Blackpool

Blackpool v Reading

Sky Bet League One
Bloomfield Road

Saturday 23^rd September 2023

3pm

Journey Time to the ground: 5 hours 55 minutes.  As Blackpool was a long trip we decide to stay the night so actually headed up on the Friday.  We left home at 10:15am and had a half hour stop at Frankley services to grab some Burger King for lunch.  The weather was pretty atrocious on the way up and coupled with roadworks on the M6 meant we didn't end up getting to our hotel, the Skye Ocean, until 4:10pm.  We spent an evening walking up and down the promenade, taking in the tower, illuminations and arcades, before having dinner at The Albert and The Lion Wetherspoons close to Blackpool Tower.  In the morning we moved the car from the hotel and parked up in Shetland Road which was around a ten minute walk from the ground.

Ticket Price: £25

Programme Price: £3

Attendance: 10,104 with 644 Reading fans.

This was my first visit to Blackpool, a team that, like Reading, were relegated last season.  After having some lunch at the Velvet Coaster Wetherspoons close to Blackpool Pleasure Beach, we spent some time on the South Pier before heading to the ground.  We left it a bit late so didn't have time to look in the club shop before heading to the ground.  We had tickets in the away end, which was half of the East Stand on one side of the ground, closest to the Armfield South Stand.  This temporary stand is a single-tiered all-seater stand which is incredibly close to the pitch.  The view from our seats was ok as there a number of supporting pillars running across the front of the stand.  The leg room wasn't too bad.

To the left of the East Stand is the Armfield South Stand which is a single-tiered all-seater stand.  Opposite the East Stand is the Matthews West Stand.  This is a single-tiered all-seater stand which is the main stand at Bloomfield Road and houses the team dug-outs at its front.  To the right of the East Stand is the Mortensen North Stand which is another single-tiered all-seater stand where the most vociferous Blackpool fans tend to congregate.

Although Reading and Blackpool had met a number of times over the last few seasons, I'd missed out on the chance of a trip to the seaside.  Reading started the game well but fell behind against the run of play when CJ Hamilton was brought down in the box by a mindless attempted tackle by Sam Hutchinson.  Jordan Rhodes struck his penalty into the bottom left-hand corner of the goal and despite David Button getting his hand to the ball, it sneaked in.  Reading proceeded to fall apart and the lead was doubled on the 27^th minute when Kylian Kouassi headed home Owen Dale's left-wing cross.  The game was over as a contest just four minutes later as Rhodes scored his second of the game, capitialising on a loose ball in the box before firing home.

Reading made a raft of changes at the break to go three at the back but conceded just five minutes into the second-half, with Rhodes completing his hat-trick.  The second-half then petered into a non-event, although Reading did manage to score a consolation through a James Husband own-goal from Hutchinson's left-wing cross.

Atmosphere: The atmosphere wasn't too bad.  The Blackpool fans were slightly disappointing, only really making any noise when they scored.  The atmosphere in the away end was pretty good, with the chant of "we've got the ball/we've lost the ball" providing the entertainment in the second-half.

Journey Time home: 4 hours 55 minutes.  We got back to the car at 5:10pm and it was pretty straight forward to get out of Blackpool.  We had a 40-minute stop at Sandbach services to get some dinner at McDonalds and arrived home at 10:05pm.

I did enjoy my trip to Blackpool but have to say that I didn't find the home fans particularly friendly.  I visited Blackpool once as a child to see the illuminations and have to say that the place has seen better days, which I found quite sad.  The ground was a good size, however it seemed smaller inside than it looked from the outside.  The game was the worst I've seen Reading play for a while and Blackpool really didn't have to do a lot to come away with all three points and a comfortable victory.

Cambridge United

Cambridge United v Reading

Sky Bet League One
Abbey Stadium

Monday 4^th September 2023

8pm

Journey Time to the ground: 3 hours 40 minutes.  We left home at 3:25pm and arrived in Cambridge at 7:05pm after a 45-minute stop at South Mimms Services to have a cold drink from Starbucks and to get some petrol.  The traffic wasn't too bad but on a blisteringly hot day we needed some time out of the car!  We managed to park up in Ditton Fields which is about a ten-minute walk from the ground.

Ticket Price: £25

Programme Price: £3.50

Attendance: 6,789 with 1,151 Reading fans.

This was my second visit to the Abbey Stadium having previously visited over twenty years ago when Reading were last in this division.  We had a quick look in the club shop before making the pleasant walk along the footpath through parkland to the away end.  We were housed in the newest stand at the Abbey Stadium, the Mead Plant & Grab Stand behind one of the goals.  This is a single tiered all-seater stand raised above pitch level and set quite a way back from the goal-line.  The view from this stand was very good as was the legroom.  

To the left of the Mead Plant & Grab Stand is the Habbin Terrace.  This terrace is mostly covered apart from a small section at the south end of the stand.  On my previous visit to the Abbey Stadium the away fans had been housed in this area as the new stand was being built.  Opposite the Mead Plant & Grab Stand is the Newmarket Road End Terrace which is a covered terrace running around two third the width of the pitch where the most vociferous Cambridge fans congregated.  To the right of the Mead Plant & Grab Stand is the Main Stand, a single-tiered all-seater stand which houses the team dug-outs at its front.

This game had been moved to the Monday night as it was on Sky but that didn't stop Reading fans turning up in good numbers despite our woeful recent away form.  It had been a beautiful day and was still pleasantly warm when the game kicked off.  The first-half was a pretty even affair with both goalkeepers being forced into saves to keep the half-time score goalless.

Into the second-half and Reading came out of the blocks quickly but struggled to create any clear-cut chances.  Both teams were pressing for a winner and it was Cambridge who broke the deadlock in the 83^rd minute when substitute Fejiri Okenabirhie swept in James Brophy's low right-wing cross.  Reading pressed for an equaliser and deep into six minutes of added time the best chance of the game for Reading fell to former Cambridge player Harvey Knibbs, who headed an effort which hit the bar and bounced down onto the goal-line before being collected by Will Mannion in the Cambridge goal.

Atmosphere: The atmosphere in the away end was pretty good with noise being made through most of the game.  This was helped by a decent atmosphere from Cambridge fans in the Newmarket Road End who sang and bounced about throughout the game.

Journey Time home: 2 hours 40 minutes.  We got back to the car at 10:05pm and it took about 45-minutes to get through the traffic around the ground and in Cambridge, but once through that it was plain sailing and we arrived home at 12:45am.

I really enjoyed my trip to Cambridge.  The home fans were very friendly and helpful, and it's a decent sized ground for the club.  The game was fairly event and a draw would probably have been a fair result but Reading don't really look like scoring at the moment.  It's also a shame that the game had been moved to the Monday to accommodate Sky as it meant I wasn't able to explore any of the city centre, which looked beautiful when we were driving through it.