25 years ago today

User avatar
One Beer is never enough.
Member
Posts: 599
Joined: 13 Aug 2005 17:26
Location: X - None of the Above

Re: 25 years ago today

by One Beer is never enough. » 30 May 2020 00:17

AthleticoSpizz Worse still, was holidaying on the Algarve shortly afterwards surrounded by Bolton shirters.

Had already resigned myself to defeat after the penalty save, but walking out of the stadium with the Bolton fans walking directly at us mimicking us with their ‘Uri fukkin Gellar eyes‘ (that they had cut out of The Sun or something that morning) was the ultimate walk of shame.
Then of course there were the traffic jams and being stuck alongside a Bolton supporters coach for (what seemed like) ever :|

....and Jason pcunting McAteer :twisted:


Hated that pcunt McAteer for the rest of his career. Shouldn't have been on the pitch (which I know is ultimately up to the ref, but still. oxf*rd scouse Pcunt.

Clearly I'm still not over it...

AthleticoSpizz
Hob Nob Legend
Posts: 23971
Joined: 15 Apr 2004 19:49
Location: A Hicks Hoof from Coley Park

Re: 25 years ago today

by AthleticoSpizz » 30 May 2020 00:24

Amen to all of that Notts

The Swansea game was all about the bewilderment of the ‘new’ Wembley...I hated it...sat at the top adjacent to the half way-line, it was like watching subbuteo.....only the the players actual movements and pitch positions gave away whO was even on the field

Walsall...well that was a sh1t damp day out in Wales

Huddersfield...a total waste of a day....game, set, and match

‘Reading of Wembley”

User avatar
Gunny Fishcake
Hob Nob Regular
Posts: 1633
Joined: 04 Nov 2005 12:41
Location: West Berkshire

Re: 25 years ago today

by Gunny Fishcake » 30 May 2020 10:05

Worst football day of my long life , closely followed by all the other three play offs finals nightmares

Franconian Royal
Member
Posts: 559
Joined: 14 Dec 2018 23:56
Location: Deepest darkest Nuremberg

Re: 25 years ago today

by Franconian Royal » 30 May 2020 10:27

I was 5 at the time, but I don't have any memories of it. Looking back at the first half highlights, that side played some top class football.

I watched until half time, then didn't want to watch anymore. A things came up:
Challenge on Gooding was, in my opinion, a pen.
Lovell never looked like he was going to score from the pen. Hindsight says that maybe Quinn should've started up top with Lovell, but hindsight is a great thing :wink:
Nogan's goal was superb. Like Pleat (co-commentator?) said, he worked the chance really well.
Williams' goal was like seeing a poacher. Where was the defence? Bolton looked shell-shocked after that. Did Williams score many more for us? They said in commentary that the goal was only his 3rd of the season.

User avatar
Zip
Hob Nob Legend
Posts: 22408
Joined: 30 Dec 2017 16:39

Re: 25 years ago today

by Zip » 30 May 2020 10:38

Franconian Royal I was 5 at the time, but I don't have any memories of it. Looking back at the first half highlights, that side played some top class football.

I watched until half time, then didn't want to watch anymore. A things came up:
Challenge on Gooding was, in my opinion, a pen.
Lovell never looked like he was going to score from the pen. Hindsight says that maybe Quinn should've started up top with Lovell, but hindsight is a great thing :wink:
Nogan's goal was superb. Like Pleat (co-commentator?) said, he worked the chance really well.
Williams' goal was like seeing a poacher. Where was the defence? Bolton looked shell-shocked after that. Did Williams score many more for us? They said in commentary that the goal was only his 3rd of the season.


I don’t think you could have started Quinn ahead of an in form Nogan. Not for me. Quinn would have buried the pen though. No doubt.
Archie also missed another great chance just before half time. We should have been at least 3-0 up at half time with them down to ten. There would have been no way back for them.


Franconian Royal
Member
Posts: 559
Joined: 14 Dec 2018 23:56
Location: Deepest darkest Nuremberg

Re: 25 years ago today

by Franconian Royal » 30 May 2020 10:47

Zip
Franconian Royal I was 5 at the time, but I don't have any memories of it. Looking back at the first half highlights, that side played some top class football.

