[Lord Snooty]

Reading v Huddersfield Town
Sky Bet League One
Saturday August 9th - 12:30 ko
at the Select Car Leasing Stadium

Huddersfield Town travel to Reading to the Majestic Ballroom on Saturday afternoon for a Sky Sports, lunchtime kicking off, game of football.

Well what a pleasant surprise that was on Saturday. Three goals and a clean sheet. Kevin Nagle and his team have actually done a good job in the recruitment department over the summer. Which it would seem, includes hiring a decent manager in Lee Grant. It's early days yet, of course, but the signs are encouraging.

The most significant act over the summer though could be getting the EFL to rescind the directive to referees that Huddersfield Town, under no circumstances, should be awarded a penalty at the John MacAccupharm Stadium. Unless it was a genuine mistake from Saturday's ref, a reasonable number of penalties during the season could come in handy now that we have a player in Alfie May, who knows how to score them. I knew that number 26 shirt would come good again.

Sean Roughan has been training this week after he limped off on Saturday, but Marcus Harness hasn't yet and will be assessed before the game. Josh Feeney will be available, he was suspended for the Orient game after being sent off in the last game of last season when he was at Shrewsbury. Murray Wallace could also be available for his second Town debut.

The Royal Biscuitmen sold Harvey Knibbs to Charlton in the summer, but they have brought in Mark O'Mahoney on loan from Brighton. He's a 20 year old Irish u-21 striker who was on loan at Portsmouth last season. They also have Kelvin Ehibhatiomhan up front, who will give Oggy and the barber a severe test in the radio commentary box.

Their skipper is the experienced Lewis Wingnut and they have ex Town keeper Joel Pereira between the sticks.










Tickets:

Block R30-R32:
Adults - £25
65s and Over - £19
18-24-year-olds - £16
17s and Under - £10
13s and Under - £7

Family Area (Only available to purchase in advance):

Adults - £20
65s and Over - £19
18-24-year-olds - £16
17s and Under - £7
13s and Under - £4

Official coach travel is available for this fixture, priced at £36 per-person. Departure will be from our the Gasworks Car Park at 6am.



A brief history of Reading FC: formed in 1871, they didn't join the Football League until 1920. Since then they have won the following honours:-

Championship (level 2):
Champions 2005/06 and 2011/12

League 1 (level 3):
Champions 1925/26, 1985/86 and 1993/94

Runners up 2001/02

League 2 (level 4):
Champions 1979/80
Promoted 1975/76 and 1983/84

Full Members Cup:
Winners 1987/88

Head to Head



Reading lead the head to head with 28 wins to Town's 18, with 15 draws.

We were leagues apart from each other for many a year, due to us being in the top division for most of the time. We eventually met for the first time in the 70s when we dropped down to Division 4. It was 1975/76 and the first meeting was at Elm Park on the 25th of October 1975. Bobby Collins was Town manager and Charlie Hurley was in charge of the Royals. Town lost 2-0 and Collins struggled in charge with having interference from above in the shape of General Manager, Tom Johnston.

He resigned just before Christmas and Johnston took full control. When Reading came up north for the return fixture on a Saturday afternoon game at the back end of February, Johnston was still in charge. The team were in 7th place in the league, in a time when the top 4 would be promoted, unlike today when 7th would get a Play Off spot. The Terriers had reverted back to the unpopular all bue shirts for this season, the last time we didn't have stripes on the home kit. We won this game though. A resounding 3-0 victory with Bob Newton opening the scoring followed by two goals from top scorer, Terry Gray. We ended the season in 5th place, two points behind Tranmere Rovers and it would be another four years before we got out of that division.

So having won the 4th Division title in 79/80, we had a slow start to life in Division 3. Defeat in the opening game at Chesterfield was followed by draws at home to Carlisle United and Blackpool at home and then away at Rotherham United. But when Reading arrived at Leeds Road for game 5 of the season, the lads hit top form as the Biscuitmen crumbled to a 4-1 defeat. Their oddly named goalkeeper, Steve Death gave Town a great start by punching the ball into his own net from a corner in front of the Cowshed in the first half. Micky Kennedy then scored his first Town goal, from the penalty spot, before second half goals from Micky Laverick and Brian Stanton gave us a cracking 4-1 win.

We lost the return game 2-1, which ended a run of nine games unbeaten.

There were more own goals in the next season. Martin Hicks scored two own goals for us, one in each game as we did the double over them, 2-1 away and a whopping 6-1 win at home.

Fast forward rapidly to 2016/17 and after two 1-0 wins for the home sides, the two teams lined up against each other in the Championship Play Off Final at Wembley. Fast forward again through a thoroughly unentertaining 120 minutes and we find Christopher Schindler lining up a penalty kick to take us up to the Premier League. A chance to write his name in Huddersfield Town legend. Did he take that chance?

So what's going on down at Elm Park? Managed nowadays by Noel Hunt, who played for the club, alongside his brother, in the Premier League.

Born in Waterford in 1982, he started his career with Shamrock Rovers, before moving to Scotland and Dunfermline Athletic, who were in the Scottish Premiership at the time. He then moved to Dundee United and then south to Reading of the Championship in 2008.

He was at the club when they won the Championship title in 2012 under the leadership of Brian McDermott, playing in 41 matches of the season, as well as earning his three caps for the Republic of Ireland. He made 21 appearances in the Premier League, but then his career hit a major stumbling block. McDermott had been poached by the Champions of Europe and persuaded Hunt to join him at Bellend Road. It was all downhill from then on.

