[Lord Snooty]

Huddersfield Town v Reading
The FA Cup 3rd round
Saturday January 3rd - 3:00 ko
at The John Smith's Stadium

Huddersfield Town welcome Reading to the John Smith's Stadium on Saturday for the start of this year's FA Cup campaign. It will be 93 years this time since Town won the FA Cup, but at least we have won it. Reading's best attempt was when they reached the semi finals back in 1927.
They have reached the quarter finals recently though. In 2010 and 2011 they got that far, losing to Aston Villa and Manchester City. Town haven't got that far since the 1971/72 season when we were beaten at Birmingham City. Come on, Town. Let's at least get that far this season.
Last season we made it to the 4th round. After a brilliant comeback win at Grimsby, we were knocked out at home to a Charlton Athletic side, managed by Chris Powell. Mr Powell and his boys got as far as the quarter finals, beating Sheffield Wednesday before losing to lower league opposition in the shape of Sheffield Utd.

Town team news: Grant Holt has gone back to Wigan after his loan spell expired. Sean Scannell took a knock in the weekend victory over Bolton so could well be rested with two big league games against Watford and Middlesbrough to follow. So this could be a chance to shine for either Joe Lolley, Danny Ward or Adam Hammill. Other players who may be put in the January shop window could be also given a game, the likes of Anthony Gerrard, Oscar Gobern and Paul Dixon.

How much?  You can save money by buying a ticket ahead of match day. The pricing structure is as follows;
Season Card holders
£10 adults
£8 seniors (over-60s)
£5 juniors (under-18s)
Non-Season Card holders
£12 adults
£9 seniors (over-60s)
£5 juniors (under-18s)

Should you decide to turn up and pay on the day, the prices are;
£15 adults
£15 seniors (over-60s)
£7 juniors (under-18s)

A brief history of Reading: All their best seasons have been recent, since the takeover by John Madejski in 1991. Before then they were mostly a lower league side, flirting occasionally with the 2nd division (what we now call the Championship). It was in one of those seasons in the relative big time that they won their first major trophy, the Simod Cup in 1988, beating Luton Town at Wembley. They did get relegated though shortly after.
Then Madejski took over, moved the club out of Elm Park, their home since 1896, and moved them into the stadium they have now, named after himself of course. That was in 1998 and soon they were to be promoted again. They finished runners up in 2003, a couple of years after losing to Walsall in the Play Off final. They made an immediate impact in the Championship, reaching the Play Offs, where they got beat by Wolves at the semi final stage.
Not to be deterred though, they won the 2005–06 Championship with a league record 106 points, scoring 99 goals and losing only twice. For the first time in their history, they were now in the top flight of English football. They defied the odds that first season by finishing a creditable 8th, but were relegated again the following season.
They spent their time in the Championship at the top end, reaching the Play Offs the next two years, but being beaten by Burnley and then Swansea. In 2012 however, they won the title to return to the Premier League.
It didn't last and they were straight back down again, finishing 7th in the Championship last season.

English 2nd tier:
Champions 2006, 2012, runners-up 1995
English 3rd tier:
Champions 1926,1986,1994; runners-up 1932, 1935, 1949, 1952, 2002
English 4th tier:
Champions 1979
Full Members Cup:
Winners 1988

Head to Head
Reading lead the overall head to head by 21 wins to 12, with 9 draws. That's in all competitions. In league matches it's 12 Town wins to Reading's 19, with 8 draws.
We have only met once before in the FA Cup. After a goalless draw at Leeds Road in the 3rd round of the 1986 competition, we then lost 2-1 at Elm Park in the replay, with David Cowling scoring for Town.
Town of course have already beaten Reading once this season with an unexpected win down at the Madejski Stadium. That was back in August under the caretaker stewardship of Mark Lillis. Goals from Jacob Butterfield and Harry Bunn securing a 2-1 win, with Simon Cox getting a late consolation for the Royals.



So what have modern day Reading got?

