Nottingham Forest

 Nottingham Forest v Reading

Sky Bet Championship
City Ground

Wednesday 22nd January 2020

7:45pm

Journey Time to the ground: 5 hours.  This game had been rearranged from the end of October when we had made it all the way up to Leicester Forest Services before finding out the game had been called off due to a waterlogged pitch!  Being rearranged for a Wednesday night I booked the day off work and we left home at 1:15pm and grabbed some lunch at German Doner Kebab before the coach pick-up at 2pm.  After a 45-minute stop at Leicester Forest Services we arrived at the City Ground at 6:15pm.

Ticket Price: £27

Programme Price: £3

Attendance: 26,840 with 808 Reading fans.

This was my first visit to the City Ground, another ground I had been looking forward to visiting for a number of years.  As we had arrived an hour and a half before kick-off we contemplated heading into the city centre but instead had a walk around the ground to the club shop and then stood for a while by the River Trent taking in the view of Meadow Lane and Trent Bridge cricket ground.  We had tickets in the away end which is on one side of the Bridgford Stand lower tier, closest to the Brian Clough Stand, behind one of the goals.  The Bridgford Stand is a two-tiered all-seater stand and the view from midway up the lower tier was good although the leg room was a little bit tight.

To the left of the Bridgford Stand is the Peter Taylor Stand.  This is a single-tiered all-seater stand and although it is probably the smallest stand at the City Ground, it is considered the main stand and houses the team dug-outs at its front.  Opposite the Bridgford Stand is the Trent End.  This is a large two-tiered all-seater stand that wraps around the corner to join with the Brian Clough Stand, another large two-tiered all-seater stand.  The most vociferous Nottingham Forest supporters seemed to gather on the home side of the Bridgford Stand.

The two teams had played out a 1-1 draw only 11 days previously and the first-half was a fairly even affair with both sides creating chances.  Rafael Cabral did well to parry Joe Lolley's effort wide for a corner midway through the first-half and Brice Samba was forced to make an unorthodox looking save from Jordan Obita's long range shot in first-half stoppage time.

Into the second-half and both sides continued to create chances.  It took until ten minutes from time for the deadlock to be broken when former Reading striker Lewis Grabban turned Sammy Ameobi's scuffed shot past Cabral.  It didn't take long for Reading to equalise though as Sam Baldock controlled Obita's drilled right-wing cross before smashing his effort through Samba.  It took a little time for the goal to be given, but the goal stood and the teams had to settle for a share of the points with a second 1-1 draw in less than two weeks.

Atmosphere: The atmosphere was really good.  Forest are a well-supported club and having the home fans so close let to some good banter between the home and away fans, who had travelled in pretty good numbers for a midweek game.  Both sets of fans were loud and the fact that both teams scored in the last ten minutes of the game kept the atmosphere going for the whole 90 minutes.

Journey Time home: 3 hours.  The coach left the City Ground just after 9:50pm and after a relatively smooth journey we were dropped in town just after 12:30am.  We made the short walk home and arrived just after 12:50am.

I really enjoyed my trip to the City Ground.  It's a really nice ground and home to a well-supported team which makes for a good atmosphere.  Equalising minutes after the home team takes the lead is always a good feeling!

Millwall

Millwall v Reading

Sky Bet Championship
The Den

Saturday 18th January 2020

3pm

Journey Time to the ground: 2 hours 30 minutes.  We ended up leaving home a bit later than planned just after 12:45pm.  We got to the station and caught a train to Paddington before getting the tube to London Bridge via Baker Street.  From London Bridge we took the train to South Bermondsey station which is a couple of minutes walk from The Den and has a caged walkway that leads right to the away end. 

Ticket Price: £26

Programme Price: £3

Attendance: 14,011 with 1,606 Reading fans.

This was my fourth visit to The Den and my first since our Championship title winning 2005-06 season.  I really enjoy visiting The Den as it is an away day experience like no other.  We had tickets in the North Stand Upper Tier, the away end, behind one of the goals.  The North Stand is a two-tiered all-seater stand which is given entirely to away fans, although it is highly unlikely the lower tier will be used.  The view of the pitch is good especially being slightly higher but the leg room is a little tight.

