Worst matchday experience?

[sputnik]

Was '81. Remember it well. Same day that the Royals lost 2-1 at home to Bishops Stortford

Obviously not that well. That would have been November 1982.

[Ian Herring]

Was '81. Remember it well. Same day that the Royals lost 2-1 at home to Bishops Stortford

Obviously not that well. That would have been November 1982.

[The Rouge]

Walsall Play-Off Loss for me.

- Awful, awful seat
- Long journey by myself
- Didn't go to pubs due to who I was meeting
- A few plastics around that I found annoying

[If you still hate Futcher]

Walsall away 0-6 was 1986 - the year we won Div Three

Went for a beer in the town before the game. It was last time I ever went into a packed out pub in which there were absolutely no female customers. The North. We were crap that day. I guess we were 10 points clear at the top so we could afford it.

I thought it was around Nov 85 but I defer to your better memory - I do remember it being bloody cold. The reason given for us being crap was that about half to 75% of the squad had the flu'.

Your mentioning a pub just jogged a memory of a trip to Huddersfield - a group of 7-8 of us are looking for a pre-match drink and find a couple of pubs next to each other, one looking a bit run down and the other not too bad, so we go into the better kept of the 2.

I order a round of drinks, pay for them and as I'm stood at the bar taking the first swig my eyeline rises to where I see above the bar all manner of leather caps (ala Village People) and photos of bare chested Freddie Mercury lookalikes.

Needless to say I downed my pint in 1 go and then walk over to the table where my mates have congregated saying quietly "Drink up, we're leaving" and drawing their attention to the "display" above the bar. 5 minutes later we're over the road in the other pub playing pool.

I must've banished the experience from memory as I have no recollection of the game either although I remember it being a sunny day and I think we were wearing the yellow-red hooped shirts

[Fox Talbot]

^^^ Walsall 0-6 was 1st Feb as it turns out. Your Huddersfield game sounds like first day of 93/94 season - we won 3-0.

[If you still hate Futcher]

Yep - 1st game of a season sounds about right

[i_kingsley]

away game at chesterfield
we scored first and then lost the game 7-1
rained most of the game that was when it wasnt snowing
then had the next week off scool with the flu

[SydenhamRoyal]

Was '81. Remember it well. Same day that the Royals lost 2-1 at home to Bishops Stortford

Obviously not that well. That would have been November 1982.

It was 20 Nov 1982.

[Ian Herring]

Was '81. Remember it well. Same day that the Royals lost 2-1 at home to Bishops Stortford

Obviously not that well. That would have been November 1982.

It was 20 Nov 1982.

Now I feel better. About the right kind of date for cup round one proper. Memory, eh? Coupled with alcohol. Never conducive to an autistic level of photographic recall.

[Jackson Corner]

Was '81. Remember it well. Same day that the Royals lost 2-1 at home to Bishops Stortford

Obviously not that well. That would have been November 1982.

Was there for that one the first time we lost at home to a non league side. I still remember there winning goal like it was yesterday. Preston at home with just 1,700 lowest ever league gate, losing 3-2 after Dixon had put us 2 up. Been punched and kicked at Southend, Millwall Pompey, Swindon, Brentford, Bristol Rovers and Oxford. Gave it out a few times as well at EP when the southbank was taken. Anyone who says they were the good times needs help they were crap.

[Reading4eva]

Gillingham new years day 2005 was bad... did laugh when we all began to sing "we all look like condoms" though when they bought out the bin liners with holes in them. The match was non existant

[Reading4eva]

The worst ground experience was probably Cambridge in about 2001, utter dross of a ground and the food available was basically some bacon in rapidly disintegrating bread.

Wembley was a horrible feeling though I was too young to really appreciate it. Cardiff and Wembley v2.0 also wrangle but I've never felt as low as I did sitting watching the last 30 minutes of the Burnley semi-final. That night you really got the feeling that an era had come to an end and I wondered if I'd ever see Reading get promoted again.

I couldnt stop laughing at this match report on the Cambridge page

Sports Report from BBC South Today
Wonderful Southampton won 3-1 at Ipswich, Pompey got a brilliant 1-1 draw at home to Wallsall, the unfortunate Cherries lost again to leave them fourth bottom, whilst the high flying Seagulls were desperately unlucky to lose at Stoke last night. Meanwhile Swanage Town drew with Dorchester, whilst Newport(Isle of Wight) won 1-0. Studland Bay Reserves drew 1-1 with Weymouth oxf*rd, and The Crown & Thistle won 1-0 against The Fox & Hounds.
In Rugby Havant Thirds beat the Sailing Sausage Jockeys 33-10, and Corfe Castle beat Muddiford 15-12. In Hockey Hove went fith after their victory against Wothing, and The South coast tiddlywinks final went into extra time before Poole emerged victors over favourites Kimmeridge Bay.
Oh by the way, that lot from Reading luckily went 7 points clear in division two after a 2-2 against Cambridge, but we don't really give a shit because they don't come from the seaside.
Hopefully they will lose against Bournemouth & Brighton next week then we can gloat about it for weeks to come. If Reading win, don't expect a report.

At least things have improved a bit with Dellor

[RIP apes]

This was the one I recollected

definitely early 90s

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zZekh9PqpZw

[melonhead]

nice

[Alexander Litvinenko]

The worst ground experience was probably Cambridge in about 2001, utter dross of a ground and the food available was basically some bacon in rapidly disintegrating bread.

Was that the game where there was a massive hailstorm?

[Royal With Cheese]

That Walsall game still sends shivers down my spine. Not good ones.

[Once were Biscuitmen]

Thanks to some deeply unlucky league/cup scheduling I seem to remember playing out a sequence of horrifically boring 0-0 draws with, I think, Rotherham one year.

I must have repressed it quite deeply as I can't recall when.

I actually stopped going to football for a while afterwards.

[LoyalRoyalFan]

Birmingham 0 Reading 1 May 1990.

Gilkes hit late winner, the Away end collectively shat its pants. Only time at a game i was convinced i was in for a bloody good hiding.

was that the one were the fan ran on and tried to wallop gilkes?

No, it was the one where 6000 of them went for him.

Anyone go the the Bristol City home game in 84? Only just recalled that one, and for a good reason. That was a proper nasty experience, easily the worst at Elm Park that i saw. They ripped up the town end, flying concrete was the order of the day.

Wasn't this when they brought thousands on the trains and ran amock through the town?

[LoyalRoyalFan]

Losing to Bristol Rovers 0-6 at home

[Franchise FC]

away game at chesterfield
we scored first and then lost the game 7-1
rained most of the game that was when it wasnt snowing
then had the next week off scool with the flu

Didn't Lawrie Sanchez score from 25 yards ......... at the wrong end ?