The 2005–06 season was

Reading Reading is the process of taking in the sense or meaning of Letter (alphabet), letters, symbols, etc., especially by Visual perception, sight or Somatosensory system, touch. For educators and researchers, reading is a multifaceted process invo ...

's 135th year in existence and fourth consecutive season in the

Championship In sport, a championship is a competition in which the aim is to decide which individual or team is the champion. Championship systems Various forms of competition can be referred to by the term championship. Title match system In this system ...

, since their promotion from the

Second Division In sport, the Second Division, also called Division 2 or Division II is usually the second highest division of a league, and will often have promotion and relegation with divisions above and below. Following the rise of Premier League style compet ...

2002 File:2002 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 2002 Winter Olympics are held in Salt Lake City; Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother and her daughter Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon die; East Timor gains East Timor independence, indepe ...

, and covers the period from 1 July 2005 to 30 June 2006. Reading finished the season as Champions, winning promotion to the

Premier League The Premier League (legal name: The Football Association Premier League Limited) is the highest level of the men's English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Foo ...

for the first time, and registered the highest points total gained in a professional league season with 106, bettering the previous record held by

Sunderland Sunderland () is a port city in Tyne and Wear, England. It is the City of Sunderland's administrative centre and in the Historic counties of England, historic county of County of Durham, Durham. The city is from Newcastle-upon-Tyne and is on t ...

by 1 point.

Review and events

Pre-season

Transfers

Following the completion of the 2004–05 season

announced on 11 May that veteran duo

Martin Keown Martin Raymond Keown (; born 24 July 1966) is an English football pundit and former professional footballer who played as a defender from 1984 to 2005, notably in the Premier League for Arsenal, where he made over 400 appearances for the club a ...

and

Les Ferdinand Leslie Ferdinand MBE (born 8 December 1966) is an English football coach, former professional footballer and television pundit, who is currently the director of football at Queens Park Rangers. A striker, his playing career included notable sp ...

, along with

Ricky Newman Richard Adrian Newman (born 5 August 1970) is an English football coach and former professional footballer who played as a utility player. He notably played in the Premier League for Crystal Palace for several seasons and in the Football League ...

, Bas Savage and youngster

Louie Soares Louie Soares (born 8 January 1985) is a former professional association football, footballer who played as a midfielder. He notably played as a professional for Reading F.C., Reading, Bristol Rovers F.C., Bristol Rovers, Barnet F.C., Barnet, ...

would not have their contracts renewed and were free to leave the club. On 22 June striker

Nicky Forster Nicholas Michael Forster (born 8 September 1973) is a former professional footballer who was most recently the manager of Staines Town. Forster has also been player-manager at Brentford and manager of Dover Athletic. Football career Early y ...

left the club after 6 years, opting to sign for

Ipswich Town Ipswich Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in Ipswich, Suffolk, England. They play in League One, the third tier of the English football league system. The club was founded in 1878 but did not turn profession ...

having turned down a new contract at Reading. He was followed in the days after by

Paul Brooker Paul Brooker (born 25 November 1976) is an English retired professional footballer who played as a winger in the Football League for Fulham, Brighton & Hove Albion, Leicester City, Reading and Brentford. Career Fulham and Brighton & Hove ...

and

Lloyd Owusu Lloyd Magnus Owusu (born 12 December 1976) is a retired professional footballer who last played for Hakoah Sydney City East in the NSW State League Division One, Sydney, Australia. After a move from non-League Slough Town, his career took off a ...

who both moved to

Brentford Brentford is a suburban town in West London, England and part of the London Borough of Hounslow. It lies at the confluence of the River Brent and the Thames, west of Charing Cross. Its economy has diverse company headquarters buildings whi ...

on free transfers. On 21 July

Andy Hughes Andy Hughes (11 November 1965 – 12 June 2009) was an English electronic music producer. He is best known for his work with the Orb, where he helped mix and produce ''Orbus Terrarum'', ''Orblivion'', and ''Cydonia'', as well as The Orb's sin ...

