Reading are not playing a match on FA Cup third round weekend for the first time in 40 years after exiting the competition to non-league Eastleigh.

The oldest cup competition in the world, the Royals have twice reached the semi-final- most recently in 2015 at the New Wembley.

Following relegation to League One, the club had to enter at round one for the first time since 2002.

Beating MK Dons, the Royals came unstuck against the Spitfires and fell at the second hurdle for the first time in two decades.

Five League One fixtures are going ahead this weekend, with both clubs out of the cup already, but this is not the case for Ruben Selles' side as Stevenage host Maidstone United in round three.

This means, for the first time since 1982/83, that the club will not have a match over the weekend of the third round.

In this campaign, Kerry Dixon's 32 goals were unable to prevent the club from sliding into Division Four- but kick-started a rise back into the second tier within five years.

The last time Reading had a League One match on this equivalent weekend, almost 20,000 turned out for a 1-0 win over Queen's Park Rangers.

Reading return to league action next Saturday, hosting Port Vale.