BACK TO ARCHIVE INDEX © All written site content is copyright ComeOnBoro.com 2004-2007, unless otherwise stated, and is not to be used without prior permission.	READING v MIDDLESBROUGH BLAST FROM THE PAST Finally it has arrived. Another new season and another one (that gave us some amazing memories) behind us as we go into this opening day clash at Reading. Amazingly there have only been twelve previous encounters between the two clubs. But there is only one game that sticks in the minds of the fans of the two sides - Boro's League Cup Quarter Final victory in 1998. Here's a selection of your memories of that cold, wet January day. Lemontop Reading 0-1 Middlesbrough, League Cup Quarter-Final, 06/01/1998 After the surreal season that was 1996-97, the build up to the following season was somewhat of a reality check. We began replacing our superstar players with 'has-beens', 'never quite had beens' and 'probably never will bes' and seemingly resumed the yo-yo status with which I'd become so depressingly familiar over my fifteen years of supporting the club. We did, however, retain enough of a pull to attract a certain Paul Merson and soon enough we were up at the top of the table and playing some good stuff. This was more like it. But what was wholly unexpected (to me and most fans I suspect) was yet another Cup run that took us all the way to Wembley. And this time, it was via Reading's Elm Park. For the teenagers amongst us, Elm Park was the kind of old, dilapidated stadium that has developed a kind of romantic nostalgia since the advent of generic, all-seater, no smoking or atmosphere stadia. Whilst these old grounds had what might euphemistically be termed 'character', what Elm Park didn't have was a fucking roof. At least not for the away fans. And it was an extremely cold, wet night when we made our way to Reading for a League Cup Quarter Final clash. I had yet to discover the joys of contact lenses at this stage so much of the game was a blur behind misted up, rain pelted spectacles. I didn't need eyes however to realise that the guys standing next to us were hopelessly drunk. And remained so throughout the game - despite the sobering conditions. Thus it took them even longer than the scorer himself to realise that Uncle Festa's late 'goal', and subsequent shirt-twirling celebration, had been disallowed. Fortunately our defence just about stood firm while he spent what seemed like ages getting his shirt back on and finally Craig Hignett put in the winner, in the last minute, and we'd made it to the semi-finals. The "E-I-O"ing after we'd scored is the last time I remember doing it on the terraces, and the last few minutes are just about all I remember of the game. There was much talk about the Liverpool semi-final, and rightly so, but as a southern based fan, it was all about the quarter-final for me. Let's hope the weather is better, but the end result the same as we make our seasonal reappearance at Reading's new home. Anonymous Reading 0-1 Middlesbrough, League Cup Quarter-Final, 06/01/1998 I've only ever been to one Boro v Reading match and that was the quarter-final of the Carling/Worthington/League/Milk/Coca-Cola Cup back in 1998 at Reading's old ground, the name of which escapes me. I was living in London at the time and used to go to all the Boro games in the south with a mate of mine from Boro who owned a jazz record shop in Camden Town. I can't remember his name either. We'd been to see Boro lose 3-0 at The Valley just before this game and arranged to go to Reading on the Wednesday night for the Cup tie. I was managing a shop in Hammersmith at the time and on the Monday before the Reading game I had been invited to a poker game in West London. There was one player there who was a real cocky bastard and I really wanted to beat him. Well I did when he started trying to freak me out with a straight and I loved seeing the look on his face when I showed him my full house. That tipped him over the edge and he went on tilt and it only took me another hour to finish him off in fine style. I left the game with nearly a grand in my pocket and hit the West End. Many hours later I was woken up by the phone and learned that the area manager was in my shop and wanted to know where I was. I looked around my room at the pile of cash and empty Tequila bottle scattered over the floor and told my staff member to say that I was out seeing a potential client and that I would be back later. I eventually rolled into the shop - via a hair of the dog - at around 2pm and as soon as I arrived, my mate from the jazz shop was on the phone. The Boro v Reading quarter-final was tonight, not on the Wednesday. "I'll meet you in an hour" was my response and I delegated my daily duties and made my way to King's Cross (I think), via my local drug dealer. A few swift joints finally cleared the hangover and got the