Moments after the final whistle of an electric FA Cup quarter-final at Valley Parade, Clarke challenged Reading supporters to sell out the replay at the Madejski Stadium and give themselves a chance of replicating the fantastic atmosphere created by the Bradford City home crowd.

By Tuesday afternoon, all non-season ticket seats had been snapped up and it looks set for a sell-out on Monday evening for the biggest game in Reading’s season.

And what an occasion it will be. The eyes of the whole town will be on the Madejski Stadium as Clark’s squad look to secure the Royals’ first FA Cup semi-final spot since 1927.

It will be arguably the biggest game to be held at the stadium since it opened in 1998.

But it’s not just a local affair. The whole nation will be watching the game, screened live on terrestrial TV. What a chance for Reading to put the town on the map for the first time since their Premier League campaigns.

This has been a disappointing season for Reading and many supporters are disillusioned with the inconsistencies that have played out on the pitch.

There have been similar troubles off the pitch following the botched takeover by Anton Zingarevich which left the club millions of pounds in debt before the club’s new Thai owners stepped in.

But now the Royals are on the verge of a place in the history books. A tantalising tie with Arsenal at Wembley awaits the winner of Monday’s quarter-final replay and who knows what could happen over the course of 90 minutes if Reading were to get there?

After this season’s performance that seems unlikely, but the FA Cup has often been the trophy of the underdog, and at this stage, anything could happen. Come on you URZ!