They come here on the back of a 2-1 win at home to Norwich. Managed these days by Steve Clarke, the former West Brom manager. He has an FA Cup winners medal in his locker, being a member of the Chelsea team that won the Cup in 1997 when they beat Middlesbrough 2-0.


Cup winner Clarke


Who are Reading's main men? Well they have had two proven goalscorers in their line up. Simon Cox, the Republic of Ireland international, played under Clarke at the Hawthorns and joined Reading in the summer from Nottingham Forest. This was a homecoming for him as he was born and in the town and signed for the club at the age of nine. However, after only two first team matches and a few loan outs, he was transferred to Swindon, making his debut at the MacAlpharm Stadium in a match Town won 1-0.
Up front with him recently has been Glenn Murray, but his loan period from Crystal Palace came to en end after the Norwich match on Sunday. However, both Clarke and Murray have said that they want to make it a permanent move, but with Palace without a manager in place since Neil Warnock got sacked last week the deal may not go through in time for this match. He has scored 8 goals during his loan spell
Also capable of banging in goals for the Biscuitmen are Pavel Pogrebnyak, Hal Robson-Kanu, Nick Blackman, Jamie Mackie and of course, Oliver Norwood.

Leading scorer - Simon Cox  with 8.

Recent form - Last six games:

Town 2-1 Bolton
Rotherham 2-2 Town
Town 0-1 Birmingham
Norwich 5-0 Town
Town 2-1 Brentford
Bolton 1-0 Town

Reading 2-1 Norwich
Brighton 2-2 Reading
Reading 0-1 Watford
Birmingham 6-1 Reading
Reading 0-0 Bolton
Norwich 1-2 Reading

Reading are 16th in the league with 29 points, that's one more than we have. Town are 18th on 28 points.


Last season's FA Cup results:

R3: Grimsby 2-3 Town
R4: Town 0-1 Charlton

R3: Brighton 1-0 Reading



Club connections:

Oliver Norwood of the current Reading squad played for Town. He scored the first goal of our FA cup campaign last season, a brilliant free kick in the 3-2 win at Blundell Park. That was one of the nine goals he scored in Town colours. He still hasn't got off the mark for Reading despite now having played 21 times for them. You know where that first one will be coming then!





Benik Afobe: still officially an Arsenal player, now on loan at MK Dons, but previously on loan with us and then had three games on loan at Reading.

Simon Church: came on loan to us from Reading and was pisch, but as a Charlton player last season scored the goal that knocked us out of the FA Cup.

David Cowling: is a proper Town legend, being a member of the famous Mick Buxton squad, scoring the goal that beat Leeds in the League Cup and the goal against Newport County that secured promotion, before having a short stint as a Reading player in 1988.

Steve Francis: joined Reading from Chelsea in 1987 and 270 matches later came to Town where he played 186 times, one of which was at Wembley in the 1995 Play Off victory over Bristol Rovers.

Craig Maskell: was a prolific goalscorer for Town in the 1980s before leaving to join Reading in 1990 where the prolificness continued.

Sean Morrison: came on loan from the then Premier League habiting Reading in 2012 and helped us beat Sheffield Utd at Wembley in a famous penalty shoot out.

Billy Price: could've been the greatest goalscorer in Town history if not for the intervention of the 2nd World War. He scored Town's last league goal before the outbreak of hostilities and the abandonment of professional football competitions. That was the winner in a 2-1 win over Sunderland at Roker Park. Over the next few years, the FA set up regional wartime leagues to keep moral up on the home front and in this time Billy Price notched an amazing 179 goals in the bright blue and white of Huddersfield Town. The quality of the opposition at times may have been a bit ordinary, we had an 11-0 win over Rochdale in 1941 in which he scored a hat trick, but had he been playing under normal circumstances, who knows how many goals he could've notched as a Town player?
His official total is 31 goals in 60 appearances at either end of the war, stretched over a ten year Town career. He then transferred to Reading in 1947 at the age of 30 with his best years behind him.



