2005–06 Reading F.C. season

The 2005–06 season was Reading's 135th year in existence and fourth consecutive season in the Championship, since their promotion from the Second Division in 2002, and covers the period from 1 July 2005 to 30 June 2006.

Reading

2005–06 season
Chairman	John Madejski
Manager	Steve Coppell
Championship	1st
FA Cup	Fourth Round vs Birmingham City
League Cup	Fourth Round vs Arsenal
Top goalscorer	League: Two Players (18) All: Dave Kitson (22)
Highest home attendance	23,845 vs Southampton (10 February 2006)
Lowest home attendance	6,941 vs Luton Town (20 September 2005)
Home colours Away colours Third colours
← 2004–05 2006–07 →

Reading finished the season as Champions, winning promotion to the Premier League for the first time, and registered the highest points total gained in a professional league season with 106, bettering the previous record held by Sunderland by 1 point.^[1]

Review and events

See also: 2005–06 in English football

Pre-season

Transfers

Following the completion of the 2004–05 season Reading announced on 11 May that veteran duo Martin Keown and Les Ferdinand, along with Ricky Newman, Bas Savage and youngster Louie Soares would not have their contracts renewed and were free to leave the club.^[2] On 22 June striker Nicky Forster left the club after 6 years, opting to sign for Ipswich Town having turned down a new contract at Reading.^[3] He was followed in the days after by Paul Brooker and Lloyd Owusu who both moved to Brentford on free transfers.^[4][5] On 21 July Andy Hughes moved to Norwich City in a deal thought to be worth £500,000 and the next day Dean Morgan moved to Luton Town on a free transfer.^[6][7] The final summer departure from the Madejski was Shaun Goater who agreed to have his contract terminated by mutual consent on 27 July.^[8]

The first signings of the summer were Irish pair Kevin Doyle and Shane Long who joined from Cork City on 7 June.^[9] Stephen Hunt arrived from Brentford on a free transfer on 29 June and he was followed by Graham Stack who signed on a six-month loan from Arsenal on 7 July.^[10][11] Leroy Lita was signed from Bristol City for a then club record £1,000,000 on 14 July and on 22 July Brynjar Gunnarsson transferred from Watford for an undisclosed fee.^[12][13] On 2 August Chris Makin and John Oster both arrived on free transfers from Leicester City and Burnley respectively.^[14] Eric Obinna signed on a short-term deal on 24 August and Reading's summer transfer business was completed by Sekou Baradji who was signed on loan from West Ham on 1 September.^[15][16]

August

Reading's first match in the Championship was a home game against Plymouth Argyle on 6 August and despite dominating the game Reading lost 1 – 2. Having gone one down Leroy Lita equalised with a goal on his debut but a late finish from Nick Chadwick was enough to give Plymouth all the points.^[17] On 9 August Reading faced Brighton in the first of two away games with goals in each half for Glen Little and Dave Kitson enough for a 2 – 0 victory.^[18] Reading then faced a trip north to Preston on 13 August and a came away with a comfortable 3 – 0 win thanks to a brace from Lita and a second goal in four days from Glen Little.^[19] Reading returned to the Madejski on 20 August to face Millwall in a game they won emphatically 5 – 0. Bobby Convey scored two and one each from James Harper, Kitson and Steve Sidwell completed the scoring.^[20]

Reading faced Swansea City on 23 August in the first round of the League Cup. Kitson opened the scoring on 13 minutes but an 80th-minute equaliser from Adebayo Akinfenwa saw the game go into extra times with the score at 1–1. A second goal Kitson and one for Lita in extra time were enough to earn a 3–1 victory and progress into the second round.^[21] Reading were back in league action on 27 August away at Watford though neither team could make the breakthrough and it ended 0 – 0.^[22] The last game in August saw Reading at home in the league against Burnley. Leroy Lita put Reading into the lead on 7 minutes but Burnley equalised through Ade Akinbiyi. Kevin Doyle won the match for Reading with his first goal for the club on 70 minutes with the game finishing 2 – 1.^[23]

