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Reading FC Go Back To The Future With Old Anthem Return

Back at the start of the season Reading FC ran a campaign to co-opt an official club anthem. Now a request from a former Reading legend has prompted a change of heart.

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The original campaign back in the summer gave Reading fans three choices, with Ashes by Embrace eventually winning the vote. However, despite the song being played regularly before games, it's not really captured the imagination of fans and often just blends into the background of the pre-match atmosphere.

One of the songs in that vote was Sweet Caroline by Neil Diamond, a track that many associate with the 2005/06 Championship winning season. Now one of the members of that side has asked whether the song can make a comeback and be a prominent part of the pre-game ritual. Glen Little took to the BBC Berkshire airwaves to make his case and explain why the song was special.

"It all started when we won the League in the 106 year, just before the end of the season we were all in Marbella in an Indian restaurant, seven of us players, we just started singing it, everyone joined in and we actually ended up getting kicked out for being a bit too noisy!

"We'd had a good night, then we thought we'd get something to eat and the restaurant had never seen anything like that I don't think!

"It just stuck from that holiday, it became our song. The group was me, Nicky Shorey, Steve Sidwell, John Oster, Chris Makin, Graham Stack and John Halls, we used to call ourselves the Magnificent Seven!

"We played Sweet Caroline at the promotion party, we thought it might stick, the players loved things like Hi Ho Silver Lining at Wolves and Delilah at Stoke when they get that going. So we thought we'd make it our song at Reading."

The club have taken Blakey's advice on board and have decided to bring it back pre-match to try and help whip up an atmosphere at the Madejski Stadium.

Happy with the song's return Tilehurst Enders? Is this the song that should have won the vote in the first place or should the club have just given Embrace a bit more time to become established?

Let us know your thoughts below but in the meantime create whatever atmosphere you can tonight and against Bradford because the way we're playing, every little helps.