9 years ago tomorrow

[Winchester Royal]

I was 14 and at parents evening. I tried to persuade my dad to take me but no chance. Listened to it on the radio though, as I did most tuesday night away games.

[Rich@Eaststand]

Was this our first Sky game at the Mad Stad? If I remember James Lambert played for Oxford that day?

He did - Barry Hunter nearly killed him on the half way line. That was pretty much the only highlight of the day.

[Thaumagurist*]

Was this our first Sky game at the Mad Stad? If I remember James Lambert played for Oxford that day?

He did - Barry Hunter nearly killed him on the half way line. That was pretty much the only highlight of the day.

Surely it was Phil Parkinson, not Barry Hunter, who nearly killed him?

[Nick Shorey my Lord!]

To this day, that night at the Manor is still my favourite Reading game - for all the reasons mentioned. The keeper business was pure comedy gold. The fact that Oxford were so, so poor after we'd been so, so poor the previous season was priceless. I managed to avoid the nonsense afterwards as I'd driven my old banger with two of my housemates at the time and parked the other side of the trouble. The fact I was sober as a judge and still rate it as the best game demonstrates just how much, good old fashioned fun it was.

Witty chants, a packed standing terrace, a good performance in what had been an appalling couple of seasons, coupled with our rivals playing like dog-toffee = GOOD times.