September

After a 12-day break Reading travelled to the Ricoh Arena to face Coventry City on 10 September. A second goal in two games from Kevin Doyle was only enough for a 1 – 1 draw with Rob Page equalising in the 86th minute.^[24] Three days later Reading faced Crystal Palace at home in a game they won 3 – 2. Kevin Doyle opened the scoring for Reading but Andy Johnson equalised shortly after and Clinton Morrison then gave Palace the lead at the start of the second half. However goals from Leroy Lita and Ibrahima Sonko were enough to secure the win for Reading.^[25] Next up was the visit of Crewe on 17 September which Reading won 1 – 0 thanks to a 78th-minute header from Ivar Ingimarsson.^[26] Reading were back in Football League Cup action on 20 September with a second round home tie against Luton Town. A single John Oster goal was enough to see Reading progress to the third round.^[27] On 24 September Reading traveled to Norwich City in the Football League Championship recorded and a third straight 1 – 0 win thanks to a goal from James Harper.^[28] The final game in September was at Southampton which finished 0 – 0 with both sides having chances but failing to make the breakthrough.^[29]

Squad

As of match played 30 April 2006^[30]

No.	Name	Nationality	Position	Date of birth (Age)	Signed from	Signed in	Contract ends	Apps.	Goals
Goalkeepers
1	Marcus Hahnemann		GK	(1972-06-15)15 June 1972 (aged 33)	Fulham	2002		190	0
21	Graham Stack	^[a]	GK	(1981-09-26)26 September 1981 (aged 24)	Arsenal	2005	2008	8	0
28	Jamie Young	^[b]	GK	(1985-08-25)25 August 1985 (aged 20)	Youth team	2002		1	0
Defenders
2	Graeme Murty	^[c]	DF	(1974-11-13)13 November 1974 (aged 31)	York City	1998		286	2
3	Nicky Shorey		DF	(1981-02-19)19 February 1981 (aged 25)	Leyton Orient	2001		219	9
5	Ibrahima Sonko		DF	(1981-01-22)22 January 1981 (aged 25)	Brentford	2004		94	4
14	John Halls		DF	(1982-02-14)14 February 1982 (aged 24)	Stoke City	2006		3	1
16	Ívar Ingimarsson		DF	(1977-08-20)20 August 1977 (aged 28)	Wolverhampton Wanderers	2003		130	7
18	Michael Dobson		DF	(1981-04-09)9 April 1981 (aged 25)	loan from Brentford	2005	2006	1	0
23	Chris Makin		DF	(1973-05-08)8 May 1973 (aged 32)	Leicester City	2005	2006	19	0
25	Johnny Mullins		DF	(1985-11-06)6 November 1985 (aged 20)	Youth team	2004		0	0
26	Curtis Osano		DF	(1987-03-08)8 March 1987 (aged 19)	Youth team	2005		1	0
27	Aaron Brown		DF	(1983-06-23)23 June 1983 (aged 22)	Tamworth	2005		0	0
34	Scott Golbourne		DF	(1988-02-29)29 February 1988 (aged 18)	Bristol City	2006		1	0
Midfielders
4	Steve Sidwell		MF	(1982-12-14)14 December 1982 (aged 23)	Arsenal	2003		150	26
6	Brynjar Gunnarsson		MF	(1975-10-16)16 October 1975 (aged 30)	Watford	2005		34	4
7	Glen Little		MF	(1975-10-15)15 October 1975 (aged 30)	Burnley	2004		84	6
10	Stephen Hunt		MF	(1981-08-01)1 August 1981 (aged 24)	Brentford	2005		46	3
11	John Oster	^[d]	MF	(1978-12-08)8 December 1978 (aged 27)	Burnley	2005		41	2
15	James Harper		MF	(1980-11-09)9 November 1980 (aged 25)	Arsenal	2001		239	13
17	Bobby Convey		MF	(1983-05-27)27 May 1983 (aged 22)	D.C. United	2004		67	7
20	Jonny Hayes		MF	(1987-07-09)9 July 1987 (aged 18)	Youth team	2004		0	0
33	Conor Sinnott		MF	(1987-07-09)9 July 1987 (aged 18)	Bray Wanderers	2006		0	0
Forwards
8	Leroy Lita	^[e]	FW	(1984-12-28)28 December 1984 (aged 21)	Bristol City	2005		32	15
12	Dave Kitson		FW	(1980-01-21)21 January 1980 (aged 26)	Cambridge United	2003		94	46
19	Kevin Doyle		FW	(1983-09-18)18 September 1983 (aged 22)	Cork City	2005		51	19
24	Shane Long		FW	(1987-01-22)22 January 1987 (aged 19)	Cork City	2005		15	4
31	Simon Cox		FW	(1987-04-28)28 April 1987 (aged 19)	Academy	2005		6	0
Out on loan
14	Simieon Howell	^[f]	MF	(1985-08-26)26 August 1985 (aged 20)		2005		0	0
32	Adam Federici		GK	(1985-01-31)31 January 1985 (aged 21)	Torres	2005		0	0
Left during the season
18	Darren Campbell	^[g]	MF	(1986-04-16)16 April 1986 (aged 20)	Academy	2003		1	0
22	Peter Castle		DF	(1987-03-12)12 March 1987 (aged 19)	Academy	2003		1	0
27	Ryan Catney		MF	(1987-02-17)17 February 1987 (aged 19)	Academy	2003		0	0
29	Eric Obinna		FW	(1981-06-10)10 June 1981 (aged 24)	1. FC Kaiserslautern	2005		8	0
30	Sekou Baradji		DF	(1984-04-24)24 April 1984 (aged 22)	loan from West Ham United	2005	2005	1	0

