Wrexham

Wrexham v Reading

Sky Bet League One
Stok Cae Ras

Saturday 24th August 2024

3pm

Journey Time to the ground: 1 hours 25 minutes.  Living in the middle of nowhere in South Shropshire, this was one of the closest away games of the season.  We left home at 1pm and drove the scenic route up to Wrexham.  We parked up at Stansty Park, a local football ground located on Summerhill Road just off the A483, for the cost of £4.  From here it was about a ten minute walk to the ground.

Ticket Price: £22

Programme Price: £3.50

Attendance: 13,322 with 1,261 Reading fans.

Now living not too far from Wrexham I feared I was to be disappointed in my quest for tickets as the away end had sold out before I had reached the required criteria to purchase.  I'd almost given up on being able to make the game when, as luck would have it, seating was released in the home end the day before the game.  It was a fairly simple process to register for a free membership (thank you SY postcode) and to buy a couple of tickets in the Fourth Wall Temporary Kop Stand.  This is a temporary all-seater stand that has been erected on the previously unused Kop End due to Wrexham's recent success and will be in place until a permanent stand is build at this end.  We were seated behind the goal at the side of the stand next to the Macron Stand and although temporary in nature being made of scaffolding, the view and leg-room was good.  This stand is uncovered and we were very fortunate that despite some dark clouds we stayed dry the whole game, unusual in this part of the world!

To the left of the Fourth Wall Temporary Kop Stand is the Macron Stand.  This is a single-tiered all-seater stand which houses executive boxes at it's rear.  Opposite the Fourth Wall Temporary Kop Stand is the Stok Cold Brew Coffee Stand.  This is a two-tiered all-seater stand where the most vociferous Wrexham fans seemed to congregate.  To the right of the Fourth Wall Temporary Kop Stand is the Wrexham Lager Stand.  This is another single-tiered all-seater stand and is the main stand at Cae Ras housing the team dug-outs at its front.  Away fans are housed in this stand, allocated around a third of the stand towards the Stok Cold Brew Coffee Stand.

Both teams came into this game unbeaten with four points from the first two games of the new season.  The game started pretty evenly with both teams playing some good football, however Wrexham took the lead in the 23^rd minute when Ollie Palmer rose highest to head Ryan Barnett's right-wing cross past Joel Pereira.  The lead was doubled ten minutes later when another Barnett right-wing cross caused chaos in the Reading box with James McClean hitting the post and Jack Marriott drawing a point blank save from Pereira before Elliot Lee blasted home from close range.  Reading almost grabbed a goal back instantly with Tyler Bindon's header hitting the top of the crossbar from Lewis Wing's right-sided free-kick but the half finished with the Red Dragons two up.

The game was over as a contest four minutes into the second-half when Lee picked out Andy Cannon in the middle of the Reading half and the winger struck a low effort into the bottom left-hand corner from 25-yards.  The Royals had chances to grab a consolation with Jeriel Dorsett forcing Arthur Okonkwo into a point blank save and Tivonge Rushesha hitting the underside of the bar from Basil Tuma's right-wing pull back.  The ball appeared to have crossed the line but with no goal-line technology in League One, Reading drew a blank for the first time in 25 league games and the game finished 3-0.

Atmosphere: The atmosphere was a little disappointing.  The Wrexham fans in the Stok Cold Brew Coffee Stand made some noise around the goals and the Reading fans were quite loud in parts.  I'm not sure if it was where we were sat in quite an open environment so the sound dissipated but I was expecting the crowd to be louder throughout the game. 

Journey Time home: 2 hours 15 minutes.  We got back to the car just after 5:15pm and drove into the town via a petrol station to look for some food.  We decided against eating in Wrexham and instead drove to Oswestry and went to the Wetherspoons for dinner before doing some shopping at B&M.  We arrived back at home at 9:40pm.

