Reading Town FC

[AndyRFC]

I wonder what would be the biggest crowd would there have been for a local non league match.I went to Prospect Park in the mid seventies to see Rabsons Rovers v West Reading and the crowd were several deep around the pitch,must have been three hundred there.I saw my then, local team Peppard(What happened to them )play at Wokinghams old ground about the same time and they must have had the same.

Probably someone v AFC Wimbledon

[handbags_harris]

Town then find themselved back at the Lane for a double header against their well supported local rivals from Binfield. The first tie is in the "AM Print & Copy Floodlit Cup Semi-final 1st leg" on Thurday 18th March, and two days later the two sides repeat the tie in a league fixture. I will be attending both. I'm getting quite hooked on it now!

Having attended my one and only game at Scours Lane yesterday, it is fair to say that the "Gentleman's Evening" a week earlier is far more appealing.

[FiNeRaIn]

I wonder what would be the biggest crowd would there have been for a local non league match.I went to Prospect Park in the mid seventies to see Rabsons Rovers v West Reading and the crowd were several deep around the pitch,must have been three hundred there.I saw my then, local team Peppard(What happened to them )play at Wokinghams old ground about the same time and they must have had the same.

Probably someone v AFC Wimbledon

or FC united.

[handbags_harris]

I wonder what would be the biggest crowd would there have been for a local non league match.I went to Prospect Park in the mid seventies to see Rabsons Rovers v West Reading and the crowd were several deep around the pitch,must have been three hundred there.I saw my then, local team Peppard(What happened to them )play at Wokinghams old ground about the same time and they must have had the same.

Probably someone v AFC Wimbledon

or FC united.

I remember when Theale won the FA Sunday Cup at Elm Park, the next game was on a Tuesday night and the crowd actually at least 4 deep all around the pitch.

[AndyRFC]

I wonder what would be the biggest crowd would there have been for a local non league match.I went to Prospect Park in the mid seventies to see Rabsons Rovers v West Reading and the crowd were several deep around the pitch,must have been three hundred there.I saw my then, local team Peppard(What happened to them )play at Wokinghams old ground about the same time and they must have had the same.

Probably someone v AFC Wimbledon

or FC united.

Yeah FC United play in the south of england yeah?

[ankeny]

More then likely it was Reading Town v AFC Wimbledon in modern times,I dont know if RT gates are logged

[TheMaraudingDog]

FC United’s record home attendance is 6,023 and they’ve played in-front of 23,000 away from home.

[FiNeRaIn]

Yeah FC United play in the south of england yeah?

Good point, missed the " local" part

[Four Of Clubs]

More then likely it was Reading Town v AFC Wimbledon in modern times,I dont know if RT gates are logged

They are logged on the old archived Tony Kempster site - though crowd records only go back about 5 years - and currently on the Mike Avery Site - which links to the Mitoo Hellenic League site and has all of this season's records and those going back to 02/03.
if you wanted to analyze crowds for RTFC before 08/09 in particular you'd need to switch over to the Mitoo-Combined Counties and trace back that way.

I do have a table for all of our 'local' sides showing: highest crowd, date, opponents, competition etc BUT can't be @rsed to figure out how to wrestle it into a format that this site will let me upload!

... here's some in 'freeform' by way of an example:-

NAME____________Crowd__Year____Opponents_______Competition
Basingstoke .........5085....97/98....Wycombe W.......FA Cup Ist
Maidenhead Utd.....7920....1936 .....Southall ...........FA Amateur Cup Q-F
Reading Town.......1067....2003.....AFC Wimbledon...League

... AFC Wimbledon and Aldershot Town feature quite often as 'Record Attendance' matches.

[Compo's Hat]

Was at that Reading Town - AFC Wimbledon game. Think the Dons won it 2-0 right at the end of the season when some of the Wimbledon supporters came in fancy dress.

Was a very one sided game on Saturday to say the least. The chairman in his programme notes (£3 and a free programme, bargain!) sounds confident that the ground improvements that are required will be implemented in time.

