THE FAMILY of a teenage Reading FC fan who sadly died from cancer last month want to arrange a minute's applause in his memory.

Young Tom Stead, a boyhood Royals fan and season ticket holder, was diagnosed with osteosarcoma in March 2016 and died on Boxing Day 2017.

His doting parents set up a fundraising page to raise money for a charity and a hospital ward which treated young Tom during his illness.

They have so far raised a whopping £17,000 and plan to raise £100,000 in the coming years.

Now, in memory of Tom, they want to organise a round of applause in the 19th minute of Reading FC's match against Brentford on Saturday, January 20.

Tom's father Graham, of Wokingham, said: "Having a minute's applause will be a nice touch.

"I'm also trying to raise awareness of the fundraising page.

"Reading FC have been really good to us. Tom had been in contact with Paul McShane in the last weeks and months of last year.

"Everyone has been so supportive - family, friends, work associates. We have people doing Tough Mudder events to raise money."

The money will be split between Bone Cancer Research Trust and Kamrans Ward at The John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford.

Tom, who passed his A-Level exams while undergoing chemotherapy, had frequented Reading FC matches since he was a young boy.

As he grew older, he would travel to both home and away fixtures with his friends and would sit in the East Stand of Madejski Stadium.

His final game was against Ipswich at Portman Road, just 10 days before he sadly passed away.

His father, a keen Chelsea fan, quipped: "We used to joke that one day he would come back to Chelsea but he never did.

"He tried to go to as many away games as possible.

"He learned to drive while he had his illness.

"We went up to the Ipswich game as a family and that was the last away game he got to."

Visit http://bit.ly/2CHZOOc to donate to the cause.