Reading FC lose play-off final in Cardiff: Where are they now?

Despite taking the lead twice, an infamous Tony Rougier own-goal and a Darren Byfield strike moments later proved a sucker-punch for Alan Pardew’s Royals as they lost 3-2.

Over two decades on, where are they now?

Phil Whitehead

A keeper of vast experience by the time he joined the club in 1999, most notably playing more than 200 times for Oxford United, he was in net for over 100 matches in Berkshire and playing almost 40 matches the following season as the club won promotion.

Graeme Murty

Despite arriving three years previously, an injury-hit opening few years meant the future captain had only played 59 matches by this point. However, he would not let his injuries weigh him down as he went on to make more than 300 club appearances and captain the Royals into the Premier League for the first time in their history. Having recently left Rangers after five years, he was last seen playing in the legends match last weekend as a Steve Coppell team lost to a Brian McDermott side to celebrate 150 years of Reading Football Club.

 Adi Viveash

Enjoying his third stint with the club, centre back Viveash played more than 200 times for opponents Walsall between 1995-2000.

Arriving at the Madejski Stadium permanently in 2000, having previously had loans at Elm Park in 1992/92 and 1994/95, the Swindon-born defender played more than 70 times for the Royals in his 18-year playing career.

Spending seven years as a coach at Chelsea, he has been Mark Robins’ assistant manager at Coventry City since 2017 as the Sky Blues have risen from the fourth tier to the second.

Ady Williams

A name, and a voice, well-known around these parts; Williams played 399 times for the club over two separate spells.

Part of the famous mid-1990s side that lost an agonising play-off to Bolton Wanderers and reached the cusp of the top- flight, the Welsh international re-joined in 2000 to take the club back to the second tier.

Playing for Coventry City, Millwall and Swindon Town since leaving Berkshire in 2004, he is now a presenter on BBC Berkshire and can be heard on the radio for every Reading match.

Matthew Robinson

Arriving in 2000 after crossing the Dorset-divide to play for both Southampton and Portsmouth, over 60 appearances for the Royals preceded a four-year spell with near-neighbours Oxford United.

A managerial job in charge of Swindon Supermarine in 2011, and a subsequent coaching role with Chippenham Town, was his last role in football as he changed career to become a police officer.

James Harper

The energetic midfielder had only joined the club in February of 2001, but little did the hierarchy know that he would remain in the Royals midfield for another nine years.

Playing more than 330 times for the club across three divisions, the box-to-box star was a key component of the record-breaking 2005/06 season in which the club amassed 106 points on-route to Championship glory.

Now a non-league journeyman, the Arsenal academy graduate has played for local sides Ascot United and Windsor in the last 12 months.

Sammy Igoe

Cutting a six-year long spell with Portsmouth to join the club in 2000, Igoe made more than 100 appearances for the club in three years. Going on to be a popular figure at fellow southern clubs Bristol Rovers and Swindon Town, the 46-year-old scored one of the best goals Wembley has seen as the Gas beat Shrewsbury Town in the 2008 play-off final as he ran the length of the pitch to seal the victory. He was last seen playing for Bognor Regis Town in 2014.

Phil Parkinson

One of the more prominent stars of the 20 years since, ‘Parky’ left the club in 2002 having made more than 400 appearances in 10 years.

Having since managed Colchester United and Hull City, Bradford City is where the country came to know him as he led League Two Bradford City into the League Cup final in 2013 and a third tier Bantams into the FA Cup quarter-final in 2015, where they lost to Reading over two ties.

Leaving Valley Parade in 2016, he won promotion with Bolton Wanderers and maintained Championship status for a season but joined Sunderland in 2019. He was at the Stadium of Light for just one season and is now in the National League with Wrexham- who find themselves in the play-offs.

Jim McIntyre

Unveiled as one of Tommy Burns’ ‘Magnificent Seven’ in 1998 to try and keep the club in the second tier- it did not work, and McIntyre was one of the more successful ones.

Playing over 100 matches and netting 16 goals, it was to be his last season in Berkshire before enjoying a five-year stint with Dundee United.

Going on to be a manager in Scotland, he won the 2016 Scottish League Cup with Ross County, but more recently had a 31-match spell in charge of Dundee, winning four and being sacked in May 2019.

Martin Butler

Similar to Viveash, Butler had enjoyed strong connection to the days opponents having come up through the youth ranks to play over 100 times.

Enjoying a goal-filled spell at Cambridge United, scoring 41 in 104, Reading paid £750,000 for his services in 2000.

Scoring 32 in 104 in Berkshire, Butler gave the Royals the lead in extra-time at the Millennium Stadium that day.

Helping the club to promotion the following season, he was let go to Rotherham United before re-joining the Saddlers in 2006 for another 50 matches.

He is now a heating engineer with his own firm.

Jamie Cureton

Another who found the net in Cardiff, Cureton hit half a century of goals for Reading in 108 appearances.

Leaving Berkshire to experience life abroad, he moved to South Korea but failed to settle and came back to the UK with QPR 12 months later.

An icon of lower league football, Cureton has played for 17 clubs since departing RG2 and is currently player-manager at Enfield Town.

He is another who had a run out at the weekend’s legend match, playing 45 minutes for the Coppell side.

Subs

Tony Rougier

Spending three years in Reading at the turn of the century, his unfortunate own goal drew the teams level in the Welsh capital that day.

The Trinidad and Tobago international played over 100 times for the club and was prominent as the side won promotion the following season before departing to join Brentford.

As of 2018 he was last heard of helping at MLS side New England Revolution.

Barry Hunter

The Northern Ireland international joined the Royals in 1996 and played almost 100 appearances before having a five-year association with Rushden and Diamonds.

After playing he had a brief caretaker assistant manager role with former teammate Ady Williams at Swindon Town but has since forged a successful scouting career with Manchester City and currently Liverpool.

Scott Howie

Similar to McIntyre, Howie was brought down from a successful spell in Scotland to try and preserve the Royals’ position in the Championship.

Making close to 100 appearances in three seasons, he was an unused substitute on the day and was released at the end of the campaign.

He is currently a coach at Cringleford Junior Football Club and has played for Wroxham alongside this coaching role.

Nicky Forster

67 goals in almost 200 appearances, Forster enjoyed a fruitful six-year association with the club.

Suffering a long-term injury during the early part of the 2000/01 season, he played just 12 matches but returned to play a vital role in the semi-final and score the winning goal.

Playing an hour in Cardiff, he would hit almost 20 in each of the next two seasons as the club earned promotion and established themselves in the second tier.

Having prominent spells with Ipswich and Brighton after leaving in 2005, he took caretaker charge of Brentford in 2011 and now runs a wellness clinic Surrey.

Darren Caskey

One of the longest-serving players at that time, the fan-favourite had played more than 200 times by the time he departed in the summer after the final defeat, spending another three years with Notts County before working down the pyramid into non-league.

Caskey’s most recent role was with York City, before being dismissed as ‘Football Director’ in 2017.