New Additions: Match Attax 2011-12

For the first time card issuer Topps, who have released sets featuring the Premier League for the last five years, produced a set focusing on the npower Championship. Included was manager Brian Mcdermott, who celebrated his 100th game in permanent charge when we beat West Ham 3-0, and new signing Adam Le Fondre. The full Reading set can be seen here.

  

 

New Additions: News Chronicle 1933-34

Having lost their place in the Second Division in 1931, Reading finished in the top-six back in the Third Division South for eight successive seasons until the start of WW2. They were renowned for their home form during this period and went 55 league games unbeaten at Elm Park, including the 1933-34 season, when they dropped just four home points.

 

 New Additions: W. Leivesley 1921

From the Godfrey Phillips 'Pinnace' series, this premium 'cabinet' issue features a player I'm not familiar with and I can't find any record of him playing a League game for us! He is included on a team postcard from 1921-22 however and this is a lovely example from the Pinnace set.

 

New Additions: D.C. Thompson 1961

A really great little item this. A chart of masked footballers was given away with Rover & Adventure comics and over the next couple of weeks pictures of players were issued to be glued to the chart. Very unusual to find the two parts seperate.

  

 

New Additions: Hignetts 1935

Part of a quirky set from the thirties, The Biscuitmen were so called because of the world famous biscuit factory Huntley and Palmers, one of Reading's 'Three B's' (biscuits, beer and bulbs). The Biscuitmen name remained in use until the seventies when, due to the closure of the biscuit factory, a poll was held in the local paper to decide on a new nickname and The Royals proved most popular.

 

 

New Additions: Triumph Magazine 1925

Issued as part of a booklet including the Division 3 South teams for 1924/25, but I think captain Bert Eggo is front right rather than left as stated (although difficult to tell from the quality of the photo). This was just before one of the club's finest periods, with the team winning the Third Division's Southern section in 1925/26 and reaching the F.A. Cup semi-final in 1927.

 

 

New Additions: News Chronicle 1956

These three cards complete a set I started collecting twenty years ago. Issued during the 1955-56 season, the set includes centre-half Bill Davies, a mainstay of the biscuit boys defence during the late fifties. He played 226 games for us but never scored a goal. Reading had a mediocre season in 55-56, finishing 17th in the Third Division's southern section. The News Chronicle cards can be seen  here.

   

 

 New Additions: 1913-14

The line-up for the last full season before the Great War began included two of Reading's all-time greats, Ted Hanney, who was injured in the conflict, and Allen Foster, the Biscuitmen's star centre-forward. Signed from Bristol City for the then hefty fee of £75 after impressing for City's reserves against us, Foster was a regular scorer who quickly became a crowd favourite. His most renowned goal came when Southern League Reading were drawn at home in the F.A. Cup against the mighty Aston Villa in February 1912. Foster scored the only goal of the game with a brilliant first-time volley as Reading pulled off a famous victory. Allen Foster was killed in action at the age of 29 in 1916. The stories of Foster and Hanney are included on this film which can be viewed here.

 

New Additions: Ogdens Club Colours 1910

Unusual and very difficult to find, this shaped card was designed to wear in your 'buttonhole or hat'.

 

 

Chris Armstrong

Popular defender Chris Armstong was sadly forced to retire from professional football in March 2011 at the age of 28, having been diagnosed with MS in 2009. He made the decision after consultations with Reading medical staff and management, having found the physical effort required to perform at this level too much. He was signed by Steve Coppell for around £800,000 from Sheffield United in 2008 and won the clubs Player of the Year award in his first season. Chris played for us 49 times, scoring once. Royals manager Brian Mcdermott and teamates spoke movingly in tribute to him and everyone wishes Chris all the very best for the future.

 

 

New Additins: Panini 2010-11

In their third Championship season since relegation from the Premier League, The Royals were pushing once again for a play-off place and, at the time of writing, were looking forward to an F.A. Cup fifth round tie. Players coming to the fore this season included Adam Federici and Shane Long. The set can be viewed in Card Scans 6.

  

 

New Additions: Madejski Stadium

Reading's home since 1998, the stadium has allowed The Royals to establish themselves in the top two divisions, with dramatically increased attendances. This postcard shows fans celebrating during a 2003 match vs Wolves. 

