So far 35 players have been officially announced ahead of Saturday's Reading legends match, an event to round off the 150th anniversary celebrations.

Icons of the club from the 2005/06 record-breaking side and 2011/12 Championship-winning side are to face off, along with a few ringers to fill in where necessary, including two lifelong supporters who won the experience in a silent auction.

Below we run through who we know so far.

Reading Chronicle:

 

2005/06

 

Manager: Steve Coppell

Dubbed "Sir Steve" around these parts, the manager of the record-breaking side is held in high-esteem in the football family.

Taking charge between 2003-2009, former England international Coppell was the first man to lead the club to the Premier League.

Marcus Hahnemann

The much-loved USA international goalkeeper is flying across from Stateside to be in Berkshire this weekend. At 49 years old he will be one of the oldest former players on show, yet no doubt his strong presence and kicking ability will be on show for all to see.

Graham Stack

There is no shame attached to be second fiddle to a shot stopper the quality of Hahnemann and the former Arsenal academy graduate went on to forge a successful career in the game after departing the-then Madejski Stadium in 2008.

 

Reading Chronicle:

 

Graeme Murty

Mr Reading FC, Murty was captain of the side in 2006 and will walk out wearing the armband one last time on Saturday too. With more than 300 Royals appearances to his name, he is to be one of the star attractions of the afternoon.

Scott Goldbourne

An England-Under 19 international when playing for the Royals, Goldbourne arrived from his hometown club of Bristol City in 2006 and played six for then-Premiership Reading until joining Exeter City. He is perhaps most famous for his spells with Wolverhampton Wanderers and Shrewsbury Town, with whom he retired from the game in May 2021.

Ivar Ingimarsson

A true club legend in every sense of the word, Icelander Ingimarsson joined in 2003 and stayed for the next eight years. An ever-present in the 2005/06 season, he was voted Reading's Player of the Season in the debut top-flight season in 2007, racking up almost 300 appearances.

Aaron Brown

Joining Reading from Tamworth in 2005, he spent two loan spells away from the club until his permanent departure in 2008. Unlucky with injuries in Berkshire, the 38-year-old forged a long career in the lower leagues.

Ibrahima Sonko

'Superman' is one of the most popular former Royals stars and was another ever-present in the promotion-winning side-even being named in the PFA Team of the Season. He was most recently playing for Harlow Town in the Isthmian League until 2018.

 

Reading Chronicle:

 

Brynjar Gunnarsson

Another of the club’s crop of Icelanders, Gunarsson is the only man to have been involved in both squads on display this weekend. Arriving aged 30 in 2005, he would stay until 2013 and make more than 150 appearances until his move back to native Iceland where he is now a manager.

Glen Little

An enigma of the 2005/06 team, nobody could quite cross a ball like Little. Joining after a long spell with Burnley, the winger had three separate spells with the club and still provides occasional commentaries on BBC Radio Berkshire.

Stephen Hunt

One of the club’s famous Hunt Brothers, Stephen arrived first in 2005 and proved invaluable off-of-the-bench in the club’s promotion charge. Making the wide spot his own when in the Premiership, Hunt was Reading’s Player of the Season as they got relegated back to the Championship in 2008. He left to join Hull City in 2009 after more than 170 matches in blue and white.

Bobby Convey

Another American and another winger, Convey played all but one of the league matches during the record-breaking 106-point season, contributing one of the goals of the season as he ran the length of the pitch to net against Millwall.

Kevin Doyle

Perhaps one of the best-known players from that side, Doyle was signed in the summer of 2005 from the League of Ireland but finished up as the Royals’ Player of the Season as they stormed to the title. Notching double figures in three of his four seasons with the club, he went on to have an established Premier League career with Wolves and Crystal Palace.

Leroy Lita

Reading’s first £1m signing on arrival in 2005, Lita brought flair and a hunger to score which bolstered a striking quartet of Doyle, Lita, Dave Kitson and Shane Long. 32 goals in 100 games for the club, he continued to score goals at every club after departing in 2009.

 

Reading Chronicle:

 

Simon Cox

Making his debut for his boyhood club aged just 18 in 2005, Cox played nine times until he left in 2009, making his name with Swindon Town, Nottingham Forest and West Brom. He made an emotional return to RG2 in 2014 where he scored nine goals in 60 appearances under Nigel Adkins, Steve Clarke, and Brian McDermott.

James Henry

Another who was only cutting his teeth in football at the time of the 2006 title win, Henry came through the ranks of his hometown club and made his debut in 2007. He scored four goals in 18 appearances until he left in 2010, forging a successful career in the Football League for the likes of Millwall and Wolves. Playing for neighbours Oxford United since 2017, he has recently extended his contract with the U’s for another season.

 

Reading Chronicle:

2011/12

Brian McDermott

Chief scout, youth team coach, first team manager. McDermott was the beating heart of the football club for a long period of time, doing anything that needed doing. Having two separate stints in charge, he is still one of only two men to lead the Royals into the Premier League.

