Reading To Play Flackwell Heath In Berks And Bucks Cup

The draw for the quarter-final of the Berks and Bucks Cup is out, and Reading will go to Hellenic League Premier Division side Flackwell Heath. Represented by their under-23 side, the Royals are playing in the competition for the first time since 2002.

We won our last match in the cup 2-0, coming in an away win at Bracknell Town. On the day, goals from Ben House and Shamar Moore were enough to see a young side through to the next round.

If you don’t know where Flackwell Heath is, you’re not alone. I’ve lived in Buckinghamshire all my life and never heard of it. It’s a village just outside High Wycombe, and is also pretty close to Marlow and Beaconsfield.

With a population of just below 6,000, there were more home fans at Reading’s lowest Madejski Stadium attendance of the 21st century (last season’s 3-1 defeat to Sheffield United) than there are in Flackwell Heath.

The Heathens as they’re known play at Wilks Park ground, which holds around 2,000 spectators, Their previous biggest attendance was for a friendly against Oxford United in 1965, which saw roughly 1,500 punters in attendance.

Reading’s trip there, which is currently scheduled for January 22 2019 (a Tuesday night) should be a good opportunity for anyone in the area to see our youngsters in action. Ticket details are yet to be released.

The other sides still in the competition are: Maidenhead United, Hungerford Town, Slough Town, Marlow, MK Dons and Aylesbury United. You can see the full quarter-final draw here.