moved to

Norwich City Norwich City Football Club (also known as The Canaries or The Yellows) is an English professional football club based in Norwich, Norfolk. The club competes in the EFL Championship following their relegation from the Premier League in the 20 ...

in a deal thought to be worth £500,000 and the next day Dean Morgan moved to

Luton Town Luton Town Football Club () is a professional association football club based in the town of Luton, Bedfordshire, England, that competes in the Championship, the second tier of the English football league system. Founded in 1885, it is nicknam ...

on a free transfer. The final summer departure from the Madejski was

Shaun Goater Leonard Shaun Goater, Order of the British Empire, MBE (born 25 February 1970) is a Bermuda, Bermudian former professional Association football, footballer, coach and pundit, he currently works as a youth coach at Manchester City F.C., Manchest ...

who agreed to have his contract terminated by mutual consent on 27 July. The first signings of the summer were Irish pair

Kevin Doyle Kevin Edward Doyle (born 18 September 1983) is an Irish former professional footballer who played as a forward. He played for Wexford F.C. (formerly Wexford Youths), St Patrick's Athletic, and Cork City in his homeland before he moved to Engl ...

and

Shane Long Shane Patrick Long (born 22 January 1987) is an Irish professional footballer who plays as a striker for EFL Championship club Reading and the Republic of Ireland national team. He also played hurling for the Tipperary county team in his early ...

who joined from

Cork City Cork ( , from , meaning 'marsh') is the second largest city in Ireland and third largest city by population on the island of Ireland. It is located in the south-west of Ireland, in the province of Munster. Following an extension to the city' ...

on 7 June.

Stephen Hunt Stephen Hunt or Steven Hunt may refer to: Football *Stephen Hunt (footballer, born 1981), Republic of Ireland footballer *Stephen Hunt (footballer, born 1984), English footballer *Steve Hunt (footballer, born 1956), England, Coventry, Aston Villa ...

arrived from

on a free transfer on 29 June and he was followed by Graham Stack who signed on a six-month loan from

Arsenal An arsenal is a place where arms and ammunition are made, maintained and repaired, stored, or issued, in any combination, whether privately or publicly owned. Arsenal and armoury (British English) or armory (American English) are mostly ...

on 7 July.

Leroy Lita Leroy Halirou Bohari Lita (born 28 December 1984) is an English footballer who plays for Nuneaton Borough. Lita was a product of the Chelsea youth system but never made a first-team appearance for the club; in 2002, he moved to Bristol City and ...

was signed from

Bristol City Bristol City Football Club is a professional football club based in Bristol, England, which compete in the , the second tier of English football. They have played their home games at Ashton Gate since moving from St John's Lane in 1904. The ...

for a then club record £1,000,000 on 14 July and on 22 July

Brynjar Gunnarsson Brynjar Björn Gunnarsson (born 16 October 1975) is an Icelandic former footballer who last played for KR as a midfielder. Brynjar had previously played for Nottingham Forest, Stoke City, Watford and Reading in England as well as Vålerenga an ...

transferred from

Watford Watford () is a town and borough in Hertfordshire, England, 15 miles northwest of Central London, on the River Colne. Initially a small market town, the Grand Junction Canal encouraged the construction of paper-making mills, print works, a ...

for an undisclosed fee. On 2 August

Chris Makin Christopher Gregory Makin (born 8 May 1973) is an English retired professional footballer. He spent the final part of his career at Southampton, but is perhaps most famous for his spell at Sunderland. He played as a defender. His previous club ...

and

John Oster John Morgan Oster (born 8 December 1978) is a football coach and former professional player who played as a midfielder. Oster was a product of the youth team at Grimsby Town where he was added to the first team squad in 1994, however he didn't ...

both arrived on free transfers from

Leicester City Leicester ( ) is a city, unitary authority and the county town of Leicestershire in the East Midlands of England. It is the largest settlement in the East Midlands. The city lies on the River Soar and close to the eastern end of the National ...