1. Graham Stack was born in Hampstead, England, but qualified to represent Republic of Ireland, making his Republic of Ireland Under-21 debut 2003.
2. Jamie Young was born in Brisbane, Australia, but qualified to represent England, Representing England at U-18, U-19 and U-20 level.
3. Graeme Murty was born in Saltburn-by-the-Sea, North Yorkshire, England, but qualified to represent Scotland internationally through his parents, making his international debut for Scotland in 2004.
4. John Oster was born in Boston, England, but qualified to represent Wales, making his international debut for Wales in 1997.
5. Leroy Lita was born in Kinshasa, DR Congo, but qualified to represent England, representing England at U-21 level.
6. Simieon Howell was born in Reading, England, but qualified to represent Jamaica, representing Jamaica at U-23 level.
7. Darren Campbell was born in Cambridge, England, but qualified to represent Scotland through his parents, representing Scotland at U-17 level in 2003 after representing the England U-17 in 2002.

On loan

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player 14 MF   JAM Simieon Howell (at Forest Green Rovers until 30 June 2006)

No. Pos. Nation Player 32 GK   AUS Adam Federici (at Carshalton Athletic until 30 June 2006)

Left club during season

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player 18 MF   SCO Darren Campbell (released) 22 DF   ENG Peter Castle (to Rushden & Diamonds) 27 MF   NIR Ryan Catney (to Lisburn Distillery)

No. Pos. Nation Player 29 FW   NGA Eric Obinna (to Stevenage Borough) 30 MF   FRA Sekou Baradji (loan return to West Ham United)

Transfers

In

Date	Position	Nationality	Name	From	Fee	Ref.
7 June 2005	FW		Kevin Doyle	Cork City	Undisclosed	^[9]
7 June 2005	FW		Shane Long	Cork City	Undisclosed	^[9]
29 June 2005	MF		Stephen Hunt	Brentford	Free	^[10]
14 July 2005	FW		Leroy Lita	Bristol City	£1,000,000	^[12]
22 July 2005	MF		Brynjar Gunnarsson	Watford	Undisclosed	^[13]
2 August 2005	DF		Chris Makin	Leicester City	Free	^[14]
2 August 2005	MF		John Oster	Burnley	Free	^[14]
24 August 2005	FW		Eric Obinna	1. FC Kaiserslautern	Free	^[15]
14 November 2005	MF		Conor Sinnott	Bray Wanderers	Free	^[31]
30 December 2005	DF		Aaron Brown	Tamworth	Undisclosed	^[32]
30 December 2005	GK		Graham Stack	Arsenal	Undisclosed	^[33]
6 January 2006	DF		Scott Golbourne	Bristol City	Undisclosed	^[34]
19 January 2006	DF		John Halls	Stoke City	£250,000	^[35]

Out

Date	Position	Nationality	Name	To	Fee	Ref.
30 November 2005	MF		Ryan Catney	Lisburn Distillery	Free	^[36]
31 January 2006	DF		Peter Castle	Rushden & Diamonds	Free	^[37]

Loans in

Start date	Position	Nationality	Name	From	End date	Ref.
7 July 2005	GK		Graham Stack	Arsenal	6-month loan	^[11]
1 September 2005	MF		Sekou Baradji	West Ham United	2-month loan	^[16]
23 November 2005	DF		Aaron Brown	Tamworth	30 December 2005	^[38]^[32]
24 November 2005	DF		Michael Dobson	Brentford	Season long loan	^[39]

