In celebration of Reading Football Club's 150th anniversary, The Reading Chronicle spoke with 15 figures from the Reading community, past and present, to find out above all one thing: What makes Reading FC special?

Ady Williams

Defender

1988-1996, 2000-2004

Appearances: 385

My answer will be different to a lot of others because I was born in Reading. I always wanted to play for my home club, my home town, and that was Reading. For me, it was always special.

I left school at 15 and spent 13 years there in total playing football. The people behind the scenes, the people at Reading, the fans…they made the club. And football club is nothing without the fans and I’ve been very blessed that I’ve got, I think, a very good relationship with the fans and I want that to continue for as long as possible.

It means a lot. Football is a tough sport and sometimes you lose more than you win. Years ago particularly, when you used to go into town, fans got a lot closer to the players back in the day, you wanted fans to come up to you and commiserate you, talk to you, share a drink, and have that connection. Which I do believe is missing from the game for whatever reason whether it’s social media, financial, whatever it may be. But it’s always been special for me.

Reading Chronicle: Ady Williams and Jamie Cureton celebrate Reading's promotion to the First Division (Championship) in 2002. Image by: PAAdy Williams and Jamie Cureton celebrate Reading's promotion to the First Division (Championship) in 2002. Image by: PA

I’ve been in most restaurants, most bars, most places in town, talked to fans and it’s something that means a lot to me, my relationship with the fans over the years. Even when I wasn’t playing for the football club I was living in the area. So it always meant a huge amount to me and my family as well.

Stand-out Memory: 

Making my debut is always special. For somebody who’s a local boy, born in Royal Berkshire Hospital in Reading, to make your debut at 17…that was special. The playoff era where we got to Wembley in 1994/95, that squad was incredible. As in human beings, as in men, as in teammates. So that was always a very very special time. And having the honour for a couple of hundred games or so to captain the side. That’s always been a big thing for me: that I played for my town, that I captained my team for many years. 

Reading Chronicle: Ady Williams scores Reading's second in the eventual defeat to Bolton at Wembley in 1995. Image by: PAAdy Williams scores Reading's second in the eventual defeat to Bolton at Wembley in 1995. Image by: PA

There are so many wonderful memories but the debut is always special and for me, my favourite era was that Wembley era, the squad we had with Stuart Lovell, Scotty Taylor, Michael Gilkes, Micky Gooding, Shaka Hislop…the list is endless. That era we got to Wembley was just a brilliant time. Not only was it the best time of my career, but it was the best time of my life.

Click here to read all of our 15 for 150 interviews