Oh my goodness. Thanks so much for posting this. 50 years on. I was at this game, great to see Elm Park again in all its glory. Great Legends on display and some Man Utd players too! Come on you Biscuits!
Pure nostalgia for a Reading fan like me still stuck in the 70s. Best, Law and Charlton turn out for Man U for what was in effect a pre-season friendly at a lower league club. Can't quite see the calibre of that line-up nor fixture ever taking place again.
This must have been so exciting to go to at the time. The crowd, pitch, atmosphere, all fantastic. My first Reading game was in 1988. Madejski Stadium is a great stadium but doesn't have the same atmosphere that Elm Park had.
A biscuitboy by comparison! :-) My first was Gillingham at home in 1969. Then the Watney cup, then almost ever present at home until Elm Park closed, lost to Norwich 1-0. The end of an era for me. Everyone grown up with families and all. I've been to the Mad stad a couple of times since (now live in France) and took my daughter for the promotion game with Notts Forest 10 years ago, my last Reading game.
Thanks for posting this mate ... great vintage film .... funny how the players look so realistic after all these decades !! You can keep your European Cups, First Divisions and FA Cups ... it was the Watney that we all wanted to win .... !! Was gutted in the Final against Derby .....
Better Atmosphere at this game than all Champions League games. The Superb commentary by Brian Moore is testament to the fact that Glory was The Target...not The Wallet. 😁🏴🏴
Summer football and great to hear all that crowd chanting. First goal from Paul Edwards, a lesser Man U name,..he played in 54 games before moving on to Oldham and Stockport.
Tucked away in a box somewhere I have piece of sock tie that Bobby Charlton used in this game! Dad's mate picked it up and it was passed on to me as consolation for not being allowed to go to the game as "the crowd will be too big!" I was 9 at the time.
Champions League. Watney Cup. Give me the Watney Cup every time! How football should be but now isn't sadly. Really enjoyed it. How did this get sourced. I could feel that balmy August cricket heat emanating thru my screen as I freeze my rowlocks off in freezing December!
I was a soccer mad 7 year old at this time but the Watney Cup escapes me. I recognise the name of Watney and associate it with Ale and a Party 7, but that's all! Could someone please enlighten me regarding this competition?
It was just a pre season games but more competitive. You also had the Anglo-Scot Cup which was similar but had invited teams from Scotland Div 1 & England Div 1.Great to see a full Man U side. Reading played well too. Their first goalscorer wasn't giving any celebrations by his own team mates, too knackered I s'pose. Its Man U for Godsake!
MU fans must have had the whole of the side terrace on the nearside camera location, could not see them on the other three sides. ''All gone quiet!....'' they sang,...seconds later Habin scores...that shut them up!
I'm a big football fan so I was hoping Robin Friday might be in this but I guess it was a little early? Would like to see him play; I read a brilliant book about him (The Best Player You Never Saw). Well worth a read.
I think the only footage of him playing for Reading has been lost. Southern TV were there for the 1976 game v Crewe -Reading had gained promotion and it was the last home game of that season- they were also there for Reading v PNE (PNE won 2-0) the season after, but as far as I know all Southern TV tapes were wiped or lost when TVS took over the franchise. Remember Friday v Sheff Wed in Oct 1976. SW had about 3000 fans at Reading and were behind the goal at the away end with a few nervy Reading. Chris Turner gathered a back pass and who should run up to him give him a head butt then spit in his face ,inciting SW fan's ? Yep! Robin Friday !! Now that footage would never have been wiped if Southern had been at that game !
It is a shame; Friday scored in the Crewe game and it was Southern TV regional "Big Match" game. It might be tracable-somehow Southern TV's coverage of Aldershot v Southend surfaced on you tube, but I think most was lost/wiped when TVS took over. Friday's most famous goal for Reading was also in 75-76 v Tranmere in a crunch promotion game, If you look at Justin Fashanu's goal v Liverpool you'll get an idea of Robin Friday's goal-similar save from much further out. We can only hope something surfaces
By 1970 United were in terminal decay. Defence slow and ponderous with ageing players from the 60's heyday ! Charlton losing pace and power and Best starting to lose interest and becoming his own circus act ! He knew Busby should have rebuilt the team around him but instead he kept the ageing stars together instead of buying in new blood. Within 4 years Best and Charlton were gone and United relegated.. Sad demise of a great team !