Loans out

Start date	Position	Nationality	Name	To	End date	Ref.
4 August 2005	MF		Simieon Howell	Forest Green Rovers	Season long loan	^[40]
9 September 2005	MF		Darren Campbell	Tamworth		^[41]
December 2005	GK		Adam Federici	Northwood	One month loan	^[42]
10 January 2006	DF		Peter Castle	Rushden & Diamonds	Season long loan	^[43]
January 2006	GK		Adam Federici	Carshalton Athletic	Season long loan
4 July 2006	MF		Conor Sinnott	Limerick	November 2006	^[44]

Released

Date	Position	Nationality	Name	Joined	Date	Ref
November 2005	MF		Darren Campbell	Colchester United	January 2006	^[45]
31 January 2006	FW		Eric Obinna	Stevenage Borough		^[32]
31 May 2006	DF		Johnny Mullins	Mansfield Town	Free	^[46]
30 June 2006	MF		Simieon Howell	Basingstoke Town	August 2006	^[47]
30 June 2006	GK		Jamie Young	Wycombe Wanderers	2 August 2006	^[48]
30 June 2006	DF		Chris Makin	Southampton	16 August 2006	^[49]

Competitions

Overview

Competition	First match	Last match	Starting round	Final position	Record
					Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Win %
Championship	6 August 2005	30 April 2006	Matchday 1	1st	46	31	13	2	99	32	+67	067.39
FA Cup	7 January 2006	7 February 2006	Third round	Fourth round	4	1	2	1	6	6	+0	025.00
League Cup	23 August 2005	29 November 2005	First round	Fourth round	4	3	0	1	6	4	+2	075.00
Total					54	35	15	4	111	42	+69	064.81

Last updated: 30 April 2006
Source: Competitions

Championship

Main article: 2005–06 Football League Championship

Results summary

Overall								Home						Away
Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD
46	31	13	2	99	32	+67	106	19	3	1	58	14	+44	12	10	1	41	18	+23

Results by round

Round	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30	31	32	33	34	35	36	37	38	39	40	41	42	43	44	45	46
Ground	H	A	A	H	A	H	A	H	H	A	A	H	H	H	A	H	H	A	H	A	A	H	H	A	A	H	A	H	H	A	H	A	H	A	A	H	A	H	H	A	H	A	A	H	A	H
Result	L	W	W	W	D	W	D	W	W	W	D	W	W	D	W	D	W	W	W	W	W	W	W	W	W	W	D	W	W	D	W	W	W	D	L	W	W	D	D	D	W	W	D	W	D	W
Position	21	18	4	1	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1

Source: ^{[citation needed]}
A = Away; H = Home; W = Win; D = Draw; L = Loss

Results

Reading v Plymouth Argyle

6 August 2005 1	Reading	1–2	Plymouth Argyle	Madejski Stadium
15:00 BST (UTC+1)	Lita   54'	Report	Evans   21' Chadwick   90'	Attendance: 16,836 Referee: Paul Taylor

Brighton & Hove Albion v Reading

9 August 2005 2	Brighton & Hove Albion	0–2	Reading	Withdean Stadium
19:45 BST (UTC+1)		Report	Little   15' Kitson   63'	Attendance: 6,676 Referee: Kevin Friend

Preston North End v Reading

13 August 2005 3	Preston North End	0–3	Reading	Deepdale
15:00 BST (UTC+1)		Report	Lita   35', 46' Little   58'	Attendance: 13,154 Referee: Lee Probert

Reading v Millwall

20 August 2005 4	Reading	5–0	Millwall	Madejski Stadium
15:00 BST (UTC+1)	Convey   6', 25' Harper   38' Kitson   44' Sidwell   79'	Report	Marshall   23'	Attendance: 14,225 Referee: Steve Tanner

Watford v Reading

27 August 2005 5	Watford	0–0	Reading	Vicarage Road
17:15 BST (UTC+1)		Report		Attendance: 12,152 Referee: Richard Beeby

Reading v Burnley

29 August 2005 6	Reading	2–1	Burnley	Madejski Stadium
15:00 BST (UTC+1)	Lita   8' Doyle   70'	Report	Akinbiyi   40'	Attendance: 14,027 Referee: Ray Olivier

Coventry City v Reading

10 September 2005 7	Coventry City	1–1	Reading	Ricoh Arena
15:00 BST (UTC+1)	Page   86'	Report	Doyle   68'	Attendance: 22,074 Referee: Andy Hall

Reading v Crystal Palace

13 September 2005 8	Reading	3–2	Crystal Palace	Madejski Stadium
20:00 BST (UTC+1)	Doyle   26' Lita   68' Sonko   87'	Report	Johnson   29' Morrison   47'	Attendance: 17,562 Referee: Brian Curson