[AthleticoSpizz]

I wonder what would be the biggest crowd would there have been for a local non league match.I went to Prospect Park in the mid seventies to see Rabsons Rovers v West Reading and the crowd were several deep around the pitch,must have been three hundred there.I saw my then, local team Peppard(What happened to them )play at Wokinghams old ground about the same time and they must have had the same.

I have a book somewhere all about local footy since from the turn of last century.

I recall a chapter where Rabson Rovers (just this season made defunct...records expunged etc etc) played West Reading at Rabsons Rec in the late 60's or early 70's in front of a crowd of over 2k

I can certainly remember big crowds there in the mid seventies for Rabsons games

[Ark Royal]

I wonder what would be the biggest crowd would there have been for a local non league match.I went to Prospect Park in the mid seventies to see Rabsons Rovers v West Reading and the crowd were several deep around the pitch,must have been three hundred there.I saw my then, local team Peppard(What happened to them )play at Wokinghams old ground about the same time and they must have had the same.

I have a book somewhere all about local footy since from the turn of last century.

I recall a chapter where Rabson Rovers (just this season made defunct...records expunged etc etc) played West Reading at Rabsons Rec in the late 60's or early 70's in front of a crowd of over 2k

I can certainly remember big crowds there in the mid seventies for Rabsons games

Same here. Included a photo of a game in the 60s with a crowd of 2000 present.

[Stuffed Crust Pizza]

Town are finally back in league action at the Lane, following two consecutive away draws at Oxford City Nomads and Marlow United. A 0-0 followed up by a 1-1 the week after have let the title challengers back in the race and Town need to get back to winning ways this Saturday as they take on local rivals Binfield. The Moles are on a nine game winning streak in the league but tasted their first defeat in nearly two months last night at Scours Lane in the Hellenic League Floodlight Challenge Cup. Town ran out 1-0 winners in the first-leg tie, and take their slender lead to Binfield's Stubb's Lane ground next week hoping to reach their second cup final of the season.

I myself will be in attendance and urge others not making the long trip up to 'Boro to visit the Lane and back your local non-league side.

[Four Of Clubs]

The Moles are on a nine game winning streak in the league but tasted their first defeat in nearly two months last night at Scours Lane in the Hellenic League Floodlight Challenge Cup. Town ran out 1-0 winners in the first-leg tie, and take their slender lead to Binfield's Stubb's Lane ground next week hoping to reach their second cup final of the season.

.. sorry to pick you up here but I'm fairly sure the 2nd Leg isn't scheduled for next week.

Next THURSDAY (25th) RTFC are away in the 3rd Cup competition that they are still involved in - the Hellenic League Cup (or "The 'Bluefin' - Insurance Brokers Challenge Cup" - to give it its proper name ) Quarter Final tie - up the M40 @ Ardley Utd.

Before that on Tuesday (23rd) they host Flackwell Heath in the League.

The Floodlit Cup Semi-Final 2nd Leg @ Binfield is currently scheduled on the Official League's fixture/result site (Mitoo) for Thursday 1st April.

PS The Moles own website has the tie down for this date too!

PPS having read their report of the match last night @ Scours, I'm grateful I was too ill to go!

[Wax Jacket]

might actually go tomorrow

[Stuffed Crust Pizza]

My third trip to the Lane on Saturday ended in a dissapointing on 1-1 draw in an all Berkshire affair against near neighbours Binfield. I made the short trip to Scours Lane on my own and very much enjoyed my own company. On my very few experiences of watching football alone, one finds themselves even more emersed in the game without the distractions of conversation amongst your companions. Finding myself watching the game that little bit closer I began to realise that I have a real passion growing not just for Town but for football at this level. Twently-two ordinary men, who hold down regular full-time jobs, playing football with passion and with little financial reward. On a sour note I had to endure the ridiculous efforts of two Binfield WAGs attempts to wind up the Referee and the Town players, made even more unbearable by Binfield taking an undeserved lead mid way through the first-half and preserving it until half-time. Town really do play some decent football and have a squad more than capable of competing in a higher division. However on the day they failed to make their possession count and convert their chances. An equaliser saw Town play with renewed energy but Binfield's industrious back-line held firm and held on to earn a point.