Moves to Ipswich, Southend, Portsmouth and Wigan saw his playing career fade away, before he moved back home to finish his playing days at Waterford.

He returned to England to be assistant manager to Richie Wellens at Swindon Town, taking over as caretaker when Wellens left for Salford. Hunt didn't follow Wellens to the Peninsula Stadium, but the two did reunite when Wellens got the Doncaster job, bringing Noel in as his number two.

In February 2022, Hunt returned to Reading as a development coach, becoming caretaker manager when Paul Ince got sacked a few months later. Rubén Sellés got the job, but when he left for Hull in December last year, Hunt took over and has been in charge since, almost getting them to the Play Offs, but failing on the last day when Huddersfield Town fell apart at home to Leyton Orient.

Reading in popular culture: Huddersfield Town's most famous celebrity fan, Pat Butcher, lived in Reading at the time of his tragic death in 1984. Born in 1946, Pat grew up in Almondbury with his parents, Alfred and Maureen. Later he worked as a banker and it was because of his job that he ended up moving to Reading with his wife Carol and their son, Daley.

In his spare time, he became a scout leader, often taking the scouts out on trips. Sadly it was on one of those trips where he took a group of adventure scouts to nearby Button House to make use of it's extensive gardens for some archery instruction, that he met his untimely death when one of the scouts accidently shot him in the neck.

As none of the boys could drive the mini bus, in a dazed and confused state, Pat tried to drive himself to hospital, but only managed to crash into a tree. He died there and then, with his most prized posession, a Huddersfield Town key ring, in the ignition.

Since that day, he has been wandering around the house and grounds as a ghost, which has been documented in a BBC tv series.

[jjamez]

Quite a few played for both, naby sarr, Ollie Norwood, Simon church, Danny willy to go with poppadoms. Probably others

Been there before only to the new ground, for an fa cup replay, no idea why we decided to do a Tuesday night down there, we lost Hogg got sent off

[theo_luddite]

One of a few stadiums yet to be graced by my presence, given its proximity to the M4 rather than Reading itself, despite direct trains from Wolvo, I'll be availing myself of the Sky feed tomorrow.

[Lord Snooty]

I've never been to the Majestic. I did go to Elm Park on a couple of occasions though.

[WakeyTerrier]

I’ve been a couple of times, nice and easy getting the bus from the Town centre to the ground and back. Typical bowl like stadium built in the middle of nowhere with not much to around the outside of it. Car parks by the ground are a nightmare to get out of by all accounts.

[Lord Snooty]

Huddersfield Town Manager Lee Grant has made three changes to his starting side ahead of our first away Sky Bet League One fixture of the 2025/26 season, kicking-off at 12.30pm against Reading at the Select Car Leasing Stadium.

All making positive contributions from the bench in the opening day win against Leyton Orient at the Accu Stadium as Town secured an impressive 3-0 win, Lasse Sorensen, Joe Taylor and Ruben Roosken all get the nod from the start today. As a result, Lynden Gooch and Sean Roughan will begin the game as substitutes, with Marcus Harness not included in the match day squad.

A first start of the season for Ruben Roosken, the winger put pen-to-paper on an extended contract with the Club earlier this week following his goalscoring exploits in the opening game of the season. Fellow goalscorers Joe Low and Alfie May also continue in the side in defence and in attack respectively.

Having been suspended for the opening game following a red card on the final day of the 2024/25 campaign, defender Josh Feeney is available from the bench this afternoon. U21s attacking midfielder Cameron Ashia completes the substitutes, marking the second occasion he’s been named in a senior match day squad in Sky Bet League One. Yet to make his league debut, Ashia has featured in the Vertu Trophy for the Club, and was also an unused substitute in the Emirates FA Cup.

Ryan Ledson continues in the middle having been installed as Club captain in the summer, with Lasse Sorensen starting the game at right-back. Creating the third and final goal for Town against Leyton Orient, forward Joe Taylor starts his first game of the season today. Midfielder Antony Evans remains unavailable due to a knee injury.

TOWN’S TEAM vs READING (A)

1. Owen Goodman
2. Lasse Sorensen
4. Ryan Ledson ©
5. Joe Low
6. Jack Whatmough
8. Ben Wiles
9. Joe Taylor
11. Ruben Roosken
14. Mickel Miller
16. Herbie Kane
26. Alfie May

SUBSTITUTES

Lee Nicholls; Lynden Gooch, Dion Charles, David Kasumu, Josh Feeney, Sean Roughan, Cameron Ashia

---

Royal Biscuitmen:
Pereira
Jacob
Stickland
Burns
Abrefa
Savage
Wing ©
Fraser
Kyerewaa
O’Mahony
Lane

Substitutes; Ahmed, Camará, Doyle, Ehibhatiomhan, Garcia, Elliott, Stevens

[Lord Snooty]

Half time goal less. Two teams working hard at cancelling each other out. Miller looking dangerous and set up a great chance for Taylor, which was well saved by Periera.

---

Whatmough 1-0

---

Great finish from Ashia makes it 2-0.

[Lord Snooty]

Another impressive win. Midfield looks much better than last season. Wiles and Kane look like different players with Ledson alongside them.

May runs and runs and gets my man of the match vote. He's goalscorer mainly but he's much more than that. He's not the sort who stands up front waiting for the ball to come to him.

Chuffed for young brimful of Ashia. Goal of the season so far.

[Amelia Chaffinch]

Our fans will have expectation again. It does you no good having expectations. 

[theo_luddite]

Better than the despair of the last few seasons in my opinion.