LATEST NEWS ON 'The Royals'
SEPTEMBER 2001
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  • 30th September 2001 - Parky Testimonial

    • Royals Chairman, John Madejski, has announced that Phil Parkinson is to be granted a testimonial at the end of the season. He stressed that it does not represent a change in club policy that no more testimonials will be granted, but simply his right to change his mind in exceptional circumstances. It is no less than Parky deserves, as the fans favourite has never given less than 110% effort to the cause during the past 10 years. We will await with interest as to who the opponents will be.

  • 29th September 2001 - Royals Shaken

    • Yet another poor performance and 2 more points dropped to end a very disappointing week for the Royals. Bury only arrived at the MadStad 40 minutes before kick-off after their coach broke down near Birmingham. But it was Reading who seemed to have all the problems as they struggled to break down a side that had not gained a single point since the opening day of the season. Sammy Igoe gave the Royals the lead on the stroke of half time, but it was hardly deserved. Indeed, The Shakers could well have been two goals in front by then having had one shot hit the post and another blocked by Whitehead with the Bury striker clean through on goal. Things did not improve after the break and Bury gained a hard earned point in injury time.

  • 26th September 2001 - Reserves Stuff Palace

    • Reading Reserves played a friendly against Crystal Palace today and ran out comfortable 4-1 winners. Goals from Anthony Rougier, Joey Alcott, Jamie Cureton and Joe Gamble gave Royals the victory, with the Eagles only reply coming courtesy of a dubious penalty.

  • 25th September 2001 - Cherries 1 Royals 0

    • Reading went down to a solitary goal in a scrappy game at Dorchester. It was a boring and tedious affair with very little quality from either side. The game had looked destined to end 0-0 until a fatal lapse in concentration at the back gave Bournemouth the chance to scramble the ball home. This performance by the Royals was a far cry from the excellent display against Wycombe on Saturday. If the Royals are to be serious contenders then they must start to show some consistency and they really should beat teams as poor as Bournemouth.

  • 22nd September 2001 - Royals 2 Wycombe 0

    • This was much more like it from the Royals as they cruised to victory against a very poor Wycombe side. The scoreline was flattering to the visitors as Reading completely dominated from start to finish. Although Wanderers had a player sent off, the game was long over by then as Wycombe offered absolutely nothing as a threat. It is unlikely that Royals will have an easier game this season. Adrian Williams bundled home the first goal, and within a minute Darius Henderson headed home Reading's 5000th league goal. The only sour point was another 5 bookings for the Royals in what was not a dirty game. However, Adie Williams has only his own stupidity to blame and he is already just one card away from suspension.

  • 22nd September 2001 - LDV Vans Bye

    • Reading have been given a Bye in the first round of the LDV Vans Trophy. They progress straight to the second round which is due to be played week commencing 29th October.

  • 18th September 2001 - R's 1 U's 0

    • This was certainly not a classic, but 3 very welcome points all the same. Indeed, the Royals can consider themselves slightly fortunate to come away with the victory against awkward opponents. The solitary goal came after 64 minutes and was bundled over the line by James Harper, after U's keeper Lionel Perez appeared to have been fouled. Unusually, however, the referee did not side with the goalkeepers union on this occasion and the Royals gladly accepted the decision. Earlier in the first half, the referee had again done Reading a huge favour when strong Cambridge appeals for a penalty (handball by Parky) were waved away. All in all, this was an important game for the Royals if they were to get back on track, and the result was more important than the performance. Let's hope we can re-find our early season form quickly.

  • 18th September 2001 - Willa Tickets

    • The Royals have been given 3500 tickets for the Worthington Cup game at Aston Villa, priced £10 for adults and £5 for u16s and senior citizens.
    Tickets go on sale to season ticket holders from Thursday 20th September at 9am, on a 2 per season ticket holder basis.
    RFSC members can buy on Thursday 27th September from 9am, 1 per RFSC member.
    Any remaining tickets will go on general sale on Friday 28th September.

  • 15th September 2001 - Stoke 2 Royals 0

    • After a fine victory over premiership opposition in midweek, it was back to earth with a bump for the Royals at Stoke this afternoon. It looked promising when Martin Butler had 2 early efforts well saved, but the Potters soon gained control and completely over-ran a ragged Royals. Indeed, Reading can count themselves lucky that the scoreline was only 2-0 as Stoke completely outplayed and outclassed us. It really could, and perhaps should, have been an embarrassing hiding.

