If you had told me at the start of the year that come June I would be watching Reading play Stoke City in the Championship rather than England against Croatia at the European Championship, there’s no way I would have believed you.
This summer will still be one of non-stop football, but not in the same way that had been planned. Yet to have any football to watch at all was a victory in itself after being starved of live Championship action for three months.
I woke up on Saturday morning with that magical sense of anticipation that only a matchday can bring. Reading Football Club were back in my life. It would of course be a very different kind of matchday, and I would not even be leaving my house, but the return of the Royals was very welcome indeed.
Nothing will beat the moment that supporters are allowed back inside the Madejski Stadium once again, but for now we must get used to this new concept of fandom.
I replaced the matchday programme with a browse of the club’s website and my usual chicken Balti pie with a tuna sandwich.
It wasn’t the same, but we all have to make sacrifices.
Instead of my seat in the Eamonn Dolan Stand, my sofa would be my season ticket for the rest of the campaign. But I, like many supporters of Championship clubs around the country, was left staring frustrated at a blank computer screen for the first 15 minutes of the game as the iFollow streaming servers struggled to cope with such a huge demand.
Based on their recent track record, this was typical of the EFL, and it was also entirely predictable that Reading’s only goal of the game would come in this period. Lucas Joao showed how much he had been missed by scoring a well-taken first time goal inside seven minutes.
I must admit I am a fan of the crowd noise that was pumped into the Madejski Stadium and has been used on television broadcasts.
It makes games seem more realistic for the viewer and it can be easy to forget that there are no fans in the ground. Without it, games sound like pre-season fixtures at best and a school swimming pool gala at worst.
Moreover, the cardboard cut-outs were a nice addition to the East Stand along witha selection of flags, as the club did their best to make the stadium look as vibrant as possible.
Ultimately, the one familiar aspect of the whole afternoon was Reading’s ability to build up your hopes before bringing you crashing back down to earth.
After Joao’s goal provided the perfect start, the lead was kept right up until the 92nd minute, when some comical defending allowed Stoke to score from a corner.
Ah, football. Welcome back.
By Olly Allen
