Reading Town Football Club were a semi-professional English
football
Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...
club in the
Hellenic League Division One East, based in
Reading, Berkshire
Reading ( ) is a town and borough in Berkshire, Southeast England, southeast England. Located in the Thames Valley at the confluence of the rivers River Thames, Thames and River Kennet, Kennet, the Great Western Main Line railway and the M4 mot ...
. It was affiliated to the
Berks & Bucks Football Association.
The club previously played in the
Combined Counties Football League
The Combined Counties Football League is a regional men's football league in south-eastern England with members in Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Hampshire, Hertfordshire, Jersey, Kent, Middlesex, Oxfordshire, Surrey, and the western half and sou ...
, but with the agreement of the leagues involved, swapped places with
Badshot Lea
Badshot Lea is a small village in Surrey, England, and close to Aldershot. Badshot Lea has access in either direction to the A31 and A331 and is connected to railway stations in the nearby towns with regular bus services. The village is part o ...
in time for the start of the 2008–09 season.
History
The club was formed in 1966 as Lower Burghfield and started life in the
Reading Combination League.
In the early 1980s they were the Premier Division Champions on four occasions, with the 1983–84 season seeing them not just win the league, but three league cup competitions too.
The next season saw them move to the
Reading & District League where they finished as runners-up in the Premier Division and went on to win the Reading Senior Cup.
The 1985–86 season saw them once again finish as runners-up in the Premier Division, but this time around they had to settle for runners-up in the Reading Senior Cup.
During their time in the Reading leagues the club changed its name several times, being known as XL United, Vincents United and finally Reading Garage.
In 1989–90 they joined the Premier Division of the
Chiltonian League
The Chiltonian League was an English football league, existing from 1984 until its merger with the Hellenic League in 2000. While never having a defined place in the English football league system, successful clubs moved from the Chiltonian Leagu ...
, and changed their name from Reading Garage to I T S Reading.
In 1993–94 they changed their name to Reading Town and relocated to their final home of Scours Lane.
The 1994–95 season saw the team win the Premier Division Championship, and gain promotion to the
Combined Counties Football League
The Combined Counties Football League is a regional men's football league in south-eastern England with members in Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Hampshire, Hertfordshire, Jersey, Kent, Middlesex, Oxfordshire, Surrey, and the western half and sou ...
. Their first season in the Combined counties league the club finished midtable but went on to win the Berks & Bucks FA Senior Trophy, beating
Lambourn Sports in the final.
Floodlights were installed the following season and the team reached the final of the Berks & Bucks FA Senior Trophy again, but were beaten in final by
Abingdon United.
That season also saw the club enter the
FA Vase
The Football Association Challenge Vase, usually referred to as the FA Vase, is an annual football competition for teams playing in Steps 5 and 6 of the English National League System (or equivalently, tier 9 or 10 of the overall English footbal ...
for the first time, where they reached the 4th Round, before succumbing to beaten semi-finalists
Banstead Athletic
Banstead Athletic Football Club is a association football, football club based in Tadworth, near Epsom in Surrey, England. The club are currently members of the and play at Merland Rise. They are affiliated to the Surrey County Football Associa ...
.
The 1997–98 campaign saw the club finish as runners-up in the league, losing out to
Ashford Town. That season also saw them enter the
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual knockout football competition in men's domestic English football. First played during the 1871–72 season, it is the oldest national football competi ...
for the first time in their history, entering at the preliminary qualification round, where they were knocked out by
Waterlooville
Waterlooville is a market town in the Borough of Havant in Hampshire, England, approximately north northeast of Portsmouth. It is the largest town in the borough.
The town has a population of about 64,350 and is surrounded by Purbrook, Blendwort ...
.
At the start of 2001–02 season Town appointed former Manchester United and England star
Neil Webb
Neil John Webb (born 30 July 1963) is an English football manager, former footballer and television pundit.
He primarily played as a midfielder but also played as a defender between 1980 and 1997, notably in the top flight for Manchester Unit ...
as Manager.
