READING FC fans have criticised the club after scores of supporters were unable to pick up a limited edition kit.

The club opened sales online for the Red Nose Day replica shirt at 9am, with the goal of raising money for charity.

It did not take long before supporters were voicing concerns - forcing many of them to head down the stadium's club shop.

Things went from bad to worse when huge queues of people quickly realised they would not be walking away with a shirt.

Paul Janes was left disappointed, having spent more than three hours at Madejski Stadium to get a shirt for his daughter.

He said: "In my 56 years on this planet, I have never seen such a shambles. I don't normally do this sort of thing, but when I got home I was so angry.

"I had tried to buy online from 9am, but they had problems with their website, which was eventually closed down.

"The shop were originally allowing people to buy unlimited numbers, as they had not looked at the size of the queue outside the shop."

Mr Janes said members of staff came out to reassure the crowd that there were plenty of shirts, but they reduced the limit to four shirts per person.

He is now concerned that a few customers will take advantage of the situation and try to sell the kit online at a much higher rate.

He added: "I got to within 40ft of the door of the store and we were all told that the store would be closing and not reopening.

"It was very disappointing. My daughter will be sad and it is a terrible day for Reading FC's public relations, as the kit was all for charity.

"I bet you there will be people selling them on eBay over the weekend. The problem was obvious from the start, they needed to limit the number of shirts from the beginning."

The red replica shirt was made available for just £5 and many fans got as far as making payment on the website before encountering problems.

A spokesman for Reading FC said: "The incredible level of demand received from our fans, both in-store and online, was hugely appreciated; however also naturally leaves many supporters disappointed for those who have been unable to purchase.

"Thank you to everyone who has supported this charitable venture in aid of Comic Relief.

"Our sincere apologies to any supporters who experienced technical difficulties when trying to buy online at the point of shirts going on sale at 9am, and who were unable to complete their transaction.

"We will continue to resolve any outstanding queries and problems with online purchases as a matter of priority."