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?
Keith Knight
Midfielder
1988-1990
Appearances: 43
From my time at the club, I think what makes it a special football club is that it’s got a close interaction with the local community and the fans - it certainly did back at the old ground where I played. That made it special. Crowds were always buoyant, raucous, and supportive. The close relationship with the fanbase. It made you feel aware that you were not only representing the town of Reading but also the people who paid their hard-earned money to come and watch you every week.
I think a lot of these football clubs that have built new stadiums and moved further out of town do lose that connection with the fanbase but Reading seem to have been able to keep that going.
Stand-out memory:
My favourite memory is my debut against Southend when I scored on my debut! It still feels special, it still makes the hairs on the back of my neck stand up today when I think about that evening scoring against Southend on my professional debut. It was a very good atmosphere, it was an evening game, and to be fair to the crowd at Reading they were always very supportive of me. It was a special special time.
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