and

Burnley Burnley () is a town and the administrative centre of the wider Borough of Burnley in Lancashire, England, with a 2001 population of 73,021. It is north of Manchester and east of Preston, at the confluence of the River Calder and River Bru ...

respectively. Eric Obinna signed on a short-term deal on 24 August and Reading's summer transfer business was completed by Sekou Baradji who was signed on loan from

West Ham West Ham is an area in East London, located east of Charing Cross in the west of the modern London Borough of Newham. The area, which lies immediately to the north of the River Thames and east of the River Lea, was originally an ancien ...

on 1 September.

August

Reading's first match in the

was a home game against

Plymouth Argyle Plymouth Argyle Football Club is a professional football club based in the city of Plymouth, Devon, England. As of the 2021–22 season, the team are competing in League One, the third tier of English football. They have played at Home Park, ...

on 6 August and despite dominating the game Reading lost 1 – 2. Having gone one down

equalised with a goal on his debut but a late finish from Nick Chadwick was enough to give Plymouth all the points. On 9 August Reading faced

Brighton Brighton () is a seaside resort and one of the two main areas of the City of Brighton and Hove in the county of East Sussex, England. It is located south of London. Archaeological evidence of settlement in the area dates back to the Bronze A ...

in the first of two away games with goals in each half for

Glen Little Glen Matthew Little (born 15 October 1975) is an English footballer. Born in Wimbledon, London, he also previously played for Burnley, Derry City, Glentoran, Crystal Palace, Sheffield United, Wrexham and Aldershot Town. He has also appeared in ...

and

Dave Kitson David Barry Kitson (born 21 January 1980) is an English former professional footballer who played as a forward. He made 420 appearances in the Premier League and Football League, including 135 for Reading. Kitson began his career with non-L ...

enough for a 2 – 0 victory. Reading then faced a trip north to Preston on 13 August and a came away with a comfortable 3 – 0 win thanks to a brace from Lita and a second goal in four days from Glen Little. Reading returned to the Madejski on 20 August to face

Millwall Millwall is a district on the western and southern side of the Isle of Dogs, in east London, England, in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. It lies to the immediate south of Canary Wharf and Limehouse, north of Greenwich and Deptford, east ...

in a game they won emphatically 5 – 0.

Bobby Convey Robert Francis Convey (; born May 27, 1983) is an American former football player who last played for New York Red Bulls in Major League Soccer. In addition to several MLS clubs, Convey spent five years in England with Reading, whom he helped i ...

scored two and one each from James Harper, Kitson and

Steve Sidwell Steven James Sidwell (born 14 December 1982) is an English former professional footballer who played as a midfielder. Sidwell was a product of the Arsenal academy, and after winning two FA Youth Cups, he had constructive loan spells at Bren ...

completed the scoring. Reading faced

Swansea City Swansea City Association Football Club (; cy, Clwb Pêl-droed Cymdeithas Dinas Abertawe) is a professional football club based in Swansea, Wales that plays in the Championship, the second tier of English football. Swansea have played their ho ...

on 23 August in the first round of the

League Cup In several sports, most prominently association football, a league cup or secondary cup generally signifies a cup competition for which entry is restricted only to teams in a particular league. The first national association football tournament t ...

. Kitson opened the scoring on 13 minutes but an 80th-minute equaliser from

Adebayo Akinfenwa Saheed Adebayo Akinfenwa (born 10 May 1982) is an English former professional footballer who played as a striker. Akinfenwa's professional breakthrough came at Doncaster Rovers, having spent time up until then in the lower leagues of English f ...

saw the game go into extra times with the score at 1–1. A second goal Kitson and one for Lita in extra time were enough to earn a 3–1 victory and progress into the second round. Reading were back in league action on 27 August away at

though neither team could make the breakthrough and it ended 0 – 0. The last game in August saw Reading at home in the league against

. Leroy Lita put Reading into the lead on 7 minutes but Burnley equalised through

Ade Akinbiyi Adeola Oluwatoyin Akinbiyi (born 10 October 1974) is a football coach and former professional footballer. As a player he was a forward who notably played in the Premier League for Norwich City, Leicester City and Sheffield United, as well as ...

won the match for Reading with his first goal for the club on 70 minutes with the game finishing 2 – 1.

