In August the Club published a new book, 'A Decade Of Dreams', to celebrate our first ten years at Madejski Stadium - and every week here at readingfc.co.uk we are exclusively serialising extracts.
Today's excerpt is taken from Chapter Six, looking back at the early days of Steve Coppell's time at Reading and Alan Pardew's first return to the Club as an opposing manager with West Ham United.
An extract from Chapter Seven, reflecting on the glorious 2005/6 title-winning campaign, will be here next week.
The 256-page fully illustrated hardback book is available now in the Madejski Stadium Megastore, by mail order on 0118 907 0372 and in our online shop here.
Chapter Six - A New Era
By now there was one date looming ever larger in the diary of every Reading fan - Saturday 3rd April 2004, and the visit of fellow promotion chasers West Ham United with their new manager Alan Pardew.
The Royals warmed up well for that encounter with consecutive away wins at Cardiff and Coventry City - the victory at Ninian Park saw maiden goals for Ivar Ingimarsson, Dave Kitson and Dean Morgan, a striker or winger who combined brilliance and inconsistency in equal measure, while the hero at Highfield Road was goalkeeper Jamie Ashdown, whose penalty save reassured Reading fans that the goalkeeper's jersey was in safe hands during Marcus Hahnemann's injury absence from the team.
And so onto Pardew's return. The former boss was sure to receive a frosty reception from the Reading fans who felt let down by the nature of his departure to West Ham six months previously - and, although the typically conciliatory Coppell tried to calm the atmosphere by commenting, "May I remind you that Alan Pardew isn't playing. We have 11 fellas in blue and white shirts who are playing and they need your support," the hordes of loyal Royals inside Madejski Stadium paid little heed to their new manager's words.
The atmosphere was electric and Pardew had to withstand more than his fair share of verbal taunting as he took his place in the visiting team dug-out - but, by the end of the day, Reading fans were focussing their attention on a new hero...Dave Kitson.
The towering striker had made a quietly impressive start to his Madejski Stadium career, settling into his new surroundings gently by slamming home goal after goal for the reserves. His well-taken goal at Cardiff two weeks previously suggested there was more to come, and now he was ready to make his mark - big time!
The game was 35 minutes old, with Reading well on top, when Graeme Murty angled a low ball towards the Hammers penalty area from the halfway line. Veteran defender Andy Melville thought there was no danger and prepared to usher the ball behind for a goal kick, but he had completely misread the situation and allowed Kitson to steal in behind him, stretch out a leg and stab a shot past helpless keeper Stephen Bywater.
Kitson wasn't finished yet and he made the points safe early in the second half in emphatic style, smashing home an unstoppable volley after James Harper's free kick was half-cleared.
After the game Kitson insisted, "The Alan Pardew situation had nothing to do with me whatsoever, I couldn't care less about it. That didn't motivate me. We know how important today was in terms of getting into the play-offs. We were fantastic all over the pitch and thoroughly deserved to win."
Read the full story in 'A Decade Of Dreams', available now in the Madejski Stadium Megastore, by mail order on 0118 907 0372 and in our online shop here.
