Reading's record appearance maker Martin Hicks and Ady Williams were chosen as the two centre backs, with Nicky Shorey and Graeme Murty in at left back and right back, and Dylan Kerr named as one of five substitutes in the greatest Royals XI from the last five decades.

The 1871 podcast revealed which defenders have made it into its greatest Reading XI from the last 50 years on Sunday's episode.

Hicks played over 600 times for Reading over three decades, captaining the side to Simod Cup glory in 1988 and the record-breaking team of 1985/86, in which the team won the first 13 matches of the season.

Williams, a former Wales international, played almost 400 times, across two spells, and was a key figure in the 1995 play-off final team which came second in the second tier before coming back in 2000 and winning promotion back to what is now the Championship in 2002.

Shorey and Murty both joined the Royals in the late 1990s to early 2000s and were ever-presents in the famous 2005/06 record-breaking 106 point season- with Shorey even earning two England caps while with the club.

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Other players who made the shortlist included Mark White, Steve Richardson, Gary Peters, Ivar Ingimarsson, Ibrahima Sonko, Steve Wood, Darius Wdowczyk, Alex Pearce, Andy Bernal, Matthew Upson, Ian Harte, Ray Ranson, Chris Gunter, Alex Pearce, Keith Curle, Keith McPherson, John Hulme, Linvoy Primus, Barry Hunter, Kaspars Gorks, Andre Bikey, Matt Mills, Michael Duberry and Paul McShane.

 

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The greatest Royals defenders episode is the second of four episodes counting down to finding a greatest Reading XI from the last 50 years, as 1871 podcast co-hosts and Royals fans Mark Roach and Johnny Hunt choose from their own shortlists and players nominated by Reading fans on social media.

The previous Sunday, Steve Death was chosen as the greatest Reading goalkeeper from the last 50 years, with Shaka Hislop pipping Marcus Hahnemann, Ali Al Habsi and Steve Francis as the goalkeeper substitute.

This coming Sunday, the countdown to choosing a greatest Reading XI from the last five decades continues, as the 1871 podcast co-hosts choose four midfielders in the starting XI and two midfield substitutes - before completing the greatest Reading XI line up with two forwards and a substitute striker the following Sunday.

Guests on the 1871 podcast so far include Royals legends Steve Coppell, Graeme Murty, Ibrahima Sonko, Ivar Ingimarsson, Adam Le Fondre, Jamie Cureton and many more.

Guests coming up include Brian McDermott, Wally Downes, John Salako, Keith Curle, Lloyd Owusu and Tom Jones.

All 1871 podcast episodes are available here, or on Spotify.