Anyone who watched even a minute of Jay Tabb in a Reading shirt, won’t be shocked to find out his new career takes incredible graft, perseverance, and above all: bravery. 

Whether it was squaring up to Yaya Toure or throwing himself into a monster tackle, bravery was the focal point of every single Jay Tabb performance on the pitch. But it’s no comparison to the bravery required for his new life working in horse racing.

“The enjoyment definitely outweighs the fear but you’re getting on a half-ton animal at the end of the day, and sometimes things can go wrong!” Tabb laughs.

“Falling off a horse is definitely different to getting tackled by a footballer, that’s for sure! It’s not something that’s very pleasant. But it’s part of the job - if you’re scared of falling off don’t bother getting on in the first place. Every now and again you fall off but you just have to dust yourself down and get back on again.”

Tabb is using that last line literally; in that he literally has to dust himself off after falling off a real horse. But it’s also an apt metaphor for the football life that saw him defy the odds to make 450 professional appearances and reach the heights of the Premier League.

Released from the Crystal Palace academy for being too small, Jay Tabb’s career was defined by his size. But it’s not the fact that his 5’5” frame routinely placed him as the smallest on the pitch, it’s the way he ignored his limitations that created the legacy he left behind.

Reading Chronicle: Jay Tabb up against then Arsenal winger Serge Gnabry. Image by: PAJay Tabb up against then Arsenal winger Serge Gnabry. Image by: PA

“I was very short, very weak,” Tabb says of the reasons for his Palace release. “And I think a lot of people naturally want taller players. But you can’t change who you are, you can’t change what you are. And it made me try even harder.

“You have to stick up for yourself and get stuck in. And if you’re lacking in size, you have to just try harder in different departments. And that was my approach to playing. Even though I was smaller, I still won my fair share of headers. I made sure I was as strong as I could be so I didn’t get knocked off the ball. I think people take to you a bit more when you’re smaller because they see you trying a bit harder.”

After a “daunting” period following his Crystal Palace exit, Tabb moved from south London to west, joining Brentford. Six seasons with the Bees eventually saw him break into the first team and make 128 appearances in the third division.

By 2006, his stock had risen past League One, and Championship Coventry came calling. Tabb not only survived in the higher division - he thrived - picking up Coventry’s 2007/08 Player of the Year award. When Steve Coppell and Reading came calling halfway through the following campaign, Tabb didn’t have to think too hard before taking his next step.

Reading Chronicle: Jay Tabb for Coventry. Image by: PAJay Tabb for Coventry. Image by: PA

“Steve Coppell was at Crystal Palace when I was really young so I kind of knew him. And obviously Reading has an amazing stadium. I’d already played there that season for Coventry and I was really impressed with the stadium and the fans.

"It’s a club that had already been in the Premiership and at the time looked like it would be making its way back there. So yeah, everything just fell into place. It was perfect at that time for me.”

Reading may have been the “perfect” prospect for Tabb, but it certainly didn’t seem like that would be the case after a few months. It took until his fourth game to even make the bench and until his fifth to actually step onto the pitch for his new club.

“It was a bit strange really,” he admits. “Because when a club buys you, you think that’s it, you’re going to play straight away. And I remember the first game, I think we played Wolves at home, I wasn’t even a sub - I was in the stands! 

"I was a little bit shocked by that - I was kind of expecting to play straight away! But looking back, I was probably a little bit naive because they were doing so well and had a lot of really good players in my position. So I had to be a little patient and then made a few substitute appearances and then got a few starts as well. Luckily enough when I did get given the chance I think I did quite well.”

We’ve already established that Tabb won’t just accept when things don’t go his way and by the end of the season, he had worked himself into the first team, starting four of the last five league games as Reading finished fourth. 

A string of draws late in the campaign cost Reading any chance of automatic promotion and they couldn’t regain their momentum. Burnley scored late in the first leg of the playoff semi-final before stretching that lead to 3-0 on aggregate in the second as the season ended in disappointment.

“We’d been near the top of the table for so long and then we just had a really bad run. There were a couple of games where we were 2-0 up and let leads slip. Silly little things like that. 

“We thought we were going to get promoted automatically and then other teams kind of just snuck into the playoffs last minute, they’re the ones that tend to do well. And the playoffs happen very quickly, as soon as the season ends you play two games in quick succession, and we were still kind of licking our wounds.”

Reading Chronicle: Steve Coppell reacts in frustration as his side are beaten by Burnley. Image by: PASteve Coppell reacts in frustration as his side are beaten by Burnley. Image by: PA

It wouldn’t be the only instance of heartbreak for Tabb and Reading during his time at the club, as the whole team, much like the midfielder himself, had to repeatedly pick themselves back up.

This particular failed promotion attempt ended with Steve Coppell resigning.

