Classic Reading Ticket Fiascos

[Sutekh]

Going way back in the day - Reading v Blyth Spartans FA Cup replay - draw already made - winners home to Arsenal. IIRC fixture was a midweek afternoon (electricity saving) and about 1,000 programmes were printed with vouchers for the next round. Programmes sold out by the time I got there.

I also missed out on the Bolton fiasco, being next in line when they shut the Southbank turnstiles.

Fingers crossed the third round draw pairs us up with Blyth again......

[under the tin]

Going way back in the day - Reading v Blyth Spartans FA Cup replay - draw already made - winners home to Arsenal. IIRC fixture was a midweek afternoon (electricity saving) and about 1,000 programmes were printed with vouchers for the next round. Programmes sold out by the time I got there.

I also missed out on the Bolton fiasco, being next in line when they shut the Southbank turnstiles.

Bunked off school, and got in for free that game .
Because it was an afternoon kick off, they were short of turnstile operators.
A big queue developed at the town end turnstiles. The game kicked off and the queue was getting fractious.
All of a sudden, the gates opened, loud cheer, and we all poured in.
We won 6-2 from memory. Peter Harman hat trick.
Football was fun then.

[Stuka]

I seem to remember a few times the last time when we were in the Prem where I didn't have anywhere close to enough Royalty Points to purchase a ticket, usually an away game, but upon just trying anyway I got the tickets through the website. This would often leave legitimate Loyal Royals fuming here on HNA. Sorry guys but I was able to buy the tickets so I did.

[urz13]

Birmingham (A) the season we were promoted under Brian. We'd already been crowned champions. For some reason tickets were available to everyone and anyone for a few hours - meaning so many had been sold that many people who would've otherwise got one missed out.

[STAR Liaison]

Pretty sure STH got first dibs on those Man Yoo tickets ennit

True dat but there were only c2.000 STH then and the other 10,000 home tickets went anywhere. Or did STH get the chance of 2 tickets? I know I was alright and I know a lot of good fans were not.

[Jerry St Clair]

I remember a cup game against Newcastle in the late 80's/early 90' s where the tickets weren't numbered. No surprise that Mike Lewis was the commercial manager at the time.

Yep, Newcastle fans (mainly) just photocopied tickets. I think the official attendance was 9000, but it looked like there were that many on the Town End alone. The massive overcrowding was compounded by the biblically pissed-up Newcastle contingent. And a Michael Gilkes 90th minute equaliser. Good times.

[Tony Le Mesmer]

Tuesday night away to Sunderland in relegation season 98.

6 hour drive, turned up about 10 mins before kick off. "Sorry Lads, it's sold out". Turns out they'd sold away end seats to home fans at the last minute due to the large crowd. They finally found us a seat 10mins in, just in time for us to let in 2 goals in a minute.

We got absolutely destroyed by Sunderland that night, the only Reading game i've seen where we could easily have conceded 10.

Pretty sure the 40,000+ gate stood as the highest league crowd we had ever played in front of at the time, until promotion to the Prem.

[gazzer, loyal royal]

I'll kick off - Man City away in the cup in 2011 (I think).

Club laid on free travel but only took the minimum allocation meaning many people who wanted to go missed out.

Managed to get two tickets by staying up until midnight to secure them, didn't get the free coach.

to be fair, the club took minimum allocation as we had a piss poor away following that season, so didn't want to be left with tickets they couldn't sell.

[Deadlock]

Birmingham (A) the season we were promoted under Brian. We'd already been crowned champions. For some reason tickets were available to everyone and anyone for a few hours - meaning so many had been sold that many people who would've otherwise got one missed out.

First away game I'd been to for ages. Odd atmosphere; we'd won the league so the team decided to start their holidays early and played like pilchards. Somehow managed to buy the ticket next to Mr Angry, which was nice. Also saw Dirk Gently in the same stand, but didn't mention betting fiascos.