So a dissapointing result, even more so with promotion rivals Almondsbury and Shortwood both winning. Shortwood now close the gap to just three points and have three games in hand. However the two sides still have to play each other twice so its still very much in Town's own hands.

[Four Of Clubs]

So a dissapointing result, even more so with promotion rivals Almondsbury and Shortwood both winning. Shortwood now close the gap to just three points and have three games in hand. However the two sides still have to play each other twice so its still very much in Town's own hands.

.. think you've got your closest rivals the wrong way round...

... its Almonds who are currently three points behind in 2nd place with three games in hand.
The two decisive fixtures are between Almondsbury and RTFC on successive Saturdays in April (10th (Scours) & 17th (Oakland Pk)).
RTFC have only 1 league game after those two matches, at Pegasus on 1st May - whilst Almonds will still have three more to play: A v Abingdon T. then H v Ascot & H v Bicester.
Co-incidentally I think Almonds went into a final game needing only a point v Abingdon Town in 07/08 and surprisingly lost 0-1 and lost the title on GD to North Leigh - made worse by the fact that everyone else had finished their games - they'll be hoping lightening doesn't strike twice!

Shortwood are actually 11 points behind but do have 4 games in hand on RTFC - they are on a run of 5 straight wins but might get tested at Wantage on Tuesday who'll be keen to recover from a recent dodgy spell themselves.

RTFC might start to fret should they fail to get three points tomorrow v mid-table Flackwell and The Almonds pick-up a maximum vs struggling Malmesbury.

Whatever - there's plenty of twists to go yet I'm sure.

Looking on the Hellenic Chat board there may be some cause for further optimism - though maybe not for the right reasons - seems the Gloucs FA might be expecting the Almonds to vacate their HQ by end of May and of course with it the use of the ground @ Oakland Park. If this WERE to happen sooner rather than later then they may not be eligible to be promoted and 2nd Place (IF Almonds were champions) might become the promotion spot?
Not sure how the Southern league would view a groundshare, if arranged between now and 10/11 season - probably just rumour - there are a few obvious grounds near Almondsbury with SL standard grading (Yate, Mangotsfield, Slimbridge & even one of the Bristol Rugby clubs) - though its one that been around for a while.


PS been to Binfield a few times this season and can't say I've notice any WAGS at all - you're not claiming they were seriously more irksome than Drummer Boy and his Dad are you? Maybe its just an 'away follower' thing.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
UPDATE: RE Berks & Bucks Trophy Final:-

Date and Venue agreed according to the Newport Pagnell Town website:-

Berks & Bucks Senior Trophy Cup Final

Newport Pagnell Town FC V Reading Town FC

Chesham United FC, Amy Lane, Chesham, Bucks, HP5 1NE
Tuesday 13th April - 7.45pm

... been to 'Amy Lane' a year or two ago when 'The Ducks' were groundsharing there - nice big old 'NL Stadium' type ground - loads of covered Terrace; big bar; good food hut etc etc - Ground is just off on the left hand side of the first roundabout on the southern edge of Chesham - if you are driving up the A416 from Amersham.

[Four Of Clubs]

... is this a slippery slope I see before me?

RTFC went out of the Hellenic Challenge Cup Q-F last night, beaten 2-0 at Ardley Utd.

The Scours' lads had won there convincingly 4-1 at the start of the month but Ardley have picked up a bit since then (apart from a 1-5 gubbing @ Witney last Saturday) with 4 wins in 5 including an impressive win at Nomads.

RTFC are in the following Cup competitions:
B&B Trophy - (Final @ Chesham on the 13th Apr)
Floodlit (S-F 2nd Leg next Thursday 1st Apr at Binfield)
and the Southern Combination (Q-F tba opponents will be known after the Ashford Town (Middx) v Westfield (from Woking) tie next Thursday 1st - RTFC will be Away to the winners - probably)

- so they still have a fair chance of some 'silverware' should they lose their grip on the big one!