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Former Reading striker Shane Long will return to the Select Car Leasing Stadium on Saturday as supporters prepare to welcome back one of the club’s most popular modern-era players.
Long, 38, is set to appear in a special Q&A session before Reading’s League One clash with Rotherham United, with the club expecting its largest home crowd of the season.
The Republic of Ireland international made 235 appearances across two spells with the Royals, playing a key role in some of the club’s most memorable moments of the 21st century.
Success and Standout Moments
Signed from Cork City alongside Kevin Doyle in 2005, Long quickly became a fan favourite. He was part of the record-breaking squad that stormed to the 2005–06 Championship title, earning promotion to the Premier League with what remains the highest points tally in second-tier history.
Long’s tireless work rate, sharp movement and knack for big-game goals saw him named Reading’s Player of the Season in 2011, his final year before moving to West Bromwich Albion.
He also enjoyed a series of notable FA Cup campaigns with the Royals, featuring in three quarter-finals. One of his most famous contribution came at Anfield in January 2010, when Brian McDermott’s side stunned Liverpool in a third-round replay, with Long scoring the decisive extra-time goal to seal a famous victory.
After leaving Reading in 2011, Long spent more than a decade in the Premier League with West Brom, Hull City, and most notably Southampton, where he played more than 200 games and reached the EFL Cup final in 2017.
He returned to Reading in 2022 for a sentimental final chapter, making a further 33 appearances before retiring from professional football in 2023.
Long is set to be celebrated by supporters on Saturday as Reading host Rotherham United, an occasion the club says will highlight both his achievements and his bond with the fanbase.