Reading v Crewe Alexandra

17 September 2005 9	Reading	1–0	Crewe Alexandra	Madejski Stadium
15:00 BST (UTC+1)	Ingimarsson   78'	Report		Attendance: 17,668 Referee: Andy Woolmer

Norwich City v Reading

24 September 2005 10	Norwich City	0–1	Reading	Carrow Road
15:00 BST (UTC+1)		Report	Harper   61'	Attendance: 24,850 Referee: Trevor Kettle

Southampton v Reading

28 September 2005 11	Southampton	0–0	Reading	St Mary's
19:45 BST (UTC+1)		Report		Attendance: 24,946 Referee: Graham Poll

Reading v Sheffield United

1 October 2005 12	Reading	2–1	Sheffield United	Madejski Stadium
15:00 BST (UTC+1)	Gunnarsson   3', 88'	Report	Kabba   15'	Attendance: 22,068 Referee: Grant Hegley

Reading v Ipswich Town

16 October 2005 13	Reading	2–0	Ipswich Town	Madejski Stadium
13:30 BST (UTC+1)	Naylor   18' (o.g.) Doyle   47'	Report		Attendance: 17,581 Referee: Steve Tanner

Hull City v Reading

18 October 2005 14	Hull City	1–1	Reading	KC Stadium
19:45 BST (UTC+1)	Brown   56'	Report	Little   74'	Attendance: 17,698

Stoke City v Reading

22 October 2005 15	Stoke City	0–1	Reading	Britannia Stadium
15:00 BST (UTC+1)		Report	Kitson   75' (pen.)	Attendance: 13,484

Reading v Leeds United

29 October 2005 16	Reading	1–1	Leeds United	Madejski Stadium
15:00 BST (UTC+1)	Gunnarsson   62'	Report	Ingimarsson   74' (o.g.)	Attendance: 22,012

Reading v Sheffield Wednesday

1 November 2005 17	Reading	2–0	Sheffield Wednesday	Madejski Stadium
20:00 GMT	Whelan   38' (o.g.) Kitson   64'	Report		Attendance: 16,188

Queens Park Rangers v Reading

5 November 2005 18	Queens Park Rangers	1–2	Reading	Loftus Road
15:00 GMT	Cook   47'	Report	Harper   10' Ingimarsson   65'	Attendance: 15,347

Reading v Hull City

19 November 2005 19	Reading	3–1	Hull City	Madejski Stadium
15:00 GMT	Convey   7' Doyle   69' Little   70'	Report	Barmby   55'	Attendance: 17,864

Ipswich Town v Reading

22 November 2005 20	Ipswich Town	0–3	Reading	Portman Road
19:45 GMT		Report	Sidwell   28' Lita   53' Doyle   76'	Attendance: 22,62

Plymouth Argyle v Reading

26 November 2005 21	Plymouth Argyle	0–2	Reading	Home Park
15:00 GMT		Report	Little   20' Doyle   56'	Attendance: 14,020

Reading v Luton Town

3 December 2005 22	Reading	3–0	Luton Town	Madejski Stadium
15:00 GMT	Sidwell   43' Kitson   75' Doyle   88'	Report		Attendance: 19,478

Reading v Brighton & Hove Albion

10 December 2005 23	Reading	5–1	Brighton & Hove Albion	Madejski Stadium
15:00 GMT	Oatway   27' (o.g.) Kitson   51' (pen.), 70', 90' Hunt   76'		Elphick   48' Kazim-Richards   84'	Attendance: 18,546

Millwall v Reading

17 December 2005 24	Millwall	0–2	Reading	The Den
15:00 GMT		Report	Sidwell   40' Doyle   68'	Attendance: 12,920

Wolverhampton Wanderers v Reading

26 December 2005 25	Wolverhampton Wanderers	0–2	Reading	Molineux
15:00 GMT		Report	Kitson   29' Convey   64'	Attendance: 27,980

Reading v Leicester City

28 December 2005 26	Reading	2–0	Leicester City	Madejski Stadium
20:00 GMT	Doyle   60' Gunnarsson   87'	Report		Attendance: 22,061

Derby County v Reading

31 December 2005 27	Derby County	2–2	Reading	Pride Park
17:15 GMT	Johnson   32', 62' Davies     71'	Report	Doyle   34' Long   88'	Attendance: 21,434

Reading v Cardiff City

2 January 2006 28	Reading	5–1	Cardiff City	Madejski Stadium
15:00 GMT	Sidwell   10', 70' Sonko   31' Kitson   50', 75'	Report	Jerome   61'	Attendance: 22,668

