Players who virtually won us games/promotion/avoided relegation on their own

[Forbury Lion]

Inspired by the thread on players who could have beaten us on their own.

Darren Caskey 1999-2000 season Division 2 and battling relegation - after 6 games we were one off the bottom in 23rd but finished a respectable 10th .
17 League goals, 23 in all competitions (closest player was Forster with 10 in the league/10 total)

Everytime we had a free kick we seemingly knew Caskey would put it in the back of the net, we even started singing at one point "we know what's coming next".

It was his best ever season at a time when the team were poor & without his goals we would have arguably been relegated.

[Hendo]

Maybe not on his own but Jason Roberts obviously had a massive impact on us getting promoted.

You could argue that Feds, AAH, Martinez all won us games.

You could even argue that Martinez probably single-handily helped us avoid relegation last season, but the other 4 loanees all played their part as well.

[Henley Royal 1]

Ali Al Habsi got us to play off final virtually single handed.

[Hendo]

Ali Al Habsi got us to play off final virtually single handed.

I'm sure he used both hands to make some of the saves

[Sutekh]

Kevin Bremner won the Plymouth 4-3 back in 1985

Fozzy won the Wigan play off semi

Could we say Gilkesy won the Simod Cup?

[Westwood52]

Robin Friday must have won us a few games on his own.

[Pepe the Horseman]

You could argue that Feds, AAH, Martinez all won us games last season.

I don't think you could.

[Hendo]

You could argue that Feds, AAH, Martinez all won us games last season.

I don't think you could.

In spirit?

[Rudolph Hucker]

Nicky Forster played as a lone striker for a couple of seasons under Pardew and then Coppell around '03-'05 and seemed to beat teams single handedly. He was so fast the only way to stop him was to bring him down. I remember brilliant hat-tricks against Preston and Ipswich at the Mad Stad when he was flying and probably the best striker in the division.

[Zip]

Kevin Bremner won the Plymouth 4-3 back in 1985

Fozzy won the Wigan play off semi

Could we say Gilkesy won the Simod Cup?

Luton were terrified of Gilkes in the first half and he made all the difference in turning a scoreline of 0-1 into 2-1. In the second half everyone played well so it’s a bit too much to say he won the Cup imo. In the end it was such a comfortable win.

Fozzy won us games. He destroyed Preston in a 5-1 midweek evening game. He was unstoppable that night.

[Franconian Royal]

Sig is his first whole season with the balls coming off his foot. At times, I thought Sig was playing a different game.

Fozzy has been mentioned. But maybe cureton as well? He was unplayable at times as well.

Long / Doyle / Kitson / Lita - the latter when he wasn’t prancing around like a soar loser.

Unsung hero: Parkinson. Remember his goal at the Mad Stad (north stand goal where the home supporters sat ?)

[AthleticoSpizz]

Another shout out for Caskey when we were sh1t

[Tony Le Mesmer]

40 years of watching Reading, Nicky Forster 2002-03 is a complete standout in terms of being totally reliant on 1 player. Unplayable at times, so fast with the ball. The injury at Wolves probably cost us promotion.

Caskey 99/00 and his goals from midfield that season, but I seem to recall over half of them were penalties?

Ian Harte's set piece masterclass from 2012 should get a mention, he was probably worth an extra 15 points the 2nd half of that season. Yet my abiding memory of him is getting dogs abuse from the stands for being slow and "not clearing the 1st man"

[SCIAG]

Speaking of Dave Kitson, don’t think 05/06 counts as everyone was excellent, but in 04/05 he must have scored half our goals despite spending a lot time out with a medial ligament injury.

[Mid Sussex Royal]

Trevor Morley got half our goals late 90's one season, we probably would have gone down without them

[tmesis]

A valiant mention must go to Kerry Dixon in 82/83.

In a terrible team, he hit 26 goals in 35 games. Had he not missed two months with injury, the odds are Reading would have stayed up.

[Royal Ginger]

Ian Harte won that game for us against Brighton where they battered us for the full 90 yet he slotted that free kick. He got a couple of games for us that season.

Also Kaspars (love hearts in my eyes) Gorkss

[tmesis]

If you want to talk individual games, I'd probably opt for Steve Francis at Ipswich on the last day on the 86/87 season.

We only drew, but that was possibly the best goalkeeping display I've seen.

[Westwood52]

Remember that game against Liverpool,with McCarthy in goal.I thought Suarez was going to blow a gasket.

[Sutekh]

If you want to talk individual games, I'd probably opt for Steve Francis at Ipswich on the last day on the 86/87 season.

We only drew, but that was possibly the best goalkeeping display I've seen.

Didn’t Steve win the player of the season that year and he only joined part of the way through 86/87 didn’t he? Best 15 grand ever spent by the club.