day going but it's not a good idea to be stoned at an important football match. Quite simply, you just don't really care. All I really remember from the match at Reading, apart from the goal, was Gianluca Festa running around for quite some time with no shirt on. He had taken it off when he bagged a goal but his strike was disallowed and he was called into action straight after and never had time to don his attire again. I was just rolling around in the terrace pissing myself laughing. This was also the very first time that I met Frankie Bam Bam and once again, it's not a good idea to spend any amount of time with this guy when you are seven sheets to the wind. Anyone who has met him, sober or not, will be able to relate to that. Craig Hignett scored in the second half and sent Boro into the semi-final. I snorted a huge line of coke just after, which snapped me out of my smiley slumber and sent me wild. I was running up and down the away terrace, prematurely celebrating our Cup final win, which actually took six more years to arrive. Getting back to London was just a complete nightmare as the ground was hundreds of miles from Reading train station and the home fans were not in a good mood. Some of my more enthusiastic comments were not very well received by the Reading faithful and I was escorted back to the train station by Reading's boys in blue who made sure I was on that train. I woke up early the next afternoon after enduring another almighty drinking session and made it to the shop. The first thing I noted was the match date on the calendar and I started making arrangements to get away early so I could get to Reading. Then it all came back to me... And now Readinglad gives us his view of his side's 1-0 defeat on that January evening as well as Reading's 1-0 home League defeat three months later. It was a League Cup tie on a Tuesday and the atmosphere was great. We were scrapping against relegation and you were up at the top battling for promotion but it was evenly contested. Festa scored a goal that never was and celebrated by tearing off his shirt and running around like a madman - only to take him five minutes to get it back on again after the goal had been ruled out. Towards the end Boro were rather bizarrely awarded a free kick for no apparent reason. Most of the Boro team had walked back towards their own goal to defend the original free-kick that was ours but then the referee decided to award you the free kick instead. The ball was thumped forwards and controlled beautifully by Merson. He provided a good through-ball to Hignett, and bang, 1-0 and out we go, thanks to a mare of a refereeing decision deep into injury time. Needless to say you guys were over the moon and that was pretty evident from looking at the away end. We were left pondering what the hell made the referee decide he was going to knock us out. He has been booed every time he has returned since. I also remember being in the Boro end when Boro won 1-0 at Elm Park later that season. My dad hadn't taken me to the game as he was "busy" so I went with two Boro fans instead, who will probably be attending the game with me on Saturday. Ricard had a lot of volleys that day and Boro eventually won 1-0. I was stood next to this thin bloke with curly shoulder-length black hair who was in his early twenties I think. I am not sure why I remember him but he sang his heart out for the full ninety minutes which impressed me at the time. We lost both games and I should be more bitter about them but I'm not - I think back on them as good matches with really great atmospheres. We've come a long way since those days, both of us in fact. Hopefully Saturday will be a good crack. Harry Haverton We haven't played against Reading many times but on one of the occasions we have, it was also on the opening day of the season. That was back in 1928 and no, I bloody well wasn't there! We won 3-2 that day and drew the return match 0-0 at Ayresome Park. Not many players have been transferred between the two clubs but one notable exception is Trevor Senior. Boro bought him from Reading in 1987 and he scored twice in a 6-0 win over Sheffield United shortly after joining. Trevor's Reading career included 191 goals in 362 league and cup appearances in two spells with his Boro days sandwiched between. After he left Reading for the second time he went on to play for Dorchester Town, and Weymouth and recently managed Bridgwater Town, winning the Western League's Les Phillips Cup Final in 2003. Trevor Senior was spotted in a West London bar by some Boro supporters a few years after he had left and they asked him if he had enjoyed his time at Middlesbrough? "Fackin Bara! I fackin 'ated it at Bara." he remarked... READING FANS WELCOME IN THE NEW HOLGATE MESSAGE BOARD READING v BORO MATCH PROGRAMME INDEX
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