Reading v Coventry City

14 January 2006 29	Reading	2–0	Coventry City	Madejski Stadium
15:00 GMT	Kitson   46', 78'	Report		Attendance: 22,813

Crystal Palace v Reading

20 January 2006 30	Crystal Palace	1–1	Reading	Selhurst Park
19:45 GMT	Johnson   79' (pen.)	Report	Harper   81'	Attendance: 19,888

Reading v Norwich City

31 January 2006 31	Reading	4–0	Norwich City	Madejski Stadium
20:00 GMT	Shorey   6' Sidwell   17' Lita   55' Convey   69'	Report		Attendance: 21,442

Crewe Alexandra v Reading

4 February 2006 32	Crewe Alexandra	3–4	Reading	Alexandra Stadium
15:00 GMT	Bell   14' Taylor   50' Lunt   68' (pen.)	Report	Shorey   24' Sidwell   26' Lita   43', 53'	Attendance: 6,484

Reading v Southampton

10 February 2006 33	Reading	2–0	Southampton	Madejski Stadium
19:45 GMT	Lita   16' Doyle   38'	Report		Attendance: 23,845

Sheffield United v Reading

14 February 2006 34	Sheffield United	1–1	Reading	Bramall Lane
19:45 GMT	Dyer   9'	Report	Kitson   12'	Attendance: 25,011

Luton Town v Reading

17 February 2006 35	Luton Town	3–2	Reading	Kenilworth Road
19:45 GMT	Vine   20', 26' Morgan   51'	Report	Doyle   1', 90'	Attendance: 8,705

Reading v Preston North End

25 February 2006 36	Reading	2–1	Preston North End	Madejski Stadium
15:00 GMT	Sidwell   6' Lita   45+1'	Report	Davidson   8'	Attendance: 23,011

Burnley v Reading

4 March 2006 37	Burnley	0–3	Reading	Turf Moor
15:00 GMT		Report	Convey   10' Sonko   55' Kitson   90'	Attendance: 12,888

Reading v Watford

11 March 2006 38	Reading	0–0	Watford	Madejski Stadium
15:00 GMT		Report		Attendance: 23,724

Reading v Wolverhampton Wanderers

18 March 2006 39	Reading	1–1	Wolverhampton Wanderers	Madejski Stadium
15:00 GMT	Convey   22'	Report	Miller   64'	Attendance: 23,502

Leicester City v Reading

25 March 2006 40	Leicester City	1–1	Reading	Walkers Stadium
15:00 GMT	Hume   38'	Report	Doyle   85'	Attendance: 25,578

Reading v Derby County

1 April 2006 41	Reading	5–0	Derby County	Madejski Stadium
15:00 BST (UTC+1)	Harper   59' Doyle   65' Oster   69' Long   73', 83'	Report		Attendance: 22,981

Cardiff City v Reading

8 April 2006 42	Cardiff City	2–5	Reading	Ninian Park
15:00 BST (UTC+1)	Jerome   40' Parry   79'	Report	Harper   10', 90' Kitson   40' Loovens   52' (o.g.) Doyle   87'	Attendance: 11,866

Leeds United v Reading

15 April 2006 43	Leeds United	1–1	Reading	Elland Road
15:00 BST (UTC+1)	Hulse   47'	Report	Hunt   85'	Attendance: 24,535

Reading v Stoke City

17 April 2006 44	Reading	3–1	Stoke City	Madejski Stadium
15:00 BST (UTC+1)	Sidwell   25' Doyle   56' (pen.) Halls   62'	Report	Rooney   59'	Attendance: 22,119

Sheffield Wednesday v Reading

22 April 2006 45	Sheffield Wednesday	1–1	Reading	Hillsborough
15:00 BST (UTC+1)	MacLean   59' (pen.)	Report	Kitson   34'	Attendance: 27,307

Reading v Queens Park Rangers

30 April 2006 46	Reading	2–1	Queens Park Rangers	Madejski Stadium
13:30 BST (UTC+1)	Kitson   40' Murty   84' (pen.)	Report	Furlong   72'	Attendance: 23,156

League table

Pos	Team v t e	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Promotion, qualification or relegation
1	Reading (C, P)	46	31	13	2	99	32	+67	106	Promotion to the FA Premier League
2	Sheffield United (P)	46	26	12	8	76	46	+30	90
3	Watford (O, P)	46	22	15	9	77	53	+24	81	Qualification for Championship play-offs
4	Preston North End	46	20	20	6	59	30	+29	80
5	Leeds United	46	21	15	10	57	38	+19	78