“As soon as we didn’t go up through the playoffs a lot of people guessed that Steve would leave. I got a phone call the next day and he said he was going to be leaving the club.

"It was a little bit of a shock. I think it was probably what he wanted to do at the time. When you lose in the playoffs, especially since the club had already been in the Premiership, he probably thought it was the right time to go and give someone else a chance."

A young ambitious upstart named Brendan Rodgers replaced Coppell but he was relieved of his duties in December with Reading sitting 21st in the Championship table. Tabb concedes that Rodgers’ attacking possession-based approach “probably just wasn’t the right match” but that it could have worked out “with a bit more time”. 

Either way, the decision to move on would end up working out for all parties. Rodgers joined Swansea soon after and guided them to the Premier League while Reading gave the job to Brian McDermott on a caretaker basis.

“It was just a totally different approach to Brendan,” Tabb says of McDermott’s management. “I’ve known Brian, he was a scout before and he was involved in bringing me to the club, so I knew him quite well. And he came in and got everyone quite relaxed. It was a totally different way of playing football and it just seemed to work straight away. 

Reading Chronicle: Brian McDermott is hoisted into the air after leading Reading to promotion. Image by: PABrian McDermott is hoisted into the air after leading Reading to promotion. Image by: PA

“Brian would never put pressure on the players. One of the things he’d always say was ‘what’s the worst thing that could happen? You lose a game of football? It’s not the worst thing in the world.’ So we used to always go out there with a bit of freedom and it seemed to work. I think all the players there at the time and Brian got along really well, it was a good match.”

McDermott was given the full-time job one month in and eventually guided Reading to a comfortable 9th place finish. The following season they backed up the promise shown in the second half of the previous campaign, winning nine of their final 12 games to come fifth.

Tabb’s second set of playoffs went one further than his first as Reading beat Cardiff City 3-0 in Wales after the first leg ended 0-0. But once again, it just wasn’t to be. 

With the whole year leading up to the playoff final at Wembley, everything possible went wrong as Swansea raced into a 3-0 first half lead. Reading fought back to 3-2, but a second penalty in the 80th minute allowed Scott Sinclair to kill the Royals comeback.

“It’s so hard to take,” Tabb says with a sigh. “Actually getting there is an amazing experience and we did really well in the semi-final beating Cardiff and then I think you have like a ten day break before the final. You get yourself ready, you get your suits fitted, everything like that. You get all your tickets for your friends and family, it’s like playing in a cup final. 

“You’ve got your sights on the Premier League, you know what could happen if you win that game but in the back of your head as well you think ‘right, if this doesn’t go well, it’s going to be a long summer.’ And unfortunately, that’s what happened.

"It was just one of those games. We didn’t get the rub of the green, I don’t think the referee had his best game. Nothing went our way. But we went down fighting, no one gave up but it was just one of those days that you prefer to forget really.”

Tabb came on in the second leg of the semi-final but was left on the bench for the final. Still, he made his presence felt despite not setting foot on the pitch when he and assistant manager Nigel Gibbs were sent off for arguing with referee Phil Dowd during the half-time break.

Tabb lets out a loud laugh before recounting the story.

“I’d been quite a calm person throughout the whole season. That’s just the way I am, I don’t let things rile me too much. But that day there was a lot on the line, a lot at stake, and I just wasn’t too impressed with the referee’s performance. 

“When we were walking in at half-time, we were 3-0 down, they’d had a penalty. Everyone’s blood was boiling, we knew it wasn’t going our way, and our assistant manager Nigel Gibbs went to have a quiet word with the referee. The ref was quite rude to him so I decided to stick up for Nigel and yeah…it didn’t go my way and the ref sent me off! It’s an experience, something I can look back on and laugh at now.”

There was plenty of disappointment through the first three years of Tabb’s Reading career but the central theme of this story is determination when you fall. The two playoff failures just further motivated Tabb and his team to get over the line. When they finally did get there, the following 2011/12 season, they didn’t bother with the playoffs.

Tabb admits that they suffered a bit of hangover from the failed final, starting the season with four defeats in their first six. But when it all finally came together, the rest of the league had no answer. Reading went on winning streaks of four, seven, and six games as they stormed to the title. It took a while. But it was worth it.

“Oh, it was incredible!” Tabb says. “It didn’t start too great, the first half of the season didn’t feel like it was going to be a promotion or Championship-winning season. But straight after Christmas...wow...we kicked into gear and we went on one of the best runs I think there’s ever been in that league. It was just incredible, an amazing thing to be part of and something I look back on with fond memories for sure. 

