Elm Park Years

[Dave the rave]

I remember a couple of games in the southbank and a boxing day game in the Tilehurst/southbank corner but my normal spot was (triangle marks the spot).



Used to be me and my Mum most home games. My uncle used to stand a few steps up with one of his mates.

Mum wasn't a southbank 'type' so I rarely got to smell or stand in the fabled piss rivers.

By the amount of folk around Reading that say "they miss the Southbank" it must have held around 6000

It did

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elm_Park_(stadium)

(Aware that I am possibly heading for a whoosh here)

One could also imagine it being possible that even more than 6000 people could have experienced the southbank if there had been enough instances that Reading played at Elm Park throughout the annuls of time

[Green]

+1 for the Elm Park hotdogs.

Once saw a bloke put ketchup down one side of the sausage and mustard down the other, as a young impressionable lad I copied him and this became my routine hence.

CSB.

[Green]

I remember one game getting there late and it being absolutely rammed on the South Bank, Wolves I think.

So we sat on the wall at the back. Had to kind of duck down to see the far side of the pitch under the South Bank roof, but it did give easy access to the corrugated iron to bang along to the chants with. People must've loved us for that.

CSB.

[floyd__streete]

Can many people say they served an 'Elm Park apprenticeship' I suspect not, to be more specific I mean caring a great deal about the results despite not being old enough to go to more than an agonising handful of games a season.

1989-1992 was that era for me. My dad is a Reading supporter who goes through spells of not actually attending matches. He had a young family at this time so couldn't really afford to go, especially as (a) his youngest son would insist on going too (b) we were utter-sh*t and barely worth watching.

So, from the age of 9 or 10 to 12 or 13, Elm Park visits were a 5 or 6 time a season treat at precisely the height of my obssession with football, all football. In the days when ITV had one televised game on a Sunday and - apart from Saint & Greavsie and Sportsnight FA Cup replay coverage - that was your lot. Even Match of the Day didn't really exist as BBC had nothing other than FA Cup broadcasting rights.

So, Saturdays were spent glued to Steve Beddow on Radio 210 ("In association with Horseman's Coaches, coaching at its best") bringing us 15-minutely updates or news of a goal in the meantime.....and that news was rarely good news.

Specific memories of those years:

- Linesman falling over in an FA Cup replay against Welling.
- Derision at school on a Monday after we'd lost to non league Colchester in the FA Cup on the Saturday, the first time I can ever remember being embarassed to support Reading.
- 11th birthday treat taking some friends in the Family Enclosure to see Reading play Orient. We scored after 30 seconds.....then lost 2-1
- Beddow describing the disgracefuLOL scenes of Stoke dismantling Elm Park before, during and after a meaningless mid-table end of season game.
- Attending Slough away in the FA Cup with my dad and being somewhat terrified of the battle-zone around us.
- Being promised a rare visit to EP for a game vs Fulham, only for the trip to be cancelled at the last minute and going to bed in an adolescent strop.....and the mood was darkened by Beddow sagely relaying the details of a 0-2 loss

The following season we had that good cup run which led to some momentum in the league under McGhee and my dad and I rarely missed a game for 2 and a half seasons by which time I was old enough to deal with a bus journey from 3 Tuns to Oxford Road in any case. But the love affair always seemed more passionate for the distance between us in the early days

[Cureton's Volley]

[under the tin]

When I very first started going, like Floyd, I went with my dad, and we used to stand in the town end (pre-segregation).

I can remember getting in for free for a cup replay against Blyth Spartans. It was played on an afternoon in midweek, because industrial action was affecting electricity supplies, and daily power cuts were happening. With the full knowledge of my father, I took the "afternoon off" from Alfred Sutton Boys, and we got to the town end turnstiles to see massive queues, caused by a shortage of gatemen owing to the odd kick off time. I don't know how it happened, but suddenly, the gates opened, and we all piled in. Result!

We won 6-2. Peter Harman scored a hat trick. Super Reading. Pre-Royals.

[The Goat was fed]

I remember running on the pitch at the end of a home game when Ollie Kearns had scored the winner. Feeling brave, I ran up to Ollie, slapped him on the back and said "Great goal, Ollie".

To my mild horror, he actually wanted to have a conversation with me about it. "Thanks, mate, yeah, did you see how the cross came in? I was able to pull back from their centre half and then...." He went on and on. It wasn't really what I expected or wanted. I just said "Er, yeah" and ran off again. As a result, he's up there with our greatest ever centre forwards of Quinn, Senior and Kitson in my book.

[The Prisoner]

I went from 77 to 82. Started when I was 5, stopped when we moved out of the area. First game was 0-2 loss at home to Portsmouth, who I think got promoted that year. To a 5 year old the atmosphere was amazing and I was hooked. It all seemed so massive!!!!! Most memorable game was Reading 7 Barnsley 0 in about 1979?

Just missed out on the Robin Friday era, but Steve Death, Richie Bowman, Kerry Dixon, Neil Webb, etc. were all heroes!

[Barry the bird boggler]

Actually those 4 at their peak in the current Reading side would not look out of place and perhaps improve what we currently have overall.

[Only one Trevor Morley]

1992-1995 before i headed to Uni were my Elm Park years. Visits less frequent until we went to the Mad Stad and I was back in the south.