I watched until half time, then didn't want to watch anymore. A things came up:
Challenge on Gooding was, in my opinion, a pen.
Lovell never looked like he was going to score from the pen. Hindsight says that maybe Quinn should've started up top with Lovell, but hindsight is a great thing :wink:
Nogan's goal was superb. Like Pleat (co-commentator?) said, he worked the chance really well.
Williams' goal was like seeing a poacher. Where was the defence? Bolton looked shell-shocked after that. Did Williams score many more for us? They said in commentary that the goal was only his 3rd of the season.


I don’t think you could have started Quinn ahead of an in form Nogan. Not for me. Quinn would have buried the pen though. No doubt.
Archie also missed another great chance just before half time. We should have been at least 3-0 up at half time with them down to ten. There would have been no way back for them.


Possibly.

Just watched it to the end. Their 4th was a handball, 3rd was offside. So technically if VAR ( :lol: ) had existed, they wouldn't have gone up. -our 4th was nicely made as well, Lovell's flick etc. Didn't see in the highlights what McAteer did. What did he do?

Some poor refereeing decisions in that game. Quinn should've had a pen 2nd half. And their player should've been sent off after that incident because he butted Quinn.

User avatar
Zip
Hob Nob Legend
Posts: 22408
Joined: 30 Dec 2017 16:39

Re: 25 years ago today

by Zip » 30 May 2020 11:14

Franconian Royal
Zip
Franconian Royal I was 5 at the time, but I don't have any memories of it. Looking back at the first half highlights, that side played some top class football.

I watched until half time, then didn't want to watch anymore. A things came up:
Challenge on Gooding was, in my opinion, a pen.
Lovell never looked like he was going to score from the pen. Hindsight says that maybe Quinn should've started up top with Lovell, but hindsight is a great thing :wink:
Nogan's goal was superb. Like Pleat (co-commentator?) said, he worked the chance really well.
Williams' goal was like seeing a poacher. Where was the defence? Bolton looked shell-shocked after that. Did Williams score many more for us? They said in commentary that the goal was only his 3rd of the season.


I don’t think you could have started Quinn ahead of an in form Nogan. Not for me. Quinn would have buried the pen though. No doubt.
Archie also missed another great chance just before half time. We should have been at least 3-0 up at half time with them down to ten. There would have been no way back for them.


Possibly.

Just watched it to the end. Their 4th was a handball, 3rd was offside. So technically if VAR ( :lol: ) had existed, they wouldn't have gone up. -our 4th was nicely made as well, Lovell's flick etc. Didn't see in the highlights what McAteer did. What did he do?

Some poor refereeing decisions in that game. Quinn should've had a pen 2nd half. And their player should've been sent off after that incident because he butted Quinn.


McAteer was booked after a number of poor challenges. He then hacked Gilksey down in the box for the pen which was a yellow in its own right.
I can’t bear to watch the highlights again especially their goals so just don’t know about offsides etc. It just adds to the annoyance.

South Coast Royal
Hob Nob Addict
Posts: 5641
Joined: 16 Jan 2020 17:29

Re: 25 years ago today

by South Coast Royal » 30 May 2020 11:15

Franconian Royal
Zip
Franconian Royal I was 5 at the time, but I don't have any memories of it. Looking back at the first half highlights, that side played some top class football.

I watched until half time, then didn't want to watch anymore. A things came up:
Challenge on Gooding was, in my opinion, a pen.
Lovell never looked like he was going to score from the pen. Hindsight says that maybe Quinn should've started up top with Lovell, but hindsight is a great thing :wink:
Nogan's goal was superb. Like Pleat (co-commentator?) said, he worked the chance really well.
Williams' goal was like seeing a poacher. Where was the defence? Bolton looked shell-shocked after that. Did Williams score many more for us? They said in commentary that the goal was only his 3rd of the season.


I don’t think you could have started Quinn ahead of an in form Nogan. Not for me. Quinn would have buried the pen though. No doubt.
Archie also missed another great chance just before half time. We should have been at least 3-0 up at half time with them down to ten. There would have been no way back for them.


Possibly.

Just watched it to the end. Their 4th was a handball, 3rd was offside. So technically if VAR ( :lol: ) had existed, they wouldn't have gone up. -our 4th was nicely made as well, Lovell's flick etc. Didn't see in the highlights what McAteer did. What did he do?