Yes the team should have been broken up within a year of winning the European cup. Shankly at Liverpool didnt make the same mistake and broke his side up very quickly after losing the cup tie at Watford the previous spring
@@lennylaa1686 Yes indeed, I was there! What a stinker of a ref if I recall, he gave a soft penalty to your lot. I can remember 2 Villa players that day without looking up, Chico Hamilton and Andy Lockhead who scored one (or two...?) of the goals. And...there was a load of fighting along Oxford Road and Reading Station after, haha! Didn't you have a special train that day? Can't believe that was 52 years ago.
@@carlteacherman194 Great memory Carl. I think i had only just started at secondary school but yes, I was jumping on special trains about three years later, great feeling being part of the ''barmy army''. Shame that game was not televised, we finished 4th that season - probably distracted by a great league cup run -lost to spurs in the final 0-2....but got promoted the following year. Did Villa fans pack out the away end that day, Carl? ////////////////////////////// t da y,Carl?
@@lennylaa1686 Yes, they did, I remember a huge rowdy and intimidating crowd in the away (Tilehurst Road end). I was at the opposite (Town End) I hadn't yet quite graduated up to being allowed in the 'South Bank'. I remember you missing out on promotion, only 2 went up and no play offs then. We went down of course and the club nearly folded, but thanks to my 5 shillings entry, a tanner (6 pence) for a program and a shilling for a pie and and tea (extortionate then)...the club survived. 🙂
@ 33-11...utterly ludicrous...heads ball into net...cannot be offside but these were the old rules....striker to the left was ''in an offside position''. Bonkers!
Oh my goodness. Thanks so much for posting this. 50 years on. I was at this game, great to see Elm Park again in all its glory. Great Legends on display and some Man Utd players too! Come on you Biscuits!
I was there too. So many great memories.
Pure nostalgia for a Reading fan like me still stuck in the 70s. Best, Law and Charlton turn out for Man U for what was in effect a pre-season friendly at a lower league club. Can't quite see the calibre of that line-up nor fixture ever taking place again.
This must have been so exciting to go to at the time. The crowd, pitch, atmosphere, all fantastic. My first Reading game was in 1988. Madejski Stadium is a great stadium but doesn't have the same atmosphere that Elm Park had.
A biscuitboy by comparison! :-)
My first was Gillingham at home in 1969. Then the Watney cup, then almost ever present at home until Elm Park closed, lost to Norwich 1-0. The end of an era for me. Everyone grown up with families and all.
I've been to the Mad stad a couple of times since (now live in France) and took my daughter for the promotion game with Notts Forest 10 years ago, my last Reading game.
Thanks for posting this mate ... great vintage film .... funny how the players look so realistic after all these decades !! You can keep your European Cups, First Divisions and FA Cups ... it was the Watney that we all wanted to win .... !! Was gutted in the Final against Derby .....
Better Atmosphere at this game than all Champions League games. The Superb commentary by Brian Moore is testament to the fact that Glory was The Target...not The Wallet. 😁🏴🏴
Summer football and great to hear all that crowd chanting.
First goal from Paul Edwards, a lesser Man U name,..he played
in 54 games before moving on to Oldham and Stockport.
42:11 LOL a 'dangerous cross' according to J Hill Esq! Paul Edwards did a good job for Oldham Athletic in the mid-1970s.
Tucked away in a box somewhere I have piece of sock tie that Bobby Charlton used in this game! Dad's mate picked it up and it was passed on to me as consolation for not being allowed to go to the game as "the crowd will be too big!" I was 9 at the time.
So much for United's superstars. Reading were far the better team.
Great times..i was 16 going to this game..part of the 25 year journey👹
Fair play to Jimmy - hilarious piss take of Pat Crerand.
Champions League. Watney Cup. Give me the Watney Cup every time! How football should be but now isn't sadly. Really enjoyed it. How did this get sourced. I could feel that balmy August cricket heat emanating thru my screen as I freeze my rowlocks off in freezing December!
My uncle (Tony Wagstaff, Reading number 10) was given it on DVD.
Elm Pk. Always reminds ot the old Dean court home of Afcbouremouth.
Listen to the crowd reaction when Best got on the ball. A mix of booing and excitement even among the Reading contingent.
I was a soccer mad 7 year old at this time but the Watney Cup escapes me. I recognise the name of Watney and associate it with Ale and a Party 7, but that's all! Could someone please enlighten me regarding this competition?
Yes, it was sponsored by the brewery. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Watney_Cup
It was just a pre season games but more competitive. You also had the Anglo-Scot Cup which was similar but had invited teams from Scotland Div 1 & England Div 1.Great to see a full Man U side. Reading played well too. Their first goalscorer wasn't giving any celebrations by his own team mates, too knackered I s'pose. Its Man U for Godsake!
