Penalty miss is still haunting Archie

[readingbedding]

Nice little piece right here...

Former Royals captain and legend Ady Williams relives Reading's 1995 play-off final heartbreak at Wembley to Bolton Wanderers.

Before this game the town was a sea of blue and white, it was amazing to witness.

Being a local fella you could not get away from it! The support and well wishers were in their thousands.

The squad stayed in a hotel near Windsor before the game and in the play-off game against Tranmere I tore ankle ligaments and knew it would be touch and go for the final.

I recall having numerous conversations with my dad over being fit to play, I think he was more nervous than me.

I had a late fitness test on the day as I was desperate to play. In fact, the fitness test took place in the hotel car park.

I ran up and down the car park a few times, headed a few balls and tried turning and twisting. Then declared myself fit, simple!

If I had two broken legs I would have said I was fine, there was no way I was missing this game.

The team wasn’t announced until around 11.15am and I remember looking at the lads lucky enough to be wearing the shirt that day.

As we were on our way to Wembley the M4 was littered with Royals fans. Scarves and flags were flapping in the wind and horns were beeping all the way.

It was a wonderful sight and a perfect distraction for what could have been a nervy journey.

And somewhere amongst it all was my mum, dad, sister and two nephews.

My dad was still unsure if I was fit to play, so as we pulled into Wembley Way, it was fate that I saw my family parking up.

I saw the old man, gave him the thumbs up, and he gave me one back with the biggest grins ever.

My dad died a few years ago and a lot of Royals fans will know that he travelled everywhere to watch me. He was my biggest fan. That moment alone gets me every time I think about it, they are priceless memories.

As for football matters, I achieved three ambitions in 1995.

Firstly, playing at Wembley was always a childhood dream.

Secondly, I captained the team and I was proud as punch leading the boys out. Lastly, but by no means least, I scored at Wembley.

Funnily enough, the game is the one part of that day I can’t remember too much about. I can recall how well we started and being 2-0 in front after just 12 minutes. Lee Nogan scored the first and I got the second.

Nogs’s goal was fantastic, he dribbled in and out of two players, threw a dummy, before tucking it in beautifully.

I then turned in Simon Osborn’s free kick in deadly fashion, if I do say so myself!

We were then awarded a penalty just before the break. A lot has been said about it since and Stuart Lovell had been slotting them away on a regular basis all season.

Archie had the courage to step up, but the keeper saved it and the rest is history. He was absolutely distraught and I have never seen anyone take something like that so personally.

I have never watched the second half of the match and only found out four years ago that Fabian De Freitas scored the equaliser.

Afterwards the atmosphere in the dressing room was horrible. We felt we had let the fans down after making them so proud.

Then a few of us said, hang on a minute – we shouldn’t be ashamed of anything, we had a wonderful campaign and any other season we would have gone up. So we can hold our heads as high as anyone.

That night we went back to Reading for a meal with the staff, families and friends.

It was still a pretty wild night, so just imagine what would have happened if we won! It wasn’t until the next morning that I realised what might have been. I read the report in the paper and nearly cried.

That’s when it hit home how close we were, yet still so far.

[Ark Royal]

Without doubt, the most devastating experience I have had watching Reading. Took me a long time to get over it and it still nags at me a little today.

Yes, worse than watching Michael Meaker.

[readingbedding]

Mine too, knew it was all over for a long time for us once we lost that.
Didn't think we'd have the chance again forever, it seemed...

[Gordons Cumming]

If only Archie had hit it the other side.......................

[Archie's penalty]

I tried to go in lads, honest.

[Barry the bird boggler]

2005/2006 more than made up for it. That campaign finally blew away the 1995 cobwebs and in many ways I'd have taken defeat that day if it had meant witnessing such a brilliant side storming the Championship soon thereafter.

[readingbedding]

11 years is not really soon, but it's closer than I thought it would be after FT against Bolton.

[TFF]

You have followed the EP's lead and printed an article about Ady Williams under a headline about Archie Lovell

[readingbedding]

Fair point.

[Ferris]

Nice little piece right here...