Some poor refereeing decisions in that game. Quinn should've had a pen 2nd half. And their player should've been sent off after that incident because he butted Quinn.


Can't agree on Quinn deserving a penalty-a bit of a dive and subsequent playing up of anger at not getting it was a bit OTT.
Don't forget they had a stronger case later for a penalty against a tiring Darius.

I just don't get how quickly Lee Nogan faded away during the next season after which it all went a bit to pot with our number one tactic becoming Trevor Morley diving so often we were bound to get more than our share of free-kicks and penalties.

I get the impression that Nogan maybe suffered through lack of confidence-a shame because in Nogan and Lovell we were ahead of our time in pairing two small strikers.
No doubt Barcelona management and coaches watched that game a few years later and decided that was the way to go. :wink:

JR
Member
Posts: 838
Joined: 03 Apr 2006 12:53

Re: 25 years ago today

by JR » 30 May 2020 11:24

South Coast Royal
Zip
South Coast Royal
In all the years of watching I think the loss of Super Si to QPR was the most disappointing of all transfers.
The shame was that neither he nor FSB went on to do that well elsewhere as both were brilliant for us.


Yep Osborn was fantastic for us but it was only the one season we had him.


It was but he is my favourite ever player for us.


Yeah, definitely one of mine. My favourite memory bizarrely is him smashing the crossbar against Wolves.


South Coast Royal
Hob Nob Addict
Posts: 5641
Joined: 16 Jan 2020 17:29

Re: 25 years ago today

by South Coast Royal » 30 May 2020 11:27

JR
South Coast Royal
Zip
Yep Osborn was fantastic for us but it was only the one season we had him.


It was but he is my favourite ever player for us.


Yeah, definitely one of mine. My favourite memory bizarrely is him smashing the crossbar against Wolves.


We were on holiday in Cornwall that Summer and reading one of the Sunday papers where there was a rumour of him moving to QPR or Birmingham put a dampener on the whole holiday.
It got even worse when the transfer took place with that useless specimen Meaker joining us as part of the deal.

Franconian Royal
Member
Posts: 559
Joined: 14 Dec 2018 23:56
Location: Deepest darkest Nuremberg

Re: 25 years ago today

by Franconian Royal » 30 May 2020 11:34

South Coast Royal
Franconian Royal
Zip
I don’t think you could have started Quinn ahead of an in form Nogan. Not for me. Quinn would have buried the pen though. No doubt.
Archie also missed another great chance just before half time. We should have been at least 3-0 up at half time with them down to ten. There would have been no way back for them.


Possibly.

Just watched it to the end. Their 4th was a handball, 3rd was offside. So technically if VAR ( :lol: ) had existed, they wouldn't have gone up. -our 4th was nicely made as well, Lovell's flick etc. Didn't see in the highlights what McAteer did. What did he do?

Some poor refereeing decisions in that game. Quinn should've had a pen 2nd half. And their player should've been sent off after that incident because he butted Quinn.


Can't agree on Quinn deserving a penalty-a bit of a dive and subsequent playing up of anger at not getting it was a bit OTT.
Don't forget they had a stronger case later for a penalty against a tiring Darius.

I just don't get how quickly Lee Nogan faded away during the next season after which it all went a bit to pot with our number one tactic becoming Trevor Morley diving so often we were bound to get more than our share of free-kicks and penalties.

I get the impression that Nogan maybe suffered through lack of confidence-a shame because in Nogan and Lovell we were ahead of our time in pairing two small strikers.
No doubt Barcelona management and coaches watched that game a few years later and decided that was the way to go. :wink:


Looked again at the appeal against Darius. I’m not sure that was a foul. Both of the players were holding each other and when their player realised he wouldn’t get there, he went over. Tbh, Quinn was judged over when he got the ball, yet another one VAR might have called back.
As for two small players up top, you’re right, that was revolutionary. My fav players from that team are Taylor, Gilkes and Quinn. Who did we get Taylor from? And where did he go afterwards?

