There were goals galore as Reading FC legends adorned the Royals pitch for one last time in a spectacle to celebrate the club’s 150th anniversary.
Reading’s two legendary managers who won the club’s promotion to the Premier League, Steve Coppell and Brian McDermott, took to the touchline.
Coppell led his famous ‘106’ team who broke the points record in the Championship, a record that still stands, in 2005/06 when the Royals won promotion to the top flight for the first time in the club’s history.
Meanwhile, McDermott’s players had a collection of stars that helped the club win the Championship in 2011/12 after fighting off competition from West Ham United and Southampton in a gripping campaign to take the title.
Former chairman Sir John Madejski lapped up the applause and ovations from the adoring crowd prior to kick-off having overseen the most successful period in Reading’s history.
It didn’t take long for the team to shake off the cobwebs as they got up to speed playing on the hallowed Madejski turf.
Stephen Hunt showed he hadn’t lost his technical level of skill as he pulled out a few tricks and flicks. One of which set up James Henry to score the opening goal of the game as the midfielder smacked the ball into the top left hand corner from range after six minutes to put team Coppell ahead.
Team McDermott struck back quickly to level just four minutes later when Mikele Leigertwood slipped a pass through to Jason Roberts and the forward applied the finish past Marcus Hahnemann.
McDermott’s side edged in front five minutes later when Jimmy Kebe expressed his quick feet in the box to work space for Simon Church to apply the finish.
Leroy Lita showed that he hadn’t lost a yard of his blistering pace as he broke behind the defence and opened up his body to tuck the ball into the bottom corner to make it 2-2.
Lita then turned provider when he flicked the ball to find Henry who sprinted at goal and finished to grab his second of the afternoon.
Jem Karacan scored a spectacular equaliser to put team McDermott back on terms when he spotted Hanhneman off his line and chipped the ball over the keeper.
The goals kept coming as McDermott’s men grabbed the initiative before the break when Kebe got through on goal and slotted home before pulling up his socks in a trademark celebration.
McDermott’s team raced into a convincing lead in the second-half, scoring twice more as Brian Howard curled in a free-kick from 20 yards.
Howard then had his brace when he latched onto a defensive error and chipped the ball over the keeper to make it 6-3.
But Coppell’s men showed their fighting spirit and worked their way back into the game as true champions do.
Striker Kevin Doyle got on the scoresheet when he broke through and blasted the ball into the top corner at the near post.
The 11th goal of the game went in with just over 15 minutes remaining when Simon Cox tucked the ball in from close range to make it 6-5.
Howard’s second-half cameo was capped off late in the game when he bent the ball into the top corner to put McDermott’s side 7-5 ahead with his hat-trick.
Roberts scored the final goal of the game to make it 8-5 as he fired the ball beyond the keeper into the top corner.
The game ended in victory for McDermott’s team in an afternoon full of nostalgia for the attendees.