The most famous one though would be Phil Parkinson: assistant manager to Alan Pardew at Charlton in April 2007 he decided to come and sign for Ken Davy as the new manager of Huddersfield Town. His managerial career at the MacAlpharm Stadium was completely unblemished, not losing one single match in his spell in charge of the club. Unfortunately for Town, the lure of the Premier League and the desire to help Charlton drop to league One, was too much for him and he returned to the Valley.
He has now taken a break from football by accepting employment with Bradford City.
In his playing days though, Parkinson was a genuine Reading legend. Player of the Season twice in the 1990s, he captained them to two promotions, clocked up over 300 appearances and was voted by the fans into their best ever XI.
He will, of course, be always remembered fondly in these parts though as Phil "the chair" Parkinson.





Any more? Brian McDermott started his career at Arsenal and then Oxford Utd when they were in the top flight. He then came on loan to us in 1986, playing 4 matches and scoring once in a defeat at Valley Parade. He later managed Reading in the Premier League before giving up on life and becoming the Leeds manager in 2013.

One last thing. Does anybody know when the draw for the next round is taking place? There's no special programme scheduled on BBC2 like the last three rounds. It could be after the Wimbledon v Liverpool match on Monday night. It could even be after the Arsenal v Hull match on Sunday. Who knows? I've tweeted the FA and got no reply. Nobody seems to know.

[SHEP_HTAFC]

The draw for the 4th round is on 5th Jan.
It'll be shown on BBC who are covering the Wimbledon v Liverpool match at 19:30.

[Lord Snooty]

Thanks, Shep.

[Amelia Chaffinch]

Any more? Brian McDermott started his career at Arsenal and then Oxford Utd when they were in the top flight. He then came on loan to us in 1986, playing 4 matches and scoring once in a defeat at Valley Parade. He later managed Reading in the Premier League before giving up on life and becoming the Leeds manager in 2013.

[ARTERRIER]

Went down and got a couple of tickets today, fave me summat to do, and there was a few people down there buying tickets for the game, so there might be a decentish crowd. Hopefully we'll field a full strength team and win,get a good cup run going, Christ could we do with something to cheer, cos its been a bit grim oc late.

[EastLondonTerrier]

Would like both hammill and lolley to be given a go. Don't think powell will play two up top in the fa cup especially with two big league games coming up. I reckon he'll play nakhi up top as that seemed to terrorise them last time we played them, the only time I can remember nakhi actually showing he can play up top on his own. Would love us to go through and get west ham away in the next round so I can get down to it and give a few mates from uni some jip if we beat em. Always beneficial to the transfer kitty too.

[Lord Snooty]

Glenn Murray out for Reading. He's back at Palace. Pardew must fancy him. Also recalled to the Palace incidentally, is Jac Khunt.

[WakeyTerrier]

It's got 0-0 written all over this, we then draw a massive team on Monday and go on to lose the replay. It's typical of Town

[Lord Snooty]

From the BBC website:
Huddersfield forward Sean Scannell is hoping to shake off a foot injury and Nahki Wells is pushing for a start after his late winner against Bolton.
Joel Lynch (groin) stays sidelined and Grant Holt's loan from Wigan has ended.
Reading welcome back midfielder Danny Guthrie from a calf problem and striker Jamie Mackie could start after making a substitute appearance against Norwich.
Pavel Pogrebnyak, Anton Ferdinand (both calf) and Hope Akpan (shoulder) are set to miss this FA Cup third-round tie.

[theo_luddite]

There's a scary symmetry about those last 4 results for each club.

Huddersfield last 4 matches (most recent first):
28/12/14 (h) Bolton 2-1 W
26/12/14 (a) Rotherham 2-2 D
20/12/14 (h) Birmingham 0-1 L
13/12/14 (a) Norwich 5-0 L

Reading last 4 matches (most recent first):
28/12/14 (h) Norwich 2-1 W
26/12/14 (a) Brighton 2-2 D
20/12/14 (h) Watford 0-1 L
13/12/14 (a) Birmingham 6-1 L

Hopefully it will be a good entertaining game.