South Coast Royal
Hob Nob Addict
Posts: 5641
Joined: 16 Jan 2020 17:29

Re: 25 years ago today

by South Coast Royal » 30 May 2020 11:37

Franconian Royal
South Coast Royal
Franconian Royal
Possibly.

Just watched it to the end. Their 4th was a handball, 3rd was offside. So technically if VAR ( :lol: ) had existed, they wouldn't have gone up. -our 4th was nicely made as well, Lovell's flick etc. Didn't see in the highlights what McAteer did. What did he do?

Some poor refereeing decisions in that game. Quinn should've had a pen 2nd half. And their player should've been sent off after that incident because he butted Quinn.


Can't agree on Quinn deserving a penalty-a bit of a dive and subsequent playing up of anger at not getting it was a bit OTT.
Don't forget they had a stronger case later for a penalty against a tiring Darius.

I just don't get how quickly Lee Nogan faded away during the next season after which it all went a bit to pot with our number one tactic becoming Trevor Morley diving so often we were bound to get more than our share of free-kicks and penalties.

I get the impression that Nogan maybe suffered through lack of confidence-a shame because in Nogan and Lovell we were ahead of our time in pairing two small strikers.
No doubt Barcelona management and coaches watched that game a few years later and decided that was the way to go. :wink:


Looked again at the appeal against Darius. I’m not sure that was a foul. Both of the players were holding each other and when their player realised he wouldn’t get there, he went over. Tbh, Quinn was judged over when he got the ball, yet another one VAR might have called back.
As for two small players up top, you’re right, that was revolutionary. My fav players from that team are Taylor, Gilkes and Quinn. Who did we get Taylor from? And where did he go afterwards?


He was "one of our own" as the overused chant says.
IIRC he came from Wokingham and again IIRC he went and joined FSB at Leicester.

Tony Le Mesmer
Hob Nob Regular
Posts: 3404
Joined: 17 Jun 2005 20:37
Location: Dundee in my bare feet

Re: 25 years ago today

by Tony Le Mesmer » 30 May 2020 12:15

The referee for the game was non other than the father of England cricketer Ben Foakes. It was his last game in charge before retiring.


User avatar
Sutekh
Hob Nob Super-Addict
Posts: 18385
Joined: 12 Feb 2014 14:05
Location: Undiscovered pyramid somewhere in Egypt

Re: 25 years ago today

by Sutekh » 30 May 2020 14:26

No problem with it now. Revenge was completed when Bolton, then steaming away at the top of the Championship a couple of seasons later, and on a long winning run were overturned 3-2 at Elm Park with Jimmy Quinn having to go in goal for most of the 2nd half.

The Huddersfield one is the one that still rankles. Two god awful teams on the day with, seemingly, no intent other than get to the penalties. A game therefore for the taking for anyone with the gumption to have gone for it.

v Bolton Reading were done by poor refereeing and just being knackered through having so many injuries in the squad

v Walsall Reading were done by an incredible own goal (and I think the keeper should have done better on the Walsall third)

v Swansea Reading just didn’t turn up in the first half but were very unlucky not to be all square after about 20 minutes of the second half. They weren’t helped by a referee who was happy to let the physical side of the game go but overall Reading just weren’t good enough for long enough on the day.

The Cube
Member
Posts: 883
Joined: 14 Apr 2004 18:52

Re: 25 years ago today

by The Cube » 30 May 2020 19:13

Tony Le Mesmer The referee for the game was non other than the father of England cricketer Ben Foakes. It was his last game in charge before retiring.

He also shouldn't have been the referee. In the few previous years the play-off final always went to the top ranked FL referee over the season. The guy who was top ranked in 94/95 didn't get it. He also didn't get the chance to move up to the Premiership, and took the FL to a tribunal some years later on both counts. He won the case.

AthleticoSpizz
Hob Nob Legend
Posts: 23971
Joined: 15 Apr 2004 19:49
Location: A Hicks Hoof from Coley Park

Re: 25 years ago today

by AthleticoSpizz » 30 May 2020 21:57

The Cube
Tony Le Mesmer The referee for the game was non other than the father of England cricketer Ben Foakes. It was his last game in charge before retiring.

