equaliser

Shane Long joins in with the celebrations

Doyle, Kitson & Long celebrate in front of the travelling fans

Reading v Brighton 10.12.05

Next visitors to the Madejski Stadium were Mark McGhee's struggling Brighton & Hove Albion. McGhee, a former Reading player and Manager of the Royals, was hoping for some away points, but with only two wins and eight draws from 22 games so far this season, his Brighton side were always going to find this a difficult game.

Brighton gifted a goal to Reading on 26 minutes, as visiting captain Charlie Oatway could only steer Glen Little's cross into his own net. Things went from bad to worse for Brighton when early in the second half Gary Elphick pulled back Dave Kitson inside the box, only to recieve a second yellow card and was sent off. Kitson scored the resulting penalty, his 25th in the Championship, giving Reading a 2-0 lead.

On 71 minutes Dave Kitson added a second goal to his tally, nodding home Nicky Shore's deflected shot at the far post. Four minutes later Stephen Hunt scored his first goal for the club to make it 4-0 to the Royals.

Brighton did manage to pull one goal back, when on 84 minutes Colin Kazim-Richards struck a powerful 25 yard drive that beat Marcus Hahnemann. Dave Kitson, however, rounded off the game with his third goal, and the only hat-trick of the league campaign, to make the final score Reading 5-1 Brighton.

Team huddle against Brighton & Hove Albion

Young Royals fan shows her support for the team

Chalie Oatwat slices an attempted clearance

and pass his own keeper to score an own goal

Bobby Convey

Elphick is booked for the second time

Dave Kitson takes the resulting penalty



An unhappy Mark McGhee

John Oster steers the ball between two defenders

Stephen Hunt is mobbed after scoring his first goal for the club

Steve Sidwell controls the ball

Graeme Murty on the ball

Dave Kitson is keeping that ball for scoring a hat-trick

Reading v Luton Town 03.12.05

Any doubts about the effect of losing to Arsenal were soon squashed, as Reading beat Luton Town 3-0 in their next Cahmpionship game at the Madejski Stadium.

Steve Sidwell opened the scoring just before the half time braek, with a deflected drive from distance to beat Marlon Beresford in the Luton goal.

Dave Kitson added a second goal on 76 minutes, beating Beresford to the ball and heading into an open net. Kevin Doyle sealed the points for Reading heading home a Glen Little cross on 88 minutes.

This home win kept Reading in first place 4 points ahead of Sheffield Utd.

Young Royals Fans eagerly await the start of the game

Heads or Tails

Team huddle before the KO against Luton Town

Bobby Convey ghosts pass a Luton player

Steve Sidwell's drive to make it 1-0

Two Royals fans show there support

Dave Kitson out jumps the keeper to make it 2-0

Kevin Doyle's 88th minute headed goal

Kevin Doyle celebrates, Hunty is along for the ride

Graeme Murty applauds the fans at the final whistle

Fans celebrate anothe three points