  • 15th September 2001 - Villa Next in WC

    • The Royals have been drawn away to Aston Villa in the 3rd round of the Worthington Cup. The tie is due to be played week commencing 8th October. Having already beaten a Premiership team in Claret 'n' Blue in the last round, could it be a lucky omen for the Royals to be facing the other Claret 'n' Blue? We shall see.

  • 12th September 2001 - Tyson Tragedy

    • Nathan Tyson has suffered what appears to be a serious injury. The young striker who is currently on loan to Swansea, was stretchered off in their 3-1 defeat at Plymouth last night. It is feared that he may have suffered cruciate ligament damage, which could see him out of action for up to 9 months. It is a devastating blow for the promising youngster, who had been sent on loan to the Welsh club to gain valuable league experience.

  • 12th September 2001 - Shoot-out Joy

    • Adrian Viveash was the toast of Reading last night as his spot-kick secured a 6-5 penalties victory over West Ham in the Worthington Cup. The game had finished 0-0 after extra time, in a match where the Royals were more than equal to their Premiership opponents in all departments. Indeed, Reading were unfortunate not to have gained a deserved victory without the need for the lottery of a penalty shoot-out. Shaka Hislop, who received a great reception on his return, had made some excellent stops, in particular from Martin Butler. But it was the penalty shoot-out that provided the drama of the night. After Hislop had saved James Harper's spot kick, Hammers' Jermaine Defoe needed to score to send West Ham into the next round. But Defoe, who has previously scored at the MadStad for both Bournemouth and England U21, could only strike his penalty against Whitbread's right-hand upright. That gave Viveash the opprtunity to win it for Royals and his kick just beat Hislop inside the post to crown a memorable night for a near capacity crowd.

  • 9th September 2001 - West Ham Sell Out?

    • There will be a bumper attendance at the MadStad on Tuesday for the visit of West Ham United in the 2nd round of the Worthington Cup. The game looks like being a sell-out for what will see the return of former Royals hero Shaka Hislop. The West Ham keeper is still very popular with Royals' fans and is sure to receive a fabulous reception.

  • 8th September 2001 - Cardiff Misery Again

    • Royals fans must be wishing that Cardiff was wiped off the map after this latest set-back. When the Welshman were last in Division 2 they did the double over Reading despite being relegated. Then, of course, there was the misery of play-off defeat in Cardiff. Now the Royals have suffered their first defeat of the season, going down 1-2 to the Bluebirds at Madejski Stadium. Alex Smith scored Royals' only goal, smashing home a rebound after Jamie Cureton's shot had been parried. It was a rare moment of joy for Reading in a game that Cardiff thoroughly deserved to win. The Royals found it difficult to cope with their physical opponents who won just about everything in the air. In a game spoilt by a petty referee who refused to let the play flow, Reading struggled to find a cutting edge and Cureton was pretty much anonymous for much of the game. With a tough game away to Stoke next weekend, the Royals will need to show their fighting qualities to bounce back from a disappointing defeat.

  • 6th September 2001 - Butler On Goal Trail

    • Martin Butler was back on the goal trail last night when he scored the opening goal in a reserves friendly away to Luton Town. Butler came through the full 90 minutes with no reaction to his ankle injury, putting him in contention for a starting place against Cardiff on Saturday. Neil Smith and Darius Henderson were also on the scoresheet as Royals cruised to a 3-0 victory.

  • 5th September 2001 - Away Shirts

    • The Royals smart new away shirts will finally go on sale to fans on 22nd September. You can pre-order your shirt at the Megastore now.

  • 1st September 2001 - Valiants 0 Royals 2

    • Reading continued their fine start to the season with an excellent 2-0 victory at Port Vale this afternoon. Jamie Cureton started the game for the first time this season and was soon back in the old routine - scoring goals. Curo bagged both Royals goals, the first coming on the stroke of half time. Yet again, the defence was magnificent and Port Vale, who had scored 8 goals in their previous 2 home games, were hardly given a sniff. The Royals controlled the match throughout and were well worthy winners. They have still to concede a goal this season. More good news for Royals was the return of Martin Butler who came off the bench to play the final 30 minutes.