Overall the trip to Wrexham was ok.  It's never nice sitting with the home fans when your team is losing and it was frustrating as I felt the scoreline flattered Wrexham slightly.  They were worth the win but probably not by a three goal margin.  Wrexham are obviously a team on the up, with increased interest in the club, however there is a danger that game days become something of a day-trip experience for new converts with fewer long suffering Wrexham fans able to attend games.  Things like the FanZone at the back of the Fourth Wall Temporary Kop Stand charging separately for entrance don't really sit well with me.

Bolton Wanderers

Bolton Wanderers v Reading

Sky Bet League One

Toughsheet Community Stadium

Monday 1st April 2024

3pm

Journey Time to the ground: 3 hours 20 minutes.  We are staying in Knighton, Wales at the moment so left just before 10:20am and made the journey cross-country up to Bolton.  We parked up at Bolton Arena literally across the road from the ground just before 1:40pm, paying £5 for the privilege of being so close.  After picking our tickets up from the club shop, we looked around the nearby Middlebrook retail park to kill some time before kick-off.  

Ticket Price: £10

Programme Price: £3.50

Attendance: 25,266 with 1,299 Reading fans.

This was my first visit to Bolton for a game that I decided I needed to see when the very reasonable ticket prices were released.  It was Bolton's community day so a large crowd was expected.  We had tickets in the Franking Sense South Stand Upper Tier which is the away end.  This end was shared with home supporters who were situated in the lower tier.  The Franking Sense South Stand is a two-tiered all-seater stand.  The view from our seats and legroom was good, however the seats themselves were actually quite narrow.  

To the left of the Franking Sense South Stand is the Kia West Stand.  This is a two-tiered all-seater stand that is the main stand at the Toughsheet Community Stadium housing the team dug-outs at its front.  Opposite the Franking Sense South Stand is the Carrs Pasties North Stand which is another two-tiered all-seater stand.  To the right of the Franking Sense South Stand in the Nat Lofthouse East Stand with Eventura.  This is another two-tiered all-seater stand with Bolton’s most vociferous fans seeming to congregate in the lower tier of this stand in the South East corner closest to the away fans.

Reading came into this game in decent form but still with lingering relegation concerns after what has been the hardest season I've ever known as a fan.  Bolton on the other hand were well in contention for an automatic promotion spot and it was the hosts that took the lead with the first meaningful shot of the game, Aaron Collins scoring after 11 minutes with a 25-yard effort I could see curling into the top-corner as soon as it left his boot.  Bolton were much the better side in the first-half, however Reading managed to level against the run of play, Lewis Wing with an equally stunning effort from the edge of the box five minutes before half-time.  However The Royals were unable to go into the break level as Amadou Mbengue brought Collins down in the box and he duly dispatched the spot-kick past Joel Pereira in the Reading goal.

Reading started the second-half with purpose but fell further behind five minutes in when former Royal Jon Dadi Bodvarsson poked in to capitilise on Kelvin Ehibhatiomhan's wayward pass in the middle of the pitch.  To their credit, Reading continued to press and with Bolton always dangerous on the break, this lead to a hugely enjoyable game to watch.  Jayden Wareham thought he had pulled a goal back on the hour-mark but it was disallowed as Sam Smith was adjudged to have been offside in the build-up.  Collins completed his hat-trick in the 77^th minute with a close-range finish after pinball in the box.  Reading grabbed a second consolation goal in the second-minute of stoppage time but amazingly this wasn't the end of the scoring as Bodvarsson scored his second, and Bolton's fifth, three minutes later.  It was a deserved victory for Bolton, however I couldn't help thinking that if Reading hadn't conceded two either side of half-time it could have been a different result.  

Atmosphere: The atmosphere was a little subdued for the size of the crowd and the end result.  The Bolton fans didn’t seem to be too loud and the Reading fans were also quite quiet as the team was under pressure for most of the game.

Journey Time home: 2 hours 55 minutes.  We got back to the car just before 5:20pm and arrived back at our hotel just before 9:30pm with an hour and 15 minute stop at Chester services where we got some McDonalds for dinner.