Jobi McAnuff

Captain under McDermott for the title-winning side, the winger played more than 750 times across all four tiers of professional football in England. Now a pundit on Sky Sports, and a board member of the Football Association, he is one of the most well-respected men in football.

 

Reading Chronicle:

 

Andy Griffin

A solid and dependable right-back, Griffin arrived on loan in 2009 and stayed for the next three years. More well-known for his long association with Stoke City, Griffin also had spells with the likes of Newcastle United and Derby County.

Shaun Cummings

 Another right-back, Cummings missed just 12 matches of the title-winning side and made almost 100 appearances in total during six years with the club. The Royals was his most productive club, playing over 50 games for Millwall before short-term spells with Rotherham United and Doncaster Rovers.

Alex Pearce

A fan favourite throughout his time in Berkshire, Pearce came through the Academy to captain the side on multiple occasions. Winning Player of the Season in 2012, the reliable central defender played every match on route to winning the title and made more than 200 appearances in total.

Kaspars Gorkss

Pearce’s defensive partner for all bar four of the matches when winning the Championship, the Latvian was brought in with experience having won the title the year before with QPR. A no nonsense defender, Gorkss made almost 100 appearances for the club before leaving in 2014.

Jimmy Kebe

An enigmatic winger, Kebe is idolised in RG2. Arriving under Coppell in 2008, the Malian came into his own under Brian McDermott and helped fire the club to promotion. Iconic for rolling his socks up in a 3-0 win over West Ham in 2011, he will be one to watch.

Lawson D’Ath

Still only 29 years old, the Academy graduate registered a solitary appearance for the club in 2012 before embarking on a strong Football League career with the likes of Northampton Town and Luton Town.

 

Reading Chronicle:

 

Jem Karacan

Similar to Pearce, Karacan lived and breathed Reading Football Club. Suffering multiple long-term injuries, the Academy graduate still managed to make almost 200 appearances until leaving in 2014 to move to Turkish giants Galatasaray. He, like Little, occasionally provides co-commentaries for BBC Radio Berkshire.

Mikele Leigertwood

A current coach with Reading, Leigertwood scored the all-important goal against Nottingham Forest to confirm the club’s promotion in April 2012. A strong and combative midfielder, he made over 100 appearances in four years with the club.

Jay Tabb

A diminutive midfielder who never scored a goal for the club, Tabb is a cult hero. Playing more than 100 times in five years in Berkshire, he has since tried his arm at being a jockey.

Brian Howard

Playing just twice in the title-winning team, Howard was a key member of the squad in the two years preceding the promotion. Spending the first half of the season on loan at Millwall, he went on to play for another four years until retiring and is now an agent.

Hayden Mullins

A Reading-born midfielder who slipped through the cracks, he made his name at Crystal Palace and did not join the Royals until his early 30s on loan. Playing seven times in the second half of the title-winning campaign, Mullins more than played his part.

Hal Robson-Kanu

Another Academy graduate, the Wales international made more than 200 appearances in nine years with the club, scoring four in the Championship-winning season. He has since gone on to play for West Brom until 2021.

 

Reading Chronicle:

 

Jason Roberts

The veteran striker joined in January 2012 and won his first eight matches as the side romped to the title. A real game changer, the former Blackburn Rovers striker brought some much-needed know-how to the side gunning at the top of the table.

Simon Church

Another Welsh international who came through the Reading Academy, Church burst onto the scene as a teenager in Steve Coppell’s final match in charge before making a name for himself under Rodgers and McDermott. Popping up with vital goals in the 2011/12 campaign, he would make no appearances in the Premier League and depart in 2013.

Mathieu Manset

A cult hero of the 2011/12 team, the Frenchman scored five vital goals in 31 appearances for the club including three on route to picking up the title- earning the side four points.

Matthew Connolly

Joining on loan for the second half of the season, the central defender played six times before going on to be a mainstay in a Cardiff City team who would repeat the feat in 2013.

Joseph Mills

Brother of controversial former captain Matt Mills, the left-back played 15 times in two years before joining Burnley. Incredibly, Mills played for Northampton Town in Wednesday night’s play-off defeat to Mansfield Town having been a regular for the Cobblers this season.

Nicholas Bignall

Reading-born Bignall scored two in four appearances for the club and went on eight loan spells before joining Basingstoke Town in 2013. He went on to have a strong career in the non-league game, turning out for local sides Hungerford Town and Bracknell Town, amongst others.

Other stars expected to turn out include master goalscorer Jamie Cureton, who played for the club between 2000-2003. He netted 55 goals in 127 appearances.

 

READ MORE: Reading FC legends match: Meet the fans playing in the Royal clash

 

Royals fans Jamie Hodder and Steve Emberson won a silent auction and will be playing alongside their heroes on Saturday.