MU fans must have had the whole of the side terrace on
the nearside camera location, could not see them on the other
three sides. ''All gone quiet!....'' they sang,...seconds later Habin
scores...that shut them up!
I'm a big football fan so I was hoping Robin Friday might be in this but I guess it was a little early? Would like to see him play; I read a brilliant book about him (The Best Player You Never Saw). Well worth a read.
I think the only footage of him playing for Reading has been lost. Southern TV were there for the 1976 game v Crewe -Reading had gained promotion and it was the last home game of that season- they were also there for Reading v PNE (PNE won 2-0) the season after, but as far as I know all Southern TV tapes were wiped or lost when TVS took over the franchise. Remember Friday v Sheff Wed in Oct 1976. SW had about 3000 fans at Reading and were behind the goal at the away end with a few nervy Reading. Chris Turner gathered a back pass and who should run up to him give him a head butt then spit in his face ,inciting SW fan's ? Yep! Robin Friday !! Now that footage would never have been wiped if Southern had been at that game !
infrasleep Ha! Completely mental. Thanks for the info; it's a bit of a crime there's no footage but that's the 70s all over.
It is a shame; Friday scored in the Crewe game and it was Southern TV regional "Big Match" game. It might be tracable-somehow Southern TV's coverage of Aldershot v Southend surfaced on you tube, but I think most was lost/wiped when TVS took over. Friday's most famous goal for Reading was also in 75-76 v Tranmere in a crunch promotion game, If you look at Justin Fashanu's goal v Liverpool you'll get an idea of Robin Friday's goal-similar save from much further out. We can only hope something surfaces
infrasleep My Dad has told me many a time about Friday's goal against Tranmere. Sounded like a great goal.
The only recollection I have of seeing Reading was in the late 70's when they lost 2-1 away to Newport County at Somerton Park.
shows they good play good football then..when the pitches were good as in this early season example
terrific classical football,,,
@ 28-16...MU fan bawls..''Fucking....'' but what's the second word,
appears to be yelling at the linesman flagging for offside?
By 1970 United were in terminal decay. Defence slow and ponderous with ageing players from the 60's heyday ! Charlton losing pace and power and Best starting to lose interest and becoming his own circus act ! He knew Busby should have rebuilt the team around him but instead he kept the ageing stars together instead of buying in new blood. Within 4 years Best and Charlton were gone and United relegated.. Sad demise of a great team !
Yes the team should have been broken up within a year of winning the European cup. Shankly at Liverpool didnt make the same mistake and broke his side up very quickly after losing the cup tie at Watford the previous spring
Reading sadly finished fourth from bottom of the Third Division
going down by goal average below Walsall...at the end of this season.
I know that was so sad, I was there as a school kid but we suppoorted them anyway, the faithful four thousand.
And then came....Robin Friday!
@@carlteacherman194 I think my Villa boys got a nice 5-3 win at Elm Park '70 - '71,...maybe you were there?
@@lennylaa1686 Yes indeed, I was there!
What a stinker of a ref if I recall, he gave a soft penalty to your lot.
I can remember 2 Villa players that day without looking up, Chico Hamilton and Andy Lockhead who scored one (or two...?) of the goals.
And...there was a load of fighting along Oxford Road and Reading Station after, haha! Didn't you have a special train that day? Can't believe that was 52 years ago.
@@carlteacherman194 Great memory Carl. I think i had only just started at secondary school but yes, I was jumping on special trains about three years later, great feeling
being part of the ''barmy army''.
Shame that game was not televised, we finished 4th that season - probably distracted by a great league cup run -lost to spurs in the final 0-2....but got promoted the following year.
Did Villa fans pack out the away end that day, Carl?
//////////////////////////////
t da
y,Carl?
@@lennylaa1686 Yes, they did, I remember a huge rowdy and intimidating crowd in the away (Tilehurst Road end). I was at the opposite (Town End) I hadn't yet quite graduated up to being allowed in the 'South Bank'.
I remember you missing out on promotion, only 2 went up and no play offs then.
We went down of course and the club nearly folded, but thanks to my 5 shillings entry, a tanner (6 pence) for a program and a shilling for a pie and and tea (extortionate then)...the club survived. 🙂
Ordinary season for Utd. 1970/1...finished 8th...16/11/15...65-66
@ 33-11...utterly ludicrous...heads ball into net...cannot be offside
but these were the old rules....striker to the left was ''in an offside
position''. Bonkers!
Unlucky Reading...easily the equal of Utd on the day.