Reading Chronicle: Jay Tabb and his teammates celebrate their long-awaited promotion. Image by: PAJay Tabb and his teammates celebrate their long-awaited promotion. Image by: PA

“We won one or two games on the bounce and we started climbing the table. And then all of a sudden we just kept winning. We were playing with a lot of freedom and before you know it there’s six games left and we’re thinking ‘wow, we could actually go up now.’ The timing of it was perfect. 

“We definitely deserved it. To go on that kind of run, you don’t do that by fluke or by luck. It was incredible. We had a really strong squad, even when there was a few injuries we had players coming in and doing well. We went to all our rival teams, playing them away and won there. It was just a perfect second half of the season.”

Three years of pain and near misses led to a mid-April date with Nottingham Forest at the Madejski Stadium. A tight battle was decided by a late Mikele Leigertwood goal and with West Ham only able to draw on the same day, there was no catching Reading.

“It was incredible,” Tabb exclaims. “I was actually injured at the time so I was in the stands watching all the results happen so I knew exactly what we needed to do. And then as soon as the final whistle went and we knew it had happened everyone ran onto the pitch, incredible scenes and I’m sure Reading fans will never forget that. 

“A lot of it was about that relief that we didn’t have to go into the playoffs again! You’re actually there, you got promoted, all your hard work for that season is rewarded.

“We had amazing scenes in the changing room and then we all got in taxis down to London and went to a couple of clubs in London, just celebrated and enjoyed ourselves."

Following the night of celebrations, Reading got back to business, winning the league the next week with a 2-2 draw against Crystal Palace.

“We had a thing at the stadium where we got awarded the trophy, we went on an open top bus through Reading, the fans were all there. And then after that we had a good party so that was good fun.

“The weather wasn’t great that day, it was raining so that put a bit of a damper on things, but seeing all the fans there and seeing how much it means to them and the team as well...it’s a great thing to be able to do.”

Reading Chronicle: The Reading team rides through the town on a rainy day. Image by: PAThe Reading team rides through the town on a rainy day. Image by: PA

Tabb started just ten Championship games in Reading’s epic promotion campaign, but there was never a chance he was going to give up his shot at Premier League football after all the work he’d put in to get there.

“I knew it was going to be tough, I knew I wasn’t first choice in my position. But at the same time, you wait long enough to get to the Premiership, I wasn’t going to be in any rush to leave, that’s for sure. I was happy to take my time.

“A lot of people start out in their careers and want to reach the top level. I was lucky enough to be there for one season with Reading, got to play a good few games and experience what the Premier League is like. 

“You get to test yourself against the best players in the country and a lot of the best players in the world. When you get promoted you know it’s going to be a little bit of a struggle, you know you’re not going to be winning the league or anything like that but at the same time you want to try and do the best you can. It’s something I’m definitely proud of and look back on with good memories.”

By March though, after being left out of the squad for seven games running, it was time to move on and Tabb headed out on loan to Ipswich.

“I was at Reading for four years, made loads of good friends, but you never want to outstay your welcome. I'd been in a playoff final, a playoff semi-final, in a Championship winning team, and a season in the Premiership. All really really good memories and it was the right time to leave instead of hanging around and starting to resent it. I knew I could leave with my head held high, I didn’t fall out with anyone, just felt it was the right time to go.”

While Tabb focused on helping Ipswich survive their own relegation battle in the Championship, Reading succumbed to theirs, falling back down to the second division.

Tabb played on for three more seasons at Portman Road before hanging up his boots in 2016 at the age of 32. Football had given him a great life, but it was time to move on to other passions.

“I never hid the fact that when I finished football I would probably go in a different direction and not go down the coaching or managerial route. I’ve got loads of other interests outside of football and I decided to pursue them. 

Reading Chronicle: Jay Tabb at Stratford Racecourse in 2021. Image by: PAJay Tabb at Stratford Racecourse in 2021. Image by: PA

“At the moment I’m working in horse racing, working at a racing yard, I’m riding horses every day. It’s something I look forward to getting up and doing. It’s definitely a buzz that’s replaced that adrenaline I used to get playing football.

“I’ve always felt really grateful for what football gave me. But at the same time, it’s not forever. So when it finished I wanted to do something different and look at other interests. And I do feel very lucky that I’m doing something I love and enjoy. That’s the main thing. I always wanted to make sure that whatever I did after playing football I really enjoyed and I’m lucky that that’s what I’m doing at the moment.”

Both physically in terms of where his life is and in our conversation, Reading is far in the rearview mirror. But when asked for any final thoughts, Tabb returns to the club that has been such a major part of his life.

“Reading’s a great club, I don’t live too far away, I’m only down the road in Ascot. It’s great to say that I was part of the club’s history and part of the team that won the Championship and got to the Premiership. I’ll always be able to say that. It’s a massive club, great fanbase, good people there, so yeah it’s nice to look back and think that I was part of it and got to play for them.”