Reading Roars!

“Who the fuck are Man U-ni-ted, whoo the fuck are Man U-ni-ted..” Chanted the throng of Reading FC followers, packed inside the Three Guineas pub, adjacent to Reading Station. And why not? It was the second half and the Royals were still leading the Red Devils by a goal to nil in their first league encounter.

With Reading already claiming significant scalps - Middlesbrough and Man City - fans were daring to believe. Indeed, I had to pinch myself. I was walking past a taxi rank when Kevin Doyle slotted in a 48th minute penalty to give Reading the lead, and a cheer erupted from the parked cabs. Naturally, I rushed over to investigate. When I heard the news, I felt like kissing the driver, but held back when I remembered I wasn’t gay.

Sadly, Cristiano Ronaldo, darling of England fans everywhere, brought the score level in the 73rd minute of the game with a powerful strike. But then they did have plenty of chances - 18 goal attempts versus Reading’s four.

So the dream continues. It’s still early in the season, but Reading are winning respect and looking good enough to stick about in the top flight for a while longer. As Roy Collins of the Telegraph wrote in his match report, the team “seem to be getting the hang of [competing in the Premiership] pretty quickly.”