To the left of the North Stand is the Dockers Stand.  The is another two-tiered all-seater stand with the most vociferous Millwall fans seeming to congregate close to the away fans in this stand.  Opposite the North Stand is the Cold Blow Lane End which is another two-tiered all-seater stand.  To the right of the North Stand is the Barry Kitchener Stand.  This is also a two-tiered all-seater stand which is the main stand at The Den and houses the team dug-outs at its front. 

Expectation was high as Reading were on a ten-game unbeaten run in the league however the first-half was a fairly even affair with neither side really creating many clear-cut chances.  Millwall were closest to breaking the deadlock but Matt Smith could only place his long-range header wide of the post. 

The second-half was all Millwall with Reading playing very poorly.  The Lions deservedly took the lead with 20 minutes to go but there was a hit of luck as there appeared to be a handball in the build-up to the goal.  Jed Wallace's right-wing cross was knocked down by Jake Cooper into the path of Matt Smith who made no mistake from eight yards out.  Ten minutes later it was two when former Reading striker Jon Dadi Bodvarsson was played in by Wallace and curled an effort past Rafael Cabral from twelve yards.  There was still time for Tom Bradshaw to head against the bar but it didn't made any difference as Millwall ran out deserved 2-0 winners.

Atmosphere: The atmosphere was good, it's always loud at Millwall.  There was a fairly large away following for a change and the atmosphere was pretty good in the away end.

Journey Time home: 2 hours 35 minutes.  We walked back to South Bermondsey station and caught the train to London Bridge.  As we had a travelcard we decide to make the most of being in London and took a walk up to Borough Market before crossing the Millennium Bridge up to St Pauls.  We got the tube from St Pauls to Holborn and walked to Covent Garden before getting some dinner at an Italian restaurant called Piazza.  We walked to Leicester Square and got the tube from Picadilly Circus to Paddington where we then caught the train home to Reading.  We walked home from the station and got home just after 10:40pm.

I did enjoy my trip to Millwall despite the poor result.  It is one of my favourite away games as it is so easy to get to and is a completely different experience to any other game.  The ground is really good and the view from the upper tier of the away end is excellent.

Preston North End

Preston North End v Reading

Sky Bet Championship
Deepdale

Sunday 29th December 2019

3pm

Journey Time to the ground: 6 hours.  Another of the free coach trips, we left home at 7:45am for the 8:15am coach pick up in town.  After a 45-minute stop at Norton Canes services on the M6 Toll where we grabbed some brunch at Leon, we arrived at Deepdale shortly before 1:45pm.

Ticket Price: £24

Programme Price: £3

Attendance: 13,680 with 557 Reading fans.

This was my second visit to Deepdale having previously witnessed a 3-0 loss back in December 2004.  We took a look around the ground and had a look inside the club shop but with it being the weird time between Christmas and New Year there wasn't too much open so we made our way into the ground.  We had tickets in the Bill Shankly Kop which is the away end behind one of the goals.  It's an all-seater single-tiered stand with good views from towards the front of the stand and comfortable leg room

To the left of the Bill Shankly Kop is the Invincibles Pavillion.  This stand has been redeveloped since my last visit to Deepdale and is a single-tiered all-seater stand with executive boxes at its rear.  It is the main stand at Deepdale and houses the team dug-outs at its front.  Opposite the Bill Shankly Kop is the Alan Kelly Town End another single-tiered all-seater stand where the most vociferous home fans tend to congregate.  To the right of the Bill Shankly Kop is the Sir Tom Finney stand, is a large single-tiered all-seater stand.  

Reading took the lead early in the first-half after a brilliant passing move involving Ovie Ejaria, Charlie Adam and Tyler Blackett culminated in John Swift sweeping home a pin-point finish from ten yards.  The lead was doubled less than ten minutes later when Blackett seized upon a loose pass in midfield and played a neat one-two with Ejaria before playing in Lucas Joao who fired in from 12 yards.  Joao thought he had a second later in the half but was flagged offside after Ejaria's long range effort cannoned back off the post.

Preston pushed for a way back into the game in the second-half but were unable to find a way passed Rafael Cabral in the Reading goal who was in inspired form and pulled off a number of good saves. 

Atmosphere: The atmosphere was ok.  The home fans were pretty quiet after falling behind so early into the game and although they rallied in the second-half never really got too loud.  The atmosphere in the away end was pretty good for exactly the same reason, going ahead early in the game meant the away fans were in good voice throughout and all the way home on the coach!