Updated to match(es) played on 2 December 2011. Source: RSSSF
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored.
(C) Champions; (O) Play-off winners; (P) Promoted

FA Cup

Main article: 2005–06 FA Cup

West Bromwich Albion v Reading

7 January 2006 Third Round	West Bromwich Albion	1–1	Reading	The Hawthorns
15:00 GMT	Gera   82' (pen.)	Report	Doyle   84' (pen.)	Attendance: 19,197 Referee: Matt Messias

Reading v West Bromwich Albion

17 January 2006 Third Round Replay	Reading	3–2 (a.e.t.)	West Bromwich Albion	Madejski Stadium
20:00 GMT	Lita   50', 65', 93'	Report	Chaplow   9', 32'	Attendance: 16,737 Referee: Paul Taylor

Reading v Birmingham City

28 January 2006 Fourth Round	Reading	1–1	Birmingham City	Madejski Stadium
15:00 GMT	Long   32'	Report	Dunn   67'	Attendance: 23,762 Referee: Rob Styles

Birmingham City v Reading

7 February 2006 Fourth Round Replay	Birmingham City	2–1	Reading	St. Andrews
19:45 GMT	Forssell   30' Gray   67'	Report	Hunt   51'	Attendance: 16,644 Referee: Peter Walton

Football League Cup

Main article: 2005–06 Football League Cup

Reading v Swansea City

23 August 2005 First Round	Reading	3–1 (a.e.t.)	Swansea City	Madejski Stadium
20:00 BST (UTC+1)	Kitson   13', 95' Lita   114'		Akinfenwa   80' Anderson   85'	Attendance: 7,603 Referee: Keith Stroud

Reading v Luton Town

20 September 2005 Second Round	Reading	1–0	Luton Town	Madejski Stadium
20:00 BST (UTC+1)	Oster   80'			Attendance: 6,941 Referee: Mick Fletcher

Reading v Sheffield United

25 October 2005 Third Round	Reading	2–0	Sheffield United	Madejski Stadium
20:00 BST (UTC+1)	Kitson   53', 75'			Attendance: 11,607 Referee: Rob Styles

Arsenal v Reading

29 November 2005 Fourth Round	Arsenal	3–0	Reading	Highbury
19:45 GMT	Reyes   12' Van Persie   41' Lupoli   65'			Attendance: 36,167 Referee: Lee Mason

Squad statistics

As of match played 30 April 2006

Appearances and goals

No.	Pos	Nat	Player	Total		Championship		FA Cup		League Cup
				Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
1	GK	USA	Marcus Hahnemann	47	0	45	0	0	0	1+1	0
2	DF	SCO	Graeme Murty	44	1	40	1	1	0	3	0
3	DF	ENG	Nicky Shorey	44	2	40	2	1	0	3	0
4	MF	ENG	Steve Sidwell	40	10	29+4	10	4	0	3	0
5	DF	SEN	Ibrahima Sonko	52	3	46	3	2	0	4	0
6	MF	ISL	Brynjar Gunnarsson	34	4	19+10	4	4	0	0+1	0
7	MF	ENG	Glen Little	38	5	34+1	5	0+1	0	0+2	0
8	FW	ENG	Leroy Lita	32	15	22+4	11	2+1	3	1+2	1
10	MF	IRL	Stephen Hunt	46	3	3+35	2	4	1	4	0
11	MF	WAL	John Oster	41	2	11+22	1	4	0	4	1
12	FW	ENG	Dave Kitson	39	22	27+7	18	2	0	3	4
14	DF	ENG	John Halls	3	1	1	1	2	0	0	0
15	MF	ENG	James Harper	51	7	44+1	7	3	0	3	0
16	DF	ISL	Ívar Ingimarsson	53	2	46	2	3	0	4	0
17	MF	USA	Bobby Convey	45	7	45	7	0	0	0	0
19	FW	IRL	Kevin Doyle	51	19	41+4	18	0+3	1	2+1	0
21	GK	IRL	Graham Stack	8	0	1	0	4	0	3	0
23	DF	ENG	Chris Makin	19	0	11+1	0	4	0	2+1	0
24	FW	IRL	Shane Long	15	4	1+10	3	4	1	0	0
26	DF	ENG	Curtis Osano	1	0	0	0	0+1	0	0	0
31	FW	ENG	Simon Cox	6	0	0+2	0	0+2	0	0+2	0
33	DF	ENG	Scott Golbourne	1	0	0+1	0	0	0	0	0
Players who left Reading during the season:
18	DF	ENG	Michael Dobson	1	0	0+1	0	0	0	0	0
29	FW	NGA	Eric Obinna	8	0	0+6	0	0	0	2	0
30	MF	FRA	Sekou Baradji	3	0	0+1	0	0	0	2	0