However Webb was unable to transfer his success as a player to the management role and after a poor start to the season he resigned in November.
Twenty-three-year-old Colin Millard was made the manager for the 2002–03 campaign Town, and stayed with the club until the end of the 2006–07 to become Assistant manager at
Bracknell Town. The club then appointed Neil Goff and Glenn Goudie as joint managers of the club for the 2007–08 season. Goff was the former assistant manager of Reading Town when Millard was in charge; Goudie's previous role at the club was the goalkeeping and defensive coach, he was also the former manager of Royal Mail FC in the
Reading Football League
The Thames Valley Premier Football League is a football competition based in England. It has a total of five divisions – the Premier Division, then Divisions One to Four. It was founded in 1989 as the Reading Senior League, as a merger of the ...
.
In September 2007 Millard resigned as Assistant Manager at Bracknell Town and was re-appointed as Manager, with Goudie and Goff reverting to the position of Joint Assistant Managers.
In June 2008 Reading Town moved across leagues to join the Premier Division of the
Hellenic Football League
The Hellenic Football League, currently known as the Uhlsport Hellenic Football League for sponsorship reasons, is an English men's football league covering an area including the English counties of Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire, southern Buck ...
. The first season in the new league saw the club finish eighth, and win the
Berks & Bucks Senior Trophy again, when they beat
Newport Pagnell Town in the final 2–0. The next season saw the club become runners-up of the Hellenic League Floodlit Cup and the Berks & Bucks Senior Trophy, but gained some consolation by winning the Southern Combination Cup for the first time.
At the end of season Colin Millard resigned and was replaced by former
Henley Town boss Roddy Slater. Roddy's stint in charge lasted only one season and he resigned at the end of 2010–11 to be succeeded by Mark Bartley. Under Mark Bartley the club went on to win the Hellenic League Supplementary cup, beating
Highmoor Ibis 4–3 in the final. At the end of the season Bartley resigned due to not wanting to work on a smaller budget for the following season. Michael Butcher was appointed as Bartleys replacement but only lasted till January 2013 when he quit as manager and former manager Colin Millard took over. In June 2013 Millard's appointment was made permanent.
In February 2016, Reading Town were closed down by owners
Battersea and Wandsworth TUC
Battersea and Wandsworth TUC is a Trades Union Council (also known as a Trades Council) covering the London Borough of Wandsworth in South West London. It is one of the best organised and resourced TUCs in the UK thanks to its trading arm BWTUC (T ...
.
Stadium
Reading Town played their home games at Scours Lane Stadium, in the Tilehurst area of the town.
The stadium has a capacity of 2,000, of which 162 is covered seating. The record attendance for a Reading Town game is 1,067 against
AFC Wimbledon
AFC Wimbledon is an English professional Association football, football club, based in London Borough of Merton, Merton, London, that plays in the EFL League Two, after being relegated from the EFL League One following the 2021–22 EFL Leagu ...
at Scours Lane on 3 May 2003.
Scours Lane is the second-highest capacity football stadium in Reading, next to
Madejski Stadium
The Madejski Stadium (currently known as the Select Car Leasing Stadium for sponsorship reasons) is a football stadium in Reading. It is the home of Reading Football Club, who play in the EFL Championship. It also provides the finish for the Rea ...
, home of
Sky Bet 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 E ...
side
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 ...
. The ground is now used by
Reading City F.C.
Reading City Football Club is a football club based in Reading, Berkshire, England. They are currently members of the and play at the Rivermoor Stadium in the Tilehurst area of Reading.
History
The club was established in 2001 as Highmoor Ibi ...
Honours
League honours
*
Combined Counties Football League
The Combined Counties Football League is a regional men's football league in south-eastern England with members in Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Hampshire, Hertfordshire, Jersey, Kent, Middlesex, Oxfordshire, Surrey, and the western half and sou ...
Premier Division :
** Runners up (1): 1997–98
*
Chiltonian League
The Chiltonian League was an English football league, existing from 1984 until its merger with the Hellenic League in 2000. While never having a defined place in the English football league system, successful clubs moved from the Chiltonian Leagu ...
