Reading FC In The FA Cup: A YouTube History

Everton 0-1 Reading - 1st March 2011

This was the last time Reading beat a team from a higher division, and what a great win it was too! This was Alex McCarthy's breakout game. The young goalkeeper was superb, pulling off some stunning saves.

The other hero of the night was Matt Mills, who not only scored, but also (whisper it) showed the sort of defensive leadership which the Royals have been badly missing for a few years now.

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Reading 2-4 Aston Villa - 7th March 2010

Forget the defeat to Swansea in the Play-Off Final, this was for me the most heartbreaking defeat in the Brian McDermott era. I still can't bring myself to watch past the first half, where Reading performed brilliantly and looked set for a first semi final appearance since 1927.

The pass from Gylfi Sigurdsson to start the Royals' second goal is top quality, as was the wing play from Jimmy Kebe. That team deserved to reach Wembley that year.

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Liverpool 1-2 Reading - 13th January 2010

The best Reading cup win in my lifetime. What more needs to be said? Sigurdsson's ice cool penalty, Brynjar Gunnarsson's nutmeg, and Shane Long's header are legendary and iconic moments in the club's history.

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Reading 2-3 Manchester United - 27th February 2007

Heading to the Madejski Stadium, I was confident this was going to be the night that little old Reading beat the great Manchester United. That dream was shattered in six minutes as Steve Coppell's decision to play five in defence backfired spectacularly with United racing into a three goal lead.

It says a hell of a lot about the greatest ever Reading team that they fought back to be within inches of forcing extra time.

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Slough Town 3-3 Reading - 16th November 1991

This is a proper early round FA Cup match. A rare Berkshire derby and a truly horrible Reading away kit. How did we manage to throw away a two goal lead? It's sad to think how far Slough have fallen since the early 90s.

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Reading 0-1 Arsenal - 16th February 1935

This whole video looks so quaint. The reporter is a terribly polite old chap. The footage of the Arsenal keeper trying to avoid the Reading attackers looks more like rugby than the game we know today.

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Cardiff City 3-0 Reading - 26th March 1927

Any list of the most important games in the club's history has to include this match. This remains the furthest the club have ever got in the FA Cup, which makes us one of the biggest clubs in the country to never reach a major cup final.

Like the match above, everything looks so innocent. The fans are all wearing suits and flat caps, and waving their handkerchiefs. The ref is wearing a suit too.

The game looks more like a kids game than a modern day game of football. One day it would be nice if Reading could exorcise the ghost of Molineaux.