Goal scorers

Place	Position	Nation	Number	Name	Championship	FA Cup	League Cup	Total
1	FW		12	Dave Kitson	18	0	4	22
2	FW		19	Kevin Doyle	18	1	0	19
3	FW		8	Leroy Lita	11	3	1	15
4	MF		4	Steve Sidwell	10	0	0	10
5	MF		15	James Harper	7	0	0	7
	MF		17	Bobby Convey	7	0	0	7
7	FW		7	Glen Little	5	0	0	5
8	DF		6	Brynjar Gunnarsson	4	0	0	4
				Own goal	4	0	0	4
	FW		24	Shane Long	3	1	0	4
11	DF		5	Ibrahima Sonko	3	0	0	3
12	DF		16	Ívar Ingimarsson	2	0	0	2
	DF		3	Nicky Shorey	2	0	0	2
	MF		10	Stephen Hunt	2	0	0	2
	MF		11	John Oster	1	0	1	2
16	DF		2	Graeme Murty	1	0	0	1
	DF		14	John Halls	1	0	0	1
				TOTALS	99	6	6	111

Clean sheets

Place	Position	Nation	Number	Name	Championship	FA Cup	League Cup	Total
1	GK		1	Marcus Hahnemann	22	0	1	23
2	GK		21	Graham Stack	0	0	1	1
TOTALS					22	0	2	24

References

• General: Official Yearbook Reading FC 2006/07 (ISBN 1-903073-57-X)

1. "Record – 106 points". readingfc.co.uk/. Reading F.C. Retrieved 23 February 2020.
2. "Royals release five". Sky Sports. Retrieved 22 October 2012.
3. "Striker Forster signs for Ipswich". BBC. 22 June 2005. Retrieved 22 October 2012.
4. "Brooker makes move to Brentford". BBC. 24 June 2005. Retrieved 22 October 2012.
5. "Owusu agrees return to Brentford". BBC. 27 June 2005. Retrieved 22 October 2012.
6. "Norwich complete Hughes signing". BBC. 21 July 2005. Retrieved 22 October 2012.
7. "Hatters seal triple move". Sky Sports. Retrieved 22 October 2012.
8. "Veteran Goater departs Madejski". BBC. 27 July 2005. Retrieved 22 October 2012.
9. "Reading complete double cork deal". BBC. 7 June 2005. Retrieved 22 October 2012.
10. "Hunt completes switch to Reading". BBC. 29 June 2005. Retrieved 22 October 2012.
11. "Reading sign Stack in loan deal". BBC. 7 July 2005. Retrieved 22 October 2012.
12. "Reading snap up £1m striker Lita". BBC. 14 July 2005. Retrieved 22 October 2012.
13. "Gunnarsson secures Reading switch". BBC. 22 July 2005. Retrieved 22 October 2012.
14. "Makin and Oster pen Reading deals". BBC. 2 August 2005. Retrieved 22 October 2012.
15. "Chukwunyelu completes Royals move". BBC. 24 August 2005. Retrieved 22 October 2012.
16. "Reading snap up new West Ham star". BBC. 1 September 2005. Retrieved 22 October 2012.
17. Rej, Arindam (8 August 2005). "Reading robbed by the flying squad". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 22 October 2012.
18. "Brighton 0–2 Reading". BBC. 9 August 2005. Retrieved 22 October 2012.
19. "Preston 0–3 Reading". BBC. 13 August 2005. Retrieved 22 October 2012.
20. "Reading 5–0 Millwall". BBC. 20 August 2005. Retrieved 22 October 2012.
21. "Reading 3–1 Swansea (aet)". BBC. 23 August 2005. Retrieved 22 October 2012.
22. Kessel, Anna (28 August 2005). "Reading hemmed in by McNamee's energy". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 22 October 2012.
23. "Reading 2–1 Burnley". ESPN. Retrieved 22 October 2012.
24. "Coventry 1–1 Reading". ESPN. Retrieved 3 November 2012.
25. "Reading 3–2 Crystal Palace". ESPN. Retrieved 3 November 