12.43 slam door Rattler with brother and friend sfrom Crowthorne to Reading. Cheeky Mcdonalds or Burger King and then hop onto the bus at St Marys Butts to the ground. Faded scarf warn around neck Always untied. Always considered going into royals rendezvous. Never did. Programme bought from same seller and then took up position leaning against crash barrier on the South Bank about a quarter of the way up from the pitch and exactly between tilehurst end and half way line. Same people there every week - An old Seve lookalike, a bearded gentleman, a man with a pipe and a talkative man in a flat plain cap. I expected Jimmy Quinn to score a spectacular goal every week. and more often thatn not he did. Gilkes searing down the wing, dishing out abuse to Scott Taylor and singing the Ray Ranson songs some of the abiding memories.

All this played out to a soundtrack of Life of Reilly by the Lightning Seeds and now i know what made otis blue by Paul Young - which both appeared constantly on the tannoy....

[floyd__streete]

All this played out to a soundtrack of Life of Reilly by the Lightning Seeds and now i know what made otis blue by Paul Young - which both appeared constantly on the tannoy....

Great shout, definite EP tannoy song

See also Would I Lie To You by Charles & Eddie and Ocean Drive by Lighthouse Family.

[Mr Optimist]

Going back to the memorable 85-86 season the record that seemed to also get played every home game was Move Closer by Phyllis Nelson (RIP).

[Mr Optimist]

The other thing is I don't really get the misty eyed memories of Elm Park.

I have many happy memories and will always be part of who I am and formed part of my growing up formative years from the age of 10. I also have some happy memories from The Madejski Stadium over the last 15 years.

It seems people seem to have a selective memory of EP. it wasn't always packed to the rafters, rammed under the roof with we're the left side, we're the right side etc etc, it was mainly shit, mind numbingly bad football in front of 3,500.

[Green]

It seems people seem to have a selective memory of EP. it wasn't always packed to the rafters, rammed under the roof with we're the left side, we're the right side etc etc, it was mainly shit, mind numbingly bad football in front of 3,500.

Maybe but I'd still take that over the Mad Stad any day of the week.

[SPARTA]

My first game was in 1991 or 1992 and we stood in the Tilehurst End. My first full season was 1994/95. That was when I was deemed big enough to stand in the Southbank. First game was smack in the middle near the back, and I was immediately consumed by the atmosphere. From there on we moved towards the away end where the noise mostly originated from and that's where I stayed every game from there on.

[Harpers So Solid Crew]

When I very first started going, like Floyd, I went with my dad, and we used to stand in the town end (pre-segregation).

I can remember getting in for free for a cup replay against Blyth Spartans. It was played on an afternoon in midweek, because industrial action was affecting electricity supplies, and daily power cuts were happening. With the full knowledge of my father, I took the "afternoon off" from Alfred Sutton Boys, and we got to the town end turnstiles to see massive queues, caused by a shortage of gatemen owing to the odd kick off time. I don't know how it happened, but suddenly, the gates opened, and we all piled in. Result!

We won 6-2. Peter Harman scored a hat trick. Super Reading. Pre-Royals.

l was under the impression it was played in the afternoon as Blyth had crap floodlights not up to football league standards, and we insisted the first game at theirs had an earlier ko so lights not needed. They scored 2 late goals as the natural light faded. However they were then entitledto refuse to play under our lights, which they took.

[Millsy]

I remember when they built the terraces.

It was just shouting from the touchlines in my day.

Was a luxury being able to stand on raised concrete and look down on the pitch rather than having to peer over everyone's shoulders.

[Ark Royal]

When I very first started going, like Floyd, I went with my dad, and we used to stand in the town end (pre-segregation).

I can remember getting in for free for a cup replay against Blyth Spartans. It was played on an afternoon in midweek, because industrial action was affecting electricity supplies, and daily power cuts were happening. With the full knowledge of my father, I took the "afternoon off" from Alfred Sutton Boys, and we got to the town end turnstiles to see massive queues, caused by a shortage of gatemen owing to the odd kick off time. I don't know how it happened, but suddenly, the gates opened, and we all piled in. Result!

We won 6-2. Peter Harman scored a hat trick. Super Reading. Pre-Royals.

l was under the impression it was played in the afternoon as Blyth had crap floodlights not up to football league standards, and we insisted the first game at theirs had an earlier ko so lights not needed. They scored 2 late goals as the natural light faded. However they were then entitledto refuse to play under our lights, which they took.

The replay was during the days of the three-day week and regular power cuts, so there were a lot of midweek afternoon kick-offs - I went to a fifth round replay between Arsenal and Derby at Highbury and the attendance was 63,077! That still is the biggest crowd I have been in at a league ground.

As for the Blyth Spartans replay, my uncle was one of those who got in at the Town End after the gates were pushed open.

Reading 6 (Harman 3, Cumming, Wagstaff B., Habbin)
Blyth 1 (Wagstaff B. o.g.)
Att:10,550
Death, Butler, Morgan, Harley, Wooler, Wagstaff B., Flannigan (Wagstaff T.), Cumming, Chappell, Harman, Habbin.

Charlie Hurley's first game in charge and the reward was a fourth round home tie against Arsenal.

[The Cube]

The replay was during the days of the three-day week and regular power cuts,

Reading v Blyth Spartans took place on 19 January 1972.
The three-day week ran from January to March 1974.

[Cureton's Volley]

http://youtu.be/ki2ntdMBx-E

Hands up if you were one of the 'mad cats on the field'