Premier Division :
** Champions (1): 1994–95
*
Reading & District League Premier Division :
** Runners up (2): 1984–85, 1985–86
*
Reading Combination League Premier Division :
** Champions (4): 1980–81, 1981–82, 1982–83, 1983–84
Cup honours
*Berks & Bucks FA Senior Trophy:
** Winners (2): 1995–96, 2008–09
** Runners up (3): 1996–97, 2009–10, 2013–14
*Reading Senior Cup:
** Winners (1): 1984–85
** Runners up (1): 1985–86
*
Hellenic Football League
The Hellenic Football League, currently known as the Uhlsport Hellenic Football League for sponsorship reasons, is an English men's football league covering an area including the English counties of Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire, southern Buck ...
Floodlit Cup:
** Runners-up (1): 2009–10
*
Hellenic Football League
The Hellenic Football League, currently known as the Uhlsport Hellenic Football League for sponsorship reasons, is an English men's football league covering an area including the English counties of Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire, southern Buck ...
Supplementary Cup:
** Winners (1): 2011–12
*Southern Combination Cup:
** Winners (1): 2009–10
Records
*Highest League Position:
2nd in Combined Counties Football League Premier Division 1997–98
*
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual knockout football competition in men's domestic English football. First played during the 1871–72 season, it is the oldest national football competi ...
best performance:
First qualifying round 1999–00, 2000–01
*
FA Vase
The Football Association Challenge Vase, usually referred to as the FA Vase, is an annual football competition for teams playing in Steps 5 and 6 of the English National League System (or equivalently, tier 9 or 10 of the overall English footbal ...
best performance:
Fourth round 1996–97, 2011–12
*Highest Attendance:
1,067 Vs
AFC Wimbledon
AFC Wimbledon is an English professional Association football, football club, based in London Borough of Merton, Merton, London, that plays in the EFL League Two, after being relegated from the EFL League One following the 2021–22 EFL Leagu ...
3 May 2003.
Former players
# Players that have played/managed in the football league or any foreign equivalent to this level (i.e. fully professional league).
# Players with full international caps.
*
Pat McCoy
*
Stuart Beavon
*Asen Valchev
*
George Friel
*
Graham Lewis
Graham Lewis (born Edward Graham Lewis, 22 February 1953) is an English musician.
Lewis is the bassist with punk rock/post-punk band Wire, a band formed in 1976.
Biography
On Wire's first studio album Graham Lewis was credited as ''Lewis''; ...
*
Marcus Richardson
*
Sam Bangura
*
Ben Gladwin
Benjamin Thomas Charles Gladwin (born 8 June 1992) is an English footballer who plays as a midfielder for League Two club Crawley Town.
Gladwin has played for 11 clubs including Swindon Town (three previous spells), Queens Park Rangers, Blackbu ...
*
Jamie Fairchild
Former coaches
# Managers/Coaches that have played/managed in the football league or any foreign equivalent to this level (i.e. fully professional league).
# Managers/Coaches with full international caps.
*
Neil Webb
Neil John Webb (born 30 July 1963) is an English football manager, former footballer and television pundit.
He primarily played as a midfielder but also played as a defender between 1980 and 1997, notably in the top flight for Manchester Unit ...
References
External links
Official websiteReading Town F.C. newsat
Reading Post
The ''Reading Post'' (until 2009, the ''Reading Evening Post'') was an English local newspaper covering Reading, Berkshire and surrounding areas. The title page of the paper featured the Maiwand Lion, a famous local landmark at Forbury Gardens. Th ...
{{Hellenic League Premier
Football
Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...
Association football clubs established in 1966
Association football clubs disestablished in 2016
Football clubs in Reading
Defunct football clubs in Berkshire
Combined Counties Football League
Hellenic Football League
Chiltonian League
1966 establishments in England
2016 disestablishments in England
Football clubs in England
Works association football teams in England