September

After a 12-day break

travelled to the

Ricoh Arena The Coventry Building Society Arena (often shortened to the CBS Arena or just simply Coventry Arena, and formerly known as the Ricoh Arena) is a complex in Coventry, England. It includes a 32,609-seater stadium which is currently home to footb ...

to face

Coventry City Coventry City Football Club is a professional association football club based in Coventry, West Midlands (county), West Midlands, England. The team currently compete in the EFL Championship, Championship, the second tier of the English footbal ...

on 10 September. A second goal in two games from

was only enough for a 1 – 1 draw with

Rob Page Robert John Page (born 3 September 1974) is a Welsh football manager and former player, who is currently the manager of the Wales national team. In an 18-year career in the Premier League and the English Football League, he made 550 competitive ...

equalising in the 86th minute. Three days later Reading faced

Crystal Palace Crystal Palace may refer to: Places Canada * Crystal Palace Complex (Dieppe), a former amusement park now a shopping complex in Dieppe, New Brunswick * Crystal Palace Barracks, London, Ontario * Crystal Palace (Montreal), an exhibition building * ...

at home in a game they won 3 – 2. Kevin Doyle opened the scoring for Reading but Andy Johnson equalised shortly after and

Clinton Morrison Clinton Hubert Morrison (''né'' Chambers; born 14 May 1979) is a former professional footballer who played as a forward. Since his retirement from playing he works as a pundit. Morrison began his career at local side Crystal Palace in 1998, ...

then gave Palace the lead at the start of the second half. However goals from

and

Ibrahima Sonko Ibrahima Sonko (born 22 January 1981) is a Senegalese former professional footballer who played as a centre back. Sonko moved to France from Senegal at a young age and began his career with Olympique Noisy-le-Sec and AS Saint-Étienne, before t ...

were enough to secure the win for Reading. Next up was the visit of

Crewe Crewe () is a railway town and civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire East in Cheshire, England. The Crewe built-up area had a total population of 75,556 in 2011, which also covers parts of the adjacent civil parishes of Willaston ...

on 17 September which Reading won 1 – 0 thanks to a 78th-minute header from Ivar Ingimarsson. Reading were back in

Football League Cup The EFL Cup (referred to historically, and colloquially, as the League Cup), currently known as the Carabao Cup for sponsorship reasons, is an annual knockout competition and major trophy in men's domestic football in England. Organised by the ...

action on 20 September with a second round home tie against

. A single

goal was enough to see Reading progress to the third round. On 24 September Reading traveled to

in the

Football League Championship The English Football League Championship (often referred to as the Championship for short or the Sky Bet Championship for sponsorship purposes) is the highest division of the English Football League (EFL) and second-highest overall in the En ...

recorded and a third straight 1 – 0 win thanks to a goal from James Harper. The final game in September was at

Southampton Southampton () is a port city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. It is located approximately south-west of London and west of Portsmouth. The city forms part of the South Hampshire built-up area, which also covers Po ...

which finished 0 – 0 with both sides having chances but failing to make the breakthrough.

Squad

On loan

Left club during season

Transfers

In

Out

Loans in

Loans out

Released

Competitions

Overview

Championship

Results summary

Results by round

Results

League table

FA Cup

Football League Cup

Squad statistics

Appearances and goals

, - , colspan="14", ''Players who left Reading during the season:''

Goal scorers

Clean sheets

References

*General: Official Yearbook Reading FC 2006/07 () {{DEFAULTSORT:2005-06 Reading F.C. season Reading F.C. seasons