Overall I really enjoyed my trip to Bolton despite the result as it had been a highly entertaining game.  The stadium is quite impressive from the outside however I felt that it seemed smaller than I expected once inside the ground, however this could be because we were in the upper tier.  The semi-circular design of the upper tiers also made it look like there was quite a bit of empty space which probably also made the ground feel smaller than an almost 30,000-seater stadium.

Wycombe Wanderers

Wycombe Wanderers v Reading

Sky Bet League One
Adams Park

Saturday 25th November 2023

3pm

Journey Time to the ground: 55 minutes.  We were staying with friends in Wokingham for the night as they had managed to secure us hospitality tickets for Reading's game at Wycombe.  It was decided we'd get a taxi to and from the ground as Adams Park is quite a way from the train station.  The taxi picked us up from our friends house at 12:40pm and dropped us outside the group just before 1:30pm.  We made our way straight into the ground and were treated to a pie, mash and winter vegetables for lunch, followed by a chocolate brownie.

Ticket Price: Free as we were in hospitality, however tickets in the away end were £27.

Programme Price: Wycombe no longer produce a programme, however we were provided with a free teamsheet.

Attendance: 7,073 with 1,851 Reading fans.

I have been to Adams Park more times than I can remember but this was my first visit in over twenty years.  Our hospitality seats were part of the Woodlands Executive Lounge which is housed between the two-tiers of the large all-seater Frank Adams Stand which is the biggest stand at Adams Park.  The actual lounge housed a bar and comfortable dining area with windows which had curtains pulled so the game could only be viewed from outside.  We were situated halfway between the goal and halfway line on one side of the pitch, and had a good view of the whole pitch.  The legroom and seats were very comfortable.  

To the left of the Frank Adams Stand is the Home Terrace, which is single-tiered and where the most vociferous Wycombe fans seemed to congregate.  Opposite the Frank Adams Stand is the Origin Stand.  This small single-tiered all-seater stand is the main stand at Adams Park and housed the team dug-outs at its front.  To the right of the Frank Adams Stand is the Whiffaway Stand, a single-tiered all-seater stand which houses away fans and was sold out on this occassion.

Reading and Wycombe had met in the Championship during the Covid lockdown season so this was the first league game played in front of fans since 2002.  Reading had also now gone a calendar year without an away win in the league so fans were definitely travelling more in hope than expectation to our closest away game of the season.  

Reading took the lead on the half-hour mark with Sam Smith getting a deft touch on Femi Azeez's left-wing cross after a poor clearance from Max Stryjek.  The goal followed a lengthy break after Dom Ballard was stretchered off and one of our travelling party missed it as he had made a mis-timed trip to the toilets!  Wycombe hit straight back, equalising just two minutes later when Killian Phillips curled in a lovely effort from just inside the box.  Reading regained the lead five minutes before the break when ex-Chairboy Lewis Wing's deflected effort found the back of the net from Azeez's neat pass.  The goal was again missed by the same member of our party as he had decided to head into the bar to get the drinks in before the half-time rush!

With Reading having a tendency to concede goals, especially late in the game, I was anticipating a nervy second-half.  However, this never really materialised with Reading going closest to scoring again when Smith forced Stryjek into a neat save at his near post, and Reading held on to pick up three points on the road for the first time since November 2022!

Atmosphere: The atmosphere was quite muted due to us being in hospitality, although there was probably a 50/50 Wycombe Reading split within the Woodlands Lounge.  The Wycombe fans didn't have too much to shout about and although the atmosphere in the away end looked good, the sound didn't really seem to travel to where we were sat. 

Journey Time home: 1 hour 25 minutes.  With the taxi being booked for 5:20pm, we had one more drink before heading to meet the taxi.  Unfortunately the traffic heading away from Adams Park was very heavy and it took us almost 45 minutes to get out of Wycombe and onto the A404.  Due to the amount of alcohol consumed the taxi driver was forced to make an unscheduled stop on the A404 to allow three of us to relieve ourselves before making the journey back to Wokingham.  We arrived at our friends house just before 6:45pm.

I really enjoyed my trip to Wycombe.  The hospitality experience was excellent, as was the company, and I got to see Reading win a game live for the first time since February 2020!  What more could you want?!

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.

Exeter City

Exeter City v Reading

Sky Bet League One

St James Park

Saturday 26^th August 2023

3pm

Journey Time to the ground: 4 hours 40 minutes.  We left home at 9:05pm and arrived in Exeter at 1:45pm after a short stop at Taunton Deane Services to get some petrol, as traffic was very heavy on the M5 due to the bank holiday weekend.  We managed to park up in Union Road which is about a ten-minute walk from the ground.

Ticket Price: £20

Programme Price: £3.50

Attendance: 7,956 with 1,261 Reading fans.

This was my first visit to St James Park and Reading's first visit in over thirty years after relegation to League One last season.  As we arrived a bit later than anticipated we decided to have a look in the club shop before heading into the ground.  We had tickets in the Tracks Suzuki St James Road Stand.  This is a single-tiered covered terrace which is split into two separate stands.  As we had sold out the away end we decided to find a space on the terrace as soon as we could and ended up in the smaller of the two stands, next to a wall.  The view from here was good although we were pretty much in line with the corner flag.  

To the left of the Tracks Suzuki St James Road Stand is the Optimising IT Adam Stansfield Stand, which is a single-tiered all-seater stand which runs about half the length of the pitch closest to the away end.  Opposite the Tracks Suzuki St James Road Stand is the Thatchers' Cider Big Bank which is a single-tiered covered terrace where the most vociferous Exeter fans seemed to congregate.  This is the largest standing terrace left in the football league and was an impressive sight.  To the right of the Tracks Suzuki St James Road Stand is the Nevada Construction Main Stand, a single-tiered all-seater stand which houses the teams dug-outs at it's front.

Reading were coming into this game on the back of successive home wins and having a point deducted for failing to pay player's wages on time so were sat in mid-table.  Exeter had made a decent start to the season and were sat just outside the top six.  Reading started the game brightly but were quickly on the back-foot against a slick Exeter side.  The home side came close to breaking the deadlock through Tom Carroll's long-range effort which hit the foot of the post.  The Royals goal was living a charmed life as Exeter struck the woodwork for the second time with Jack Aitchison's left-footed shot cannoning off the upright into David Button's arms.  The Grecians finally took the lead in the 34^th minute with Will Aimson heading home from a corner.  Reading had been on the rack for most of the first-half but grabbed an equaliser against the run of play in first-half stoppage time with Harvey Knibbs neat finish from Femi Azeez left-wing pull-back.

The Royals came out in the second-half galvanised from the late equaliser and could have taken the lead as Azeez saw his effort strike the post before being cleared away to safety.  Both teams continued to press for a winner and it looked like the game would finish in a draw before second-half sub Reece Cole unleashed an unstoppable half-volley from the edge of the area in the 93^rd minute to give the home side all three points.  This was quite harsh on a young Reading side who had done enough to earn a point.

Atmosphere: The atmosphere was pretty good with the Exeter fans on the Big Bank providing noise throughout the game.  The atmosphere in the away end was pretty muted for most of the game despite a sold out away end and a pretty solid performance from the team.

Journey Time home: 3 hours 30 minutes.  We decided to walk into Exeter after the game to grab some food and have a look at the city.  We had dinner at The Chevalier Inn and then walked to George's Meeting House for pudding to tick off a couple of Wetherspoons.  We had a look at the cathedral before getting back to the car at 7:40pm.  We arrived home at 11:10pm after a short stop at Taunton Deane Services for some fuel, in time to hear the end of The Killers set at Reading Festival from our home.

I really enjoyed my trip to Exeter.  The ground is smart and a good size for the club, the locals are extremely friendly and Exeter is a beautiful city.  The only bad point was conceding a late goal as a draw would have been a fair result, however I was pleased that I actually got to see us score a goal!