Forest School headteacher Shirley Austin expressed her pride after 14 former students took part at various teams in the FA Cup third-round.
“I’m so proud of my former students who have followed their dreams,” said the Forest headteacher.
“Through hard work and talent, they are now having the opportunity to play in the FA Cup, the cup of dreams.
“Having 14 former students take part in the third-round matches, with several teams, is just phenomenal.
“At the Forest School, we challenge every student to aspire in everything they do. We work hard to support them every day, to give them confidence, embed resilience, respect, independence and so much more.
“We are so proud when they achieve their goals. We of course will continue to support them all, after all they will always be Forest boys.”
10 of the former pupils appeared for Reading in their 1-0 defeat at Luton Town.
Luke Southwood, Dejan Tetek, Imari Samuels, Nahum Melvin-Lambert, Tom Holmes, Jayden Onen, Jeriel Dorsett, Oliver Pendlebury all turned out for the Royals.
Meanwhile, Gabriel Osho, who was left Reading at the end of the 2019/20 season, played for the victors in the tie, Luton Town.
Jake Cooper played for Millwall, Josh Barrett for Bristol Rovers, and Tyler Frost for Crawley Town in the world’s oldest cup competition.
The Winnersh secondary school has a special relationship with Reading Football Club, which has allowed them to build a brand new air dome and 3G pitch.