TTIUWP

[readingbedding]

acronyms are wack.

[Jerry St Clair]

Nogs’s goal was fantastic, he dribbled in and out of two players, threw a dummy, before tucking it in beautifully.

I could watch this forever and never get bored of it. Quite possibly my favourite ever Reading goal.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kwk4Erxrsqs

[Mid Sussex Royal]

2005/2006 more than made up for it. That campaign finally blew away the 1995 cobwebs and in many ways I'd have taken defeat that day if it had meant witnessing such a brilliant side storming the Championship soon thereafter.

It did but in a way it didn't.

It still hurt big time watching it the other night even after all that time

In 2005/06 I thought we were pretty much up after we stuffed an in form Wolves side away on boxing day so there wasn't the tension and excitement near the end of the season.

[Ferris]

acronyms are wack.

AAW HTH

[Dirk Gently]

2005/2006 more than made up for it. That campaign finally blew away the 1995 cobwebs and in many ways I'd have taken defeat that day if it had meant witnessing such a brilliant side storming the Championship soon thereafter.

It did but in a way it didn't.

It still hurt big time watching it the other night even after all that time

In 2005/06 I thought we were pretty much up after we stuffed an in form Wolves side away on boxing day so there wasn't the tension and excitement near the end of the season.

But if we'd gone up in 1995 we'd have been horribly embarrassed the next season, and probably fallen further and further, like swindon, Oldham etc. We needed to grow enough off the field to be ready, as we were 11 years later.

[handbags_harris]

2005/2006 more than made up for it. That campaign finally blew away the 1995 cobwebs and in many ways I'd have taken defeat that day if it had meant witnessing such a brilliant side storming the Championship soon thereafter.

It did but in a way it didn't.

It still hurt big time watching it the other night even after all that time

In 2005/06 I thought we were pretty much up after we stuffed an in form Wolves side away on boxing day so there wasn't the tension and excitement near the end of the season.

But if we'd gone up in 1995 we'd have been horribly embarrassed the next season, and probably fallen further and further, like swindon, Oldham etc. We needed to grow enough off the field to be ready, as we were 11 years later.

But then again we may not have done. Swindon lost Hoddle to Chelsea soon after winning their playoff final, and Oldham also lost Joe Royle to Everton and never recovered. Couple that to the fact that neither team has a stadium and setup that Reading have now, and planned for back in 1995, the likelihood is that whilst we would almost certainly have had a nightmare season like Bolton did, we would have been able to recover eventually without the financial difficulties that Swindon and Oldham have endured.

And you neglect to mention the fundamental difference between all other relegated clubs from the Premier League and Reading - we have John Madejski. No other club does.

[Ian Royal]

My first ever game. What a hell of an introduction to football. Yes it was ultimately so disappointing, but I had no idea of the consequences and was fairly ignorant about footie so was happy that what the future would hold.

That game was what football was about. Fantastic football, huge amounts of heart and effort and in the end a futile and disappointing display that promised so much potential.

[Ups and Downs]

I was fourteen at the time. After we scored 2 it seemed that nothing could stop us. Until that penalty.

On the journey home I was on the tube with my brother, friends and old man listening to Bolton fans cheering and singing. I kicked a post the whole way and said in my loudest, bravest voice as we were getting off at Rayners Lane (where the car was); "F*cking Northern cheating w@nkers!"

Little did i know that some of that some of them were getting off at the same place and took umbridge. Not against me, but against the old fella. Bad times!

[PEARCEY]

Without doubt, the most devastating experience I have had watching Reading. Took me a long time to get over it and it still nags at me a little today.

Yes, worse than watching Michael Meaker.

Agreed. I felt very proud to be a Reading fan that day but absolutely gutted at the end of the game.

[The Cap]

Dirk Gently wrote:

We needed to grow enough off the field to be ready, as we were 11 years later.

Fair point and, let's face it, we'd have been playing our football at a ground not far removed from Bloomfield Road.

I mean wasn't there talk at one stage of us ground sharing with the Loftus Road Kids.

As they say, "Everything happens for a reason".