I wrote a few words at lunchtime

Well more than a few words, more of a ramble. All of this is from memory so if there are a few inaccuracies, my apologies, and I’m sure I’ll get corrected by wrathers who are far longer in the tooth than me. Cheers, Tim

Here it is.

The last game at Elm Park – May 98

The games at the end of the 97/98 season and those at the start of the 98/99 season were in the last games of our PK era (pre kids before you ask).

Mrs KC’s parents live in Burnham, Bucks, we stayed at their place on Saturday night and went to the game from there. We got to Reading early, parked and walked to the ground very slowly as Mrs KC wasn’t feeling great – she was around 4 months pregnant, with Gemma, now nine years old, and twice a Norwich mascot.

We had been to Elm Park before, (but had sat down in the seats reserved for away fans) when we lost 1-2 when Trevor Morley scored for them with an overhead kick and Neil Adams scored their winner with a cracking oggy, but for this game it was standing only. It was an all ticket game as it was the last ever at Elm Park.

The toilets there were awful – just a huge long trough in a primitive concrete structure at the top of the terrace, they stunk, and the ladies facilities were no better.

We stood near the side which was occupied by the Reading fans as it was closer to the ladies, and the burger bar.

On the terraced side opposite the main stand that was next to us, throughout the game, plenty of wannabe hoolies were climbing up the fence acting like idiots and trying to start something.

After Bellamy scored early in the second half it turned worse as there was a hail of coins coming across at us. We moved back towards the centre of the terrace but were surprised that the cameras of the police were trained on us and not the Reading fans.

As regards what happened in the game, all I can recall is that Flecky hit the bar for them and Bellamy scored with a lovely curling shot from the inside left channel after a nice through ball. Apart from that it was a very non-descript game.

For some reason I always associate Nigel Spackman with this game. With Mike Walker’s sacking the week before, there were a number of names in the frame for the City job, and Spackman was one of them having had a spell in charge at Sheffield United (?). As Mrs KC and I walked back from to our car I recall hearing on a radio that he had either joined another club or ruled himself out of the running for the City job. My immediate thoughts were one of disappointment as I thought that he might have been a decent candidate.

Flecky came across at the end to applaud us, but there had been pitch invasion, and he couldn’t get too near the City fans.

Another Robert Fleck story always reminds me of this match as Reading and Oxford were local rivals. Flecky played for Reading at Ipswich on the day that we were at Oxford – this was at the end of March 1998. City had lost 0-2 in a very ordinary performance to a Francis (La La La La La Freak Freak Freak Freak was his song) goal from a defensive error and a penalty from a stupid tackle by Forbes who came on a sub. Joey Beauchamp scored the pen.

Throughout the second half some guy was standing at the front on the right was yelling at Mike Walker, “WHERE’S ROBERT FLECK? OI WALKER, I CAN’T SEE ROBERT FLECK TODAY. WHERE’S HE GONE? OI WALKER PLEASE TELL ME WHY ROBERT FLECK’S NOT PLAYING TODAY!”. This went on for quite some time. It looked as if his wife or girlfriend, who was with him, was shuffling further and further away in embarrassment.

We drove home down the A40, and on the way back we listened to 6-0-6. There had been a running topic of players being given hostile receptions at clubs that hated them. The first caller was a Reading fan who had brought a tape recorder to the game at Ipswich purposely to record the reception that Flecky was given by the Ipswich fans. As the team was announced the booing started as soon as their No7 had been read out. At No8….then all we could hear was a volley of booing and whistling. It was such an awful reception, that he caller played the recording again.

And finally Neale Fenn – who looked a ok player in his month with us, and as a previous poster noted, I thought he might have been a decent signing. But after the season ended he went back to Spurs (as we were managerless I presume). The next time I saw him play was when Mrs KC and I went to see City reserves play Spurs reserves at St Albans FC. It was the last game she saw before Gemma was born – November 1998. Neale Fenn was a sub for Spurs that evening, and I’m sure Paul McVeigh scored for Spurs our 1-2 loss. Daryl Russell also played and attracted the attention of a number of scouts, including a friend of mine who works for another London Club.

Posted By: KentonCanary, Mar 25, 16:01:45