Journey Time home: 4 hours 30 minutes.  The coach left Deepdale at 5:15pm and after a short stop at Warwick Services on the way home dropped us off in town at 9:30pm.  We had a short walk home from town and arrived just after 9:45pm in time to get ready for work the next day!

I really enjoyed my trip up to Preston, much more than my first visit!  It seems the result makes all the difference!  The ground is great and Reading played really well against a team currently in the play-off positions.  After a decent run over Christmas it looks like we may be in a position to push for a late run at the play-off, particularly if we continue to play with the same confidence we have displayed recently.

Barnsley

Barnsley v Reading

Sky Bet Championship
Oakwell
Wednesday 11th December 2019

7:45pm

Journey Time to the ground: 5 hours 30 minutes.  I'd booked a half-day at work for the trip up to Barnsley and ended up leaving work at 1:15pm for the coach pick-up in town at 1:30pm.  Despite some rush hour traffic on the M1 we stopped for a 45-minute break at Woodall Services and grabbed some dinner at KFC.  The coach managed to park up in the away car park at 6:45pm.

Ticket Price: £23

Programme Price: £3

Attendance: 11,510 with 294 Reading fans.

This was my first visit to Oakwell, a ground that I had wanted to visit since Barnsley's one Premier League season in 1997-98.  We hadn't arrived as early as we had on previous coach trips owing to traffic on the M1 so we had a quick look in the club shop before making our way into the ground.  We had tickets in the away end in the Palmer North Stand behind one of the goals, which is a single-tiered all-seater stand.  The view from close to the front of the stand was good, especially with sparse away support, and the leg room was comfortable.

To the left of the Palmer North Stand is The Investment Room East Stand which also incorporates the C.K. Bennett Family Stand.  This is a large two-tiered all-seater stand and the most vociferous of the Barnsley support seemed to congregate in this stand.  Opposite the Palmer North Stand is the C.K. Bennett South Stand.  This is a large single-tiered all-seater stand and almost identical to the away end.  In between The Investment Room East Stand and the C.K. Bennett North Stand is the Club 04 Disabled Corner Stand which is a small three-tiered structure exclusively for the use of disabled supporters.  To the right of the Palmer North Stand is the Haylesden West Stand.  This is a smaller single-tiered all-seater stand which would originally have been the main stand at Oakwell and houses the team dug-outs at its front.

With Barnsley struggling towards the foot of the table I was hopeful of picking up all three points however the first half-ended 0-0 with the best chance of the half coming when Charlie Adam's well hit effort from 25-yards was parried by Sami Radlinger in the Barnsley goal. 

Barnsley took the lead just before the hour mark when Jacob Brown intercepted a Michael Morrison pass inside the Reading box and the ball fell to Cauley Woodrow who stroked home from seven yards.  Reading pushed for an equaliser and got their reward when Lucas Joao poked home from close range after the home side were unable to clear Adam's left-wing corner.  Both teams pushed for a winner but ultimately had to settle for a point.

Atmosphere: The atmosphere wasn't bad despite it not being the largest crowd.  The home fans in The Investment Room East Stand tried to make some noise and despite the low attendance, the atmosphere in the away end was ok.  

Journey Time home: 4 hours 15 minutes.  The coach left the ground around 9:45pm and dropped us into town just after 1:45am after a short stop at Warwick Services and a diversion around Nottingham and Derby as the M1 was closed.

I did enjoy my trip to Oakwell, although it's not the best away day I've ever been on.  It was cold and the fact that it was midweek meant the attendance was lower than it would have been had the game been played at the weekend.  It also meant that we didn't get home until 2am, so getting up for work the next morning was difficult!  I was expecting Reading to pick up all three points so to end up going home with only one point was quite frustrating.  It would be nice to visit Oakwell when the ground is sold out as I imagine the atmosphere would be really good.

Wigan Athletic

 Wigan Athletic v Reading

Sky Bet Championship
DW Stadium
Saturday 30th November 2019

3pm

Journey Time to the ground: 5 hours 30 minutes.  We left home just before 7:45am for the 8am coach pick-up in town and were parked up outside the DW Stadium just before 1:15pm after having a 45-minute stop to grab some lunch at KFC at Keele Services.

Ticket Price: £23

Programme Price: £3

Attendance: 8,965 with 573 Reading fans.

