We decided to look back at the Royals’ best opening day results of the Select Car Leasing Stadium (Madejski Stadium) era.

The club has won just seven opening-day matches in the 23 years since arriving in RG2, however whatever the result they tend to be eventful.

1999/2000: Reading 2-1 Bristol City

The first opening day match at the Madejski saw a late winner for Tommy Burns’ expensively assembled squad.

Grant Brebner, the scorer of the stadium’s first goal the previous season against Luton Town, opened the sides account for the season in the first half before the Robins equalised in the final 15 minutes.

However, with five minutes remaining, Jim Crawford scored his only Reading goal to seal a win in front of the largest home crowd of the campaign.

The side would fail to win their next five matches and finish 10th under Alan Pardew following Burns’ dismissal early in the season.

2001/02: Blackpool 0-2 Reading

A celebrated season in Reading history, promotion from the third-tier was set in motion with a win on the Lancashire coast.

Legendary figures Phil Parkinson and Nicky Forster bagged one in each half to seal a convincing win at Bloomfield Road.

A mixed opening half to the season saw the side sit just inside the play-offs, but a run of 11 wins and just one defeat in the final half of the season saw Pardew’s side need just a point on the final day to secure promotion at Brentford.

A sixth straight draw, courtesy of a late Jamie Cureton equalizer, ensured second-tier football at the Madejski for the first time.

2004/05: Reading 3-2 Brighton and Hove Albion

Two Championship seasons had passed without an opening day win but Steve Coppell’s exciting side was on the right side of a five-goal thriller to welcome in the new campaign.

Maheta Molango pounced inside 10 seconds to give the Seagulls a lead before Dave Kitson leveled just a minute later. James Harper gave the hosts a lead going into halftime and Forster extended that to make it 3-1 on the hour mark.

Jake Robinson pulled another back for former boss Mark McGhee’s traveling side but the home side saw out the win.

This match foreshadowed what was to come in the season as it was a thrilling campaign to watch.

Just four home league defeats and a 7th placed finish would no doubt have felt slightly disappointing however having spent 38 game weeks in the top six. Little did we know what was to follow.

2006/07: Reading 3-2 Middlesbrough

Trapsing home after a 2-1 defeat to Plymouth Argyle on the opening day of the 2005/06 campaign, not many supporters would envisage watching the side in the Premiership just 12 months later after a much-fabled season of just two defeats and 106 points.

The record-breakers opened the club's top-flight account with a home game against UEFA Cup runners-up Boro. With barely a spare seat in the ground, it could not have been a worse start.

A nervy Reading side went 2-0 down within 22 minutes after goals from Stuart Downing and Yakubu but following an infamous run from left-back Nicky Shorey the side seemed to resource its mojo and two goals in two minutes saw the sides go in level at the break.

Then within 10 minutes of the restart, the ultimate comeback was complete, with Leroy Lita firing home to send the Madejski into a frenzy.

The excitement, the fearless attitude and the bouncing atmosphere were attributes that would remain as the side finished 8th in the league, the clubs highest-ever finish.

2007/08: Manchester United 0-0 Reading

After an impressive first season in the top flight, many had hoped it would be another season of consolidation in the Premiership.

If the start was anything to go by then they would do okay. An opening day trip to the reigning champions is always a daunting prospect but Coppell’s side rarely showed fear and a perfectly executed away performance ensured a clean sheet and a point would be taken back down to Berkshire, despite playing some of the game with 10 men following Kitson’s sending off within a minute of entering the pitch.

Unfortunately matches with similar defensive nous were few and far between and Reading went back down to the Championship having conceded the second-most goals in the division, worsened only by Derby County who conceded 89 and finished on 11 points.

2011/12: Reading 2-2 Millwall

Now in the midst of a barren run of wins on the opening day of matches, it would be seven years between the Middlesbrough win in 2006 and the next one in 2013. In that time the club would draw five and lose once in the curtain-raiser.

In a campaign that started slow, this draw with Millwall was the start of an incredible journey. Following the heartbreak of play-off defeat to Swansea City at the end of the previous season, there was unquestionably a hangover.

With a goalless first half, goals from former Royal Darius Henderson and John Marquis looked set to open the account with a defeat for Brian McDermott.

However, a late double from French striker Mathieu Manset, including an unstoppable drive from 25 yards, ensured the points were shared. Unfortunately after six games, and four defeats, the club were sat 23rd in the table; but just seven defeats in the remaining 39 matches saw the club lift its second Championship title of the Madejski era and once again play top flight football.

2012/13: Reading 1-1 Stoke City

A home clash against Tony Pulis’ Stoke side hardly set the tongues wagging, but another season of Premier League football beckoned and almost 24,000 crammed in.

The visitors were the better side for most of the game, with winger Michael Kightly pouncing on an Adam Federici mistake, but as seemed to be the theme with McDermott’s Reading they always had a sting in the tail.

Knocking on the door for most of the final 15 minutes, midfielder Dean Whitehead tripped debutant Garath McCleary and the referee awarded a penalty. With the clock ticking into 90 minutes, super-sub ‘ALFIE’ tucked away his spot-kick to send the stadium into raptures and ensure the side walked away with something on an opening day.

Unfortunately, that was one of the few highlights in a difficult season in which the club won just three times at home, twice away from home, and was comfortably relegated with three matches spare.

2013/14: Reading 2-1 Ipswich Town

After a long wait, the Royals finally won an opening day match, for the first time since 2006.

A season full of expectation for an immediate return to the Premier League, over 20,000 turned up to see the action.

It started poorly, with the Tractor Boys taking a lead early in the match through former Royal Jay Tabb, who failed to net for Reading in over 100 appearances.

Adam Le Fondre pulled one back in first-half stoppage time to ensure parity at the break, and Danny Guthrie stole the three points with 15 minutes remaining.

It was to be an exciting season right up until the final minutes before heartbreak as Oscar Garcia’s Brighton side slipped into the play-offs ahead of Nigel Adkins’ Reading.

2016/17: Reading 1-0 Preston North End

Reading’s most successful season since 2011 started off with a win and a clean sheet in 2016.

A summer of upheaval, 18 players arrived during the course of the campaign, as well as the club's first non-British manager in Manchester United legend Jaap Stam.

Reeling from the premature passing of club stalwart Eamonn Dolan, the North Stand was renamed the Eamonn Dolan Stand pre-match as a round of applause from all four corners set the tone for the afternoon.

In line with the script, Reading won thanks to a goal from debutant John Swift and despite some heavy defeats ended up reaching the Championship play-off final, losing to Huddersfield Town on penalties.

2020/21: Derby County 0-2 Reading

Reading won their opening match of the season last time out as Veljko Paunovic took the club to the brink of the play-offs.

Despite a turbulent pre-season in which the Serbian failed to manage from the touchline until this game at Pride Park, the team got off to an incredible start.

First-half goals from Lucas Joao and Ovie Ejaria set the team on their way to winning seven and drawing one of their first eight matches.

That run was followed by four straight defeats and this inconsistency plagued the team throughout the campaign as the Royals missed out on the top six by seven points.