He also shouldn't have been the referee. In the few previous years the play-off final always went to the top ranked FL referee over the season. The guy who was top ranked in 94/95 didn't get it. He also didn't get the chance to move up to the Premiership, and took the FL to a tribunal some years later on both counts. He won the case.
so is a case for us getting retrospectively promoted then? :wink:

User avatar
Sutekh
Hob Nob Super-Addict
Posts: 18385
Joined: 12 Feb 2014 14:05
Location: Undiscovered pyramid somewhere in Egypt

Re: 25 years ago today

by Sutekh » 31 May 2020 13:06

Franconian Royal
Zip
Franconian Royal I was 5 at the time, but I don't have any memories of it. Looking back at the first half highlights, that side played some top class football.

I watched until half time, then didn't want to watch anymore. A things came up:
Challenge on Gooding was, in my opinion, a pen.
Lovell never looked like he was going to score from the pen. Hindsight says that maybe Quinn should've started up top with Lovell, but hindsight is a great thing :wink:
Nogan's goal was superb. Like Pleat (co-commentator?) said, he worked the chance really well.
Williams' goal was like seeing a poacher. Where was the defence? Bolton looked shell-shocked after that. Did Williams score many more for us? They said in commentary that the goal was only his 3rd of the season.


I don’t think you could have started Quinn ahead of an in form Nogan. Not for me. Quinn would have buried the pen though. No doubt.
Archie also missed another great chance just before half time. We should have been at least 3-0 up at half time with them down to ten. There would have been no way back for them.


Possibly.

Just watched it to the end. Their 4th was a handball, 3rd was offside. So technically if VAR ( :lol: ) had existed, they wouldn't have gone up. -our 4th was nicely made as well, Lovell's flick etc. Didn't see in the highlights what McAteer did. What did he do?

Some poor refereeing decisions in that game. Quinn should've had a pen 2nd half. And their player should've been sent off after that incident because he butted Quinn.


Must have missed that. Did Reading then lose on penalties?

Jackson Corner
Hob Nob Regular
Posts: 4846
Joined: 23 Nov 2005 00:55

Re: 25 years ago today

by Jackson Corner » 01 Jun 2020 01:10

That was such a sad end to what had been such a great season. Our support was epic that day and the team were brilliant in the first half Nogans’s goal was a thing of beauty. If Archie had scored that would have been it. There way they would have come back. I was sick could not even talk for a week, don’t give me it’s only a game rubbish we all new that was our shot at the big time and we blew it. I even went into town the following night to see the parade, how many teams have a parade for losing the play off final? I just went as I new I would never see Shaka, Osborne and Scott Taylor again. As the seasons passed one by one that team Dismantled Kerr, Williams, Darius Nogan Archie all left and we dropped down in our last season at Elm Park.
It would be 20 long years before we made it to the promised land. And as epic as that was just to have seen Elm Park in the premier league even it was just for one season would have a perfect end to that three year journey.

Forbury Lion
Hob Nob Subscriber
Hob Nob Subscriber
Posts: 8634
Joined: 14 Apr 2004 08:37
Location: https://youtu.be/c4sX57ZUhzc

Re: 25 years ago today

by Forbury Lion » 01 Jun 2020 09:01

Zip Took me months to shake this defeat off. Never has a loss hurt quite like that one. What made it worse was that we had so many players out of contract and lost key players like Hislop and Osborn that summer.
I was naive enough over the summer to think we'd replaced those key players with new signings of a similar quality and that we'd be challenging for the playoffs again, not heading towards Division 2.

Also gutting to think in any other year finishing 2nd would have been an automatic promotion spot, but I guess if it was the teams below us may have played things differently when 2nd was still in reach and caught us.

Tony Le Mesmer
Hob Nob Regular
Posts: 3404
Joined: 17 Jun 2005 20:37
Location: Dundee in my bare feet

Re: 25 years ago today

by Tony Le Mesmer » 01 Jun 2020 17:32

I didn't take it as bad as most. Don't get me wrong, when they equalised and immediately after I felt awful. But I got over it very quickly. It had been such a good season, the best in our history. I didn't see that as a failure. Just 4 years earlier, we played a home league game in front of 1,900 and the club faced closure. That hurt a lot.

93-95 still remains the most enjoyable years as a Reading fan. Better than 2005-2007 (just).

Who is online

It is currently 28 Mar 2024 11:16