This was my second visit to DW Stadium having previously made the trip up for the Division Two play-off semi-final back in May 2001.  As we had arrived early at the ground, we had a look at the DW Gym and Ninja Warrier course close to where the coach was parked before taking in the club shop.  We then headed to the nearby Robins Retail Park and did some early Christmas shopping at Smyth's Toy Superstore, Boots and TK Maxx.  We ended up with a couple of full shopping bags which came into the ground with us!  We had tickets in the away end which is North Stand behind the goal at one end.  This is a single-tiered all-seater stand with a good view from our seats and comfortable leg room.

To the left of the North Stand is the East Stand.  This is a single-tiered all-seater stand and is when the most vociferous Wigan support tended to congregate.  Opposite the North Stand is the South Stand.  This is another single-tiered all-seater stand and is identical to the away end.  To the right of the North Stand is the West Stand.  This is another single-tiered all-seater stand but is the main stand at the DW Stadium and has the team dug-outs at its front.

The first-half belonged to Wigan and the home side deservedly took the lead ten minutes before half-time when Joe Garner smashed home from one-yard after Chey Dunkley's header had been parried by Rafael Cabral in the Reading goal.  The Latics pushed for a second but were unable to extend their lead.

Into the second-half and Reading were pushing for an equaliser that looked like it wasn't going to come until a crazy five-minute period at the end of the game.  Lucas Boye was bundled over in the box by Dunkley and the ref pointed to the spot.  Up stepped much maligned striker George Puscas who fired his spot-kick straight down the middle to draw the Royals level.  Almost straight from the kick-off Lucas Joao played the ball through to Puscas on the edge of the penalty area who wriggled past two defenders before slotting the ball home from eight yards.  The game had been turned on its head in the space of two minutes but Puscas wasn't finished there, bagging a five-minute hat-trick by slotting home a half-volley from ten yards after Garath McCleary had intercepted the ball close to the Wigan penalty area.  The whole ground was stunned by what had happened and it will mostly probably be the best thing ever to happen to Puscas in a Reading shirt. 

Atmosphere:  The atmosphere wasn't great.  The Wigan fans didn't really make much noise despite being in front for most of the game and although the small away following tried to make some noise, it was difficult in a stadium which was less than half full.

Journey Time home: 4 hours 30 minutes.  The coach left not long after 5pm and dropped us off in town just after 9:15pm after a short stop at Norton Canes services on the M6 toll.  We grabbed some dinner at German Doner Kebab and were home around 9:30pm.

I really enjoyed my trip to Wigan.  It's always good fun picking up an away win but witnessing a five-minute hat-trick was something special and possibly something I'll never get the opportunity to witness again.  It's such a shame that Wigan aren't the best supported team as the lack of atmosphere does temper the away day experience somewhat.

Swansea City

Swansea City v Reading

Sky Bet Championship
Liberty Stadium
Saturday 28th September 2019

3pm

Journey Time to the ground: 4 hours 30 minutes.  We left home at around 9am in time for the 9:15am coach pick-up in town.  We stopped for a 45-minute break at Sarn Park services and got a Burger King for lunch before getting a police escort into the ground and parking up at around 1:30pm.

Ticket Price: £30

Programme Price: £3

Attendance: 16,036 with 888 Reading fans.

This was my first visit to the Liberty Stadium as Swansea had been a Premier League time while we lived in Wales.  Having arrived quite early we stayed on the coach for a bit before taking a look at the club shop and buying some Ospreys kit.  We had tickets in the North Stand, the away end behind one of the goals.  This is a single-tiered all-seater stand and the view from the front of the stand was pretty good with the leg room being comfortable.  This stand is shared between home and away supporters with around two thirds of the stand given to away supporters.

To the left of the North Stand is the Trade Centre Wales Stand where the most vociferous Swansea support tend to congregate.  This is also a single-tiered all-seater stand.  Opposite the North Stand is the Energy Check Family Stand which is also a single-tiered all-seater stand.  Finally, to the right of the North Stand is the Swansea University Stand, another single-tiered all-seater stand.  This is the main stand at the Liberty Stadium and houses the team dug-outs at it's front.

The first-half started fast and badly for Reading with Borja Baston heading Swansea into the lead from Andre Ayew's right-wing cross after just three minutes.  The Swans were much the better team and were unlucky to go into the break only one ahead.  

