Former Reading FC midfielder, and current coach, Mikele Leigtertwood, described the moment he scored the goal to send Reading to the Premier League as “a great feeling.”

Having arrived from QPR the previous season, Leigertwood played more than 100 times for the Royals between 2010-2014.

A key member of the play-off charge in 2010/11, which ended in final disappointment, the Antiguan international went on to play more than 40 league games in the 2011/12 Championship winning side.

 

 

Speaking exclusively to the Reading Chronicle ahead of the 10-year anniversary of the famous season, he said: “Forest was great, but we didn’t perform very well. We just had a knack of getting vital goals.

“At that stage of the season, we knew the importance of every goal. It was an Ian Harte free-kick, and I was being marked tightly, he was trying to hold me, so I just stuck my foot around me. He’s tried to grab me, but I got good enough contact and it went in. The roar of the crowd after it was unbelievable.

“It was great because my family were there, lots of friends, the ground was full and the emotion of it was such a great feeling.

“Having lost the play-off final, and having the start we did, but to go on the amazing run and for me to personally get the goal was great. To go and win the league was the cherry on the top.”

Retiring after persistent injury in 2014, the fan-favourite returned to the club as Academy Loans Manager in 2016 before working his way through the ranks to currently assisting interim-manager Paul Ince with the first team.

Despite only having departed the club two years previously, Leigterwood called it a “no brainer” to return to Berkshire.

 

Reading Chronicle:

 

He added: “I always wanted to go into it. I made every effort to get my badges, get coaching, and managed to come back as Loans Manager which was a great experience. Then I got into the coaching side and the rest is history.

“At the time we had lost Eamonn Dolan, but we had some good people around the place who I had good relationships with. That is important in football, building relationships. Once I got offered the opportunity to come back it was another no brainer.”