 

New Additions: Fred Mavin 1920

Centre-half Fred Mavin joined Reading after the Great War in his mid-thirties, having played for Fullham and Bradford Park Avenue among others. He played in The Biscuitmen's first ever Football  League game, a 1-0 win at Newport County, and  also had the distinction of scoring the club's first League penalty, in the 4-1 win over Grimsby Town in September 1920. This is a large size Pinnace card, part of the huge series issued in the early 1920's, details of which can be seen here. 

 

New Additions: 1956-57

This Daily Express card features forward Jimmy Wheeler. Born in Reading in 1933, he went on to make 404 league appearances for us, scoring 144 goals. He was our top scorer for three consecutive seasons from 1959 to 61, before a broken leg effectively ended his first team career. Jimmy came back to play for and manage the reserves, taking them to their Championship and winning the clubs Player of the Year award in 1966.

 

New Additions: Elm Park 1896-1998

Souvenir postcard to commemorate Elm Park's closure. The photo was taken from the Tilehurst End in 1989.

 

New additions: 1904-05

This is the only team group I've seen that includes captain and left-back Herbert Smith. He appears on several other postcards here but only as an 'insert'. I assume this was down to the fact that he was an amateur and was never around when the photographer called! Despite the fact he was unpaid by Reading and the team were in the Southern League, he played for England four times between 1905 and 1906. He 'is a total abstainer who smokes moderately' and 'is idolised by the players at his club'.

 

New Additions: Trevor Senior

This postcard of Trevor Senior dates from the early 90's. During two spells for the Royals between 1983 and 1992 he netted 184 times in 362 league and cup games, making him our all-time record scorer. In the 1983-84 season he was top-scorer in all four divisions of the Football League with 36 goals. One of the most popular players to represent Reading, Trevor is fondly remembered by Royals fans.

 

New Additions: 1905-06

This postcard was sent on August 29th 1905. Our correspondent Percy seems to be an exiled Spurs fan living in Reading. He writes to his friend Chas 'this is the sort of team Tottenham got to play against (rotten)'. Both teams played in the Southern League then and the previous season Reading had finished above Spurs after winning both games against them, so perhaps a touch of sour grapes.

 

New Additions: Elm Park 1913

Supporters at Elm Park on September 20th 1913, during a Southern  League match in which Reading beat Cardiff City by one goal to nil. This part of the ground was along side the Tilehurst Road, which was later built up with concrete terracing and had a roof added. It was fondly remembered by generations of fans as the 'Southbank'.

 

New Additions: Elm Park 1995

A postcard from Stuart Clarke's 1995 exhibition 'The Homes of Football'. The wall the boys are standing on is the same spot I started watching Reading from in the early seventies.

 

 New Additions: Panini 2009-10

Reading looked relegation certainties at the turn of the year, but after replacing Brendon Rogers with Brian Mcdermott a fantastic run saw them finish the season close to the play-offs.This season saw The Royals achieve one of their finest results in the F.A. Cup, defeating Liverpool 2-1 at Anfield. The set can be seen in Card Scans 6.

 

New Additions: Panini 2008-09

Despite looking a good bet for an immediate return to the Premier League, Reading faded in the new year and had to settle for a place in the play-offs, where they lost in the semi-final to Burnley. The set can be viewed here. 

 

New Additions: Merlin 2007-08

This season marked Reading's second Premier League campaign and unfortunately it ended in  relegation. The set can be seen in Card Scans 6.

 

 New Additions: 1971-72

The 71-72 season marked my first visit to Elm Park. I can't remember who the opponents were but I think the whole family went so we could get tickets for the Arsenal cup-tie and I was hooked! Although we had a mediocre season in the Fourth Division we ran the Gunners close, losing 2-1 against the team who had won The Double the previous season. One of Reading's all time greats, Steve Death, is featured here. His lack of height probably cost him a top-flight career.

 

New Additions: Ted Hanney

I found this fantastic postcard of Ted Hanney. The Reading born centre-half played for The Biscuitmen before The First World War and for the Great Britain team in the 1912 Olympics. He also played for Man City and Coventry before returning to Elm Park in the early Twenties. Hanney's story was featured in this award winning film that can be viewed on the Football League website.