The second-half continued in much the same vein although Reading started to press a little more for an equaliser.  However, as the clock ticked onto 90 minutes it looked as though it would be another fruitless trip for the Royals but Lucas Joao played a neat one-two with John Swift on the edge of the Swansea box before teeing up Andy Yiadom who smashed home from ten-yards to spark pandemonium in the away end!

Atmosphere:  The atmosphere was ok but not as good as I had been expecting.  The Swansea fans were quieter than I had anticipated, particularly compared to how intimidating the atmosphere had been when the Swans were in the Premier League.  The atmosphere in the away end was pretty good, especially being sat right next to the Swansea fans when we scored the late equaliser.

Journey Time home: 3 hours 15 minutes.  The coach had a police escort up to the M4 and left the ground just after 5pm.  We were dropped off in town at around 8pm in time to grab some dinner at a local Nepalese restaurant. 

I did enjoy my trip to Swansea but that was probably only due to scoring a last-gasp equaliser to silence the home fans and make the trip back down the M4 that much shorter.  The Liberty Stadium isn't in the nicest area in Swansea and the fact that our coach was parked in a cage didn't inspire confidence, but it's a decent ground which I would imagine would be rocking for a big game.

Huddersfield Town

Huddersfield Town v Reading

Sky Bet Championship
The John Smith's Stadium
Saturday 24th August 2019

3pm

Journey Time to the ground: 5 hours 30 minutes.  As this was another of the free coach trips, we left home at 8:30am for the coach pick-up at 9am.  We arrived at 2pm after a 45-minute stop for a KFC lunch at Woodall Services.

Ticket Price: £30

Programme Price: £3.50

Attendance: 21,847 with 680 Reading fans.

This was my first visit to the John Smith's Stadium and we had again arrived in good time to have a proper look around the ground.  The weather was perfect, blue sky, sunshine and temperatures in the mid 20s which isn't always the case for August bank holiday weekend!  After listening to a band outside the club shop, we had a quick look inside before stopping and talking to a Huddersfield fan whose daughter had moved down to Reading.  We had tickets in the away end, The Absorbz Stand which is a single-tiered all-seater stand behind one of the goals which is shared with home supporters.  The view from the front of the stand was good, as was the leg room. 

To the left of the Absorbz Stand is the Revell Ward Stand.  This two-tiered all-seater stand is the main stand at the John Smith's Stadium and houses the team dug-outs at its front.  Opposite the Absorbz Stand is the Absolute Media Stand which is another two-tiered all-seater stand and to the right of the Absorbz Stand is the LV=Britannia Rescue Stand which is a single-tiered all-seater stand where the most vociferous Huddersfield fans seemed to congregate, although there was good noise coming from all four stands.

The first-half was dominated by Huddersfield, however they have carried on their poor form since relegation from the Premier League and were unable to convert any of the numerous chances they created.

The second-half was a different story with Reading growing into the game and becoming confident they could pick something up from the game.  Andy Yiadom was unlikely not to open the scoring as his close-range shot cannoned off the bar after good work from John Swift.  It wasn't long before Reading took the lead through as Ovie Ejaria played a neat one-two with Swift before slotting passed Kamil Grabara in the Huddersfield goal.  The lead was doubled with five minutes remaining as Michael Morrison rose highest to head home from Swift's right-wing corner.

Atmosphere:  The atmosphere was amazing.  The Huddersfield fans really made some noise throughout the game and it was one of the loudest grounds I think I've ever been to.  The atmosphere in the away end wasn't bad but really wasn't able to cope with the home fans until towards the end of the game when it was clear that Reading would be picking up all three points.  

Journey Time home: 4 hours 30 minutes.  The coach left around 5pm and dropped us into town at 9:15pm after a quick 20 minute stop at Warwick Services for some food.  It was about a 15 minute walk home so we were home just after 9:30pm.

I really enjoyed my trip to Huddersfield.  The stadium is excellent, atmosphere electric and we picked up an away win.  The stadium is however very open to the elements, so as enjoyable as a trip in the middle of summer was, I can imagine that it may be pretty uncomfortable in winter, especially as there is no concourse as such, just an open area at the back of the stand.  Reading played really well against a team that's just been relegated and I'm hopeful that we can push on this season and avoid a relegation battle.