The Rivermoor Stadium, Reading
Reading City FC vs. Brackley Town Saints FC
The Hellenic Football League Premier Division
There's a darkness on the border of town. On the outskirts of West Reading, at that place lies a ground. Far from The Oracle, Scours Lane it is downwards. The domicile of a squad that is called Reading Town...errr City (goddammit).
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| In a dark, night town in that location was a nighttime, nighttime street in addition to inward the dark, nighttime street in that location was a dark, night ground... |
Wasn't that beautiful? Anyway, Bruce Springsteen once spoke of "wanting things that tin can alone live plant, in the darkness on the border of town." Since The Boss has never played at the Reading Festival, 1 could assume he'second never stepped foot inward this fair town earlier, and we tin can thus ascertain that the vocal isn't describing the dimly lit palace known as Scours Lane The Rivermoor Stadium.
Was he talking nearly scouring (heh, go it?) the fixtures, looking for a midweek game good downwards the leagues inwards lodge to go his latest fix of groundhopping? Probably not. All of these suggestions would live a ludicrous thing for him to sing virtually on the championship track of ane of his many multi-platinum albums.
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| Some folks are born into a practiced life. Let'second promise this human hasn't lost his money or lost his wife. |
In fact, he was telling the floor of a hard luck loser, of whom inwards his world "no ane asks any questions, or looks too long in your face." That difficult luck loser could easily depict the non league football social club that shares a town, living inwards the shadows of a far more successful squad.
In this level, the role of the difficult luck loser volition live played past Reading City Football Club. A small social club in the Hellenic League Premier Division, who nobody seems to enquire whatever questions of (despite that obvious together with glaring event amongst the name) and, judging by the sum of people at this game, nobody wants to wait too long inward their face up either.
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| It's all almost to kick off. |
This is the second twelvemonth since Highmoor-IBIS decided they'd had plenty of sounding like a musty sometime, mid-budget hotel, together with took on the moniker of their domicile town instead, inwards what I assume was a smart determination to highlight to the many people non going to their games that Reading does indeed accept some other team you as well don't accept to become behind.
Ignoring the side at the Madejski Stadium, which many people ofttimes make (yous'd be forgiven for thinking the Championship entirely had 23 teams given the style it'sec covered inwards the media), Reading has had no other football game clubs inward the pyramid past refer since Reading Town quietly savage by the wayside in 2016.
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| Wayward shots downwardly the other cease volition nearly sure as shooting end up inward a black hole of darkness. |
That same Reading Town were the master tenants of this stadium formerly known equally Scours Lane, too made life real difficult for Highmoor-IBIS when it came to choosing a new refer for the order. Instead of opting for literally anything else in the world (personally I wishing nosotros'd become more than like nestling league baseball game amongst not league squad names. C'mon Reading Fickle Biscuits!), I had to admire them for futurity proofing their cite one time the Queen, or more than likely, King William V (definitely non you, Charles) eventually grants Reading city condition. I hateful come on, the quondam bat passed us over for Chelmsford last time out?! Let'second but build a cathedral too be done with it, okay?
I was at the inaugural Reading City game last flavour as well as was impressed at the attendance beingness somewhere around the 300s. The lodge did a expert chore of generating intrigue in addition to interest about the order in its early on days, especially given the fact that Highmoor-IBIS were more often than not pretty awful inwards the times I'd seen them previously too no more than a handful of people bothered to present.
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| If a banana duct taped to a wall tin can live considered art, so and then tin this. |
A four-0 win was the style to denote yourself to the league in addition to it seemed similar the moment had lastly arrived where Reading power finally live able to household some other successful squad (if a current of lower mid-table finishes whilst irksome the pants off everyone too driving away approximately of your fanbase tin can live considered successful).
There has never been a amend time for somebody to come in and provide a low cost option inward this town. With attendances down at the Madejski Stadium nigh permanently, people desire to watch something that doesn't make paint drying look equally exciting as an extreme sport (I'd know, because I was i of those people who left for a few years).
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| Like ghosts inwards the nighttime. |
And seeing how people seem to complain most how much they're against modern football game with such regularity that makes you lot intend they only hate watch it like people watching Star Wars: Attack of the Clones, not league football game should live in a prime number place to do good.
Unfortunately it'sec not e'er every bit slowly equally that. After a disastrous second half of final season, it has seemed to have proven hard to maintain the interest levels in a town where Reading are already pretty much entirely everyone'sec moment favourite squad to whoever is adept inwards the Premier League at the fourth dimension.
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| The sinister bicycle shed looking structure that's really likewise far away from the pitch to offer both shelter too a skillful thought of the game. |
Even a movement started offer free entry to disgruntled Reading season ticket holders following the engagement of Mark Bowen, an engagement that filled fans alongside then much rage that it was directly forgotten almost when they won his opening game in accuse, hasn't seemed to move the needle. But I'thousand hoping my latest visit was but an anomaly and just downwards to it being a common cold, wet night, equally it was deplorable to run into the crowd being every bit thin as the days before the rebirth.
And wet it most surely was. There's zilch better than parking upwardly outside somewhere in addition to like a shot taking a plunge into a giant puddle of H2O greeting you on the other side of your car door. I withal cannot live alone certain that I didn't but park in the river. Inside wasn't much improve with the constant rain of the previous days reducing the surrounding areas of the pitch to a moat. It'sec a disappointment that they couldn't become the players to enter the pitch via drawbridge.
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| The reddish as well as dark remnants of the old in addition to accurately named Reading Town FC however stay. |
In spite of this, both teams position on an entertaining spectacle on a Mon dark. The highlight beingness just about pick words of wisdom from the Brackley Town Saints goalkeeper: "Get up y'all fucking twat. Don't live then deep." How poetic. Was he shouting at one of the puddles?
Speaking of which, what is pretty corking well-nigh this order is the fact that they similar to play a lot of their habitation games on Mon nights, when most of us are sat inward front of the TV watching Jamie Carragher describing the weekend'sec Premier League action amongst the tone of someone who has just stood on the upturned border of a plug, before two mediocre teams face off inwards a game I well-nigh for certain never desire to sentry.
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| Heavy atmospheric condition meant the stadium was able to apply a moat organization designed to trap balls that went out of play. |
If anyone had any sense they'd have a trip down here the next time Reading are playing away, or they desire something to make on a weeknight. It may be old together with expect rundown. It may even live only a tad likewise nighttime. But in that location's graphic symbol hither too the social club seems determined to become places their predecessors couldn't. They may survive inwards the shadows away from the large boys, just this isn't City v United. This isn't a battle for supremacy of i urban center town, merely a overnice complement to what'second already on the carte.
And you never know, perhaps ane day Bruce as well volition sing of that night he went downward to The River(moor).
Useless data nearly The Rivermoor Stadium
Address: Scours Lane, Reading, Berkshire, RG30 6AY
Capacity: ii,000
Pitch Type: Grass
Ticket Price: £vi (complimentary with Reading FC season ticket)
Programme: Online only, xviii pages
