Gowrings Royaline

[floyd__streete]

Anyone ever call this premium rate number desperately trying to hear the latest new from EP in the days before Hob Nob and - happily - Twitter

"Gowrings, Main Ford dealers in Wokingham and Newbury.....supporting football in Berkshire. Coming up, news of a major new signing but firstly a report from a behind closed doors friendly played at Bisham Abbey this afternoon following the all-important First Division Society draw numbers......" Gonella would intone.

Thankfully, good old Radio 210 would be on hand with reports every fifteen minutes and each time a goal was scored. "There's bad news from Leeds Road, over to Steve Beddow with Horseman Coaches, Coaching at its Best....."

[Sutekh]

Definitely recall Mark Gonella and Steve Beddoe covering Reading on 210 ns providing game updates every 15/20 mins or so. But when did coverage of Reading at last extend to live match commentaries? Late 80s /early 90s?

Before the above you had to be at the match, avidly watch Grandstand on a Saturday and/or tune into Radio 2 (as it was then) for the Saturday afternoon sports and score updates.

Midweek games just didn't bear thinking about, you'd have to wait until the late news summaries (if there were any) or hope bigger games were being played and covered on the radio to get score updates or just buy a paper the next day.

Certainly recall Clubcall where you'd dial a number and wait for what seemed like hours on end as some monotoned drone, reading at a snail's pace, would tell you all about the exciting news that was available in reverse order of importance.

Ceefax was a useful alternative when it was around though, could spend ages waiting for scores change

[Tony Le Mesmer]

Preston away April 1992. Our lift failed to show up, so spent the evening in the Duke, Twyford, spending all our loose change calling Royaline. They never mentioned the score once.

[AthleticoSpizz]

Before all of that, you could've tuned into BBC Radio Oxford for snippets of RFC feeds.

Used to quite enjoy Maurice O'Briens' reports from EP on 210 pre-Beddow ....sarcastic and witty reporting of what was nearly always droll games.

[Pepe the Horseman]

I called it once and didn't put the phone down properly, so my dad got a huge phone bill. Premium r8 numbers were barred on our house phone after that.

[Sutekh]

Before all of that, you could've tuned into BBC Radio Oxford for snippets of RFC feeds.

BBC Berks began transmitting on 21 January 1992.

Financial cutbacks saw it merged with BBC Radio *xford in April 1996 to become BBC Thames Valley FM (what terrifically unbiased idea that was, seem to remember 80% of news and sport stories came from the *xford area).

On 14 February 2000, the two stations became separate once again.

[AthleticoSpizz]

Yes.....thanks.........

I was talking 1970's tho'

[Forbury Lion]

I called it once and didn't put the phone down properly, so my dad got a huge phone bill. Premium r8 numbers were barred on our house phone after that.

Not Reading FC related, but in our house my mum had me, my brother and sister gather round and she laid into us about who was phoning disgusting chat lines, kept trying to get a confession out of us, I think my Dad was watching on. Then I told her to dial the number and it was the Ladbrookes tip line and attention turned to my Dad who left the room sharpish.

[Only one Trevor Morley]

In my head (and I phoned it a few times!) it was the Gowrings READING Royaline.

My updates on reading were often provided by the arrival of the reading evening post at the newsagents I worked at in Crowthorne during the summer. A nervous turning to the back page to find out the latest exclusive (and they were exclusives in those days). Memories of scoops include....

The Mike Lewis dossier of shame on Michael Gilkes when he wasn't signing a new contract... 'I've got a file here as long my arm' (mixing the metaphors).

The Famous 'In charge' back page when 4 managers were appointed once Mcghee Left. Four pictures of Quinn, Gooding, Williams and David Armstrong (remember him) all with the words in charge below each one.

The shrug of the shoulders that greeted 'Holsgrove breaks a leg'

The revelation that Tony Witter had played a game with a broken leg

The disappointment that Uwe Harternberger didn't score many as I felt the Evening Post could have used the headline Up Up and Uwe (I think I wrote to them suggesting it ....

The intrigue when Ken Veysey signed on loan from Exeter.....

The rapid backtracking when the Post reported (no doubt exclusively) that 'Archie' was on his way, only for Mcghee to select him the next game. he never looked back....

there are many many others.

[floyd__streete]

The rapid backtracking when the Post reported (no doubt exclusively) that 'Archie' was on his way, only for Mcghee to select him the next game. he never looked back....

Circa March 1993. AFAIR, story went that he put in a transfer request as he wasn't getting regular games, so McGhee gave him a start vs Bournemouth and he scored 2. Following season he scored 22 and we won the league.

[Fox Talbot]

The rapid backtracking when the Post reported (no doubt exclusively) that 'Archie' was on his way, only for Mcghee to select him the next game. he never looked back....

Circa March 1993. AFAIR, story went that he put in a transfer request as he wasn't getting regular games, so McGhee gave him a start vs Bournemouth and he scored 2. Following season he scored 22 and we won the league.

I heard Archie only got in the team then because the guy immediately ahead of him (Andy Gray?) had flu or something. If Archie hadn't played / scored that day he would have been off.

[Ark Royal]

Used to use it a lot for away games. I kept some of those cards:

[Sutekh]

The first division society, that was a roaring success. Lasted for about 6 months didnt it?

[One8Seven1*]

Never wasted money on the hotline, but I would always come in from work and go straight to teletex and check for that headline hoping for some news on signings. Trying now to remember some of the football page numbers. 113 was one.

[Ark Royal]

I think the FDS was deemed illegal? Cannot complain as I won £500 in the monthly draw in August 87.

[Linden Jones' Tash]

Ahem.... I had a month in the mid 1980s when I became slightly addicted until my dad got the phone bill and banned me from calling it...

I seem to recall having the phone on redial for a whole evening the night Billy Whitehurst signed for us from Oxford United, only to listen through endless minutes of non-information just to keep me on the line and make me call back later for more details.......

The click bait of its time I guess, but a shocking way to extract money from (the parents of) fans....

[Sutekh]

Never wasted money on the hotline, but I would always come in from work and go straight to teletex and check for that headline hoping for some news on signings. Trying now to remember some of the football page numbers. 113 was one.

CEEFAX

P303-311 for headline stories
P312 for a summary/round up of other news
P324/5/6/7/8 league tables

On a matchday/night scores were found on pages 303-310 depending how many games were on.

Basically it provided everything that SSN currently does only a) concentrated on football b) with no adverts and c) a lot less irritating.

[floyd__streete]

Of course we all look back fondly at TeLOetext but the reality was less romantic.

The interminible wait for pages 1 of 4 to flick round only to read the latest score:

ren for -Q R ading

The brother of my missis once held the relevant latest scores page on 'hold' for 90 mins. Thinking his team had got a 0-0 awy from home he was subsequently disappointed to discover they'd lost 3-1

Even if you were lucky enough to get the correct scores Teletext match reports were not perfect either. My favourite example:

Reading goalkeeper Mick Hayloft pulled off a string of fine saves

[Tony Le Mesmer]

Ceefax true faxs.

That Bournemouth away game in May 94. Fan kicked ball in the net in the last minute, we all run on the pitch. It briefly came up on Ceefax as 2-2 'Gilkes 90'.

[Mid Sussex Royal]

The first division society, that was a roaring success. Lasted for about 6 months didnt it?

I think there was some legal reason why it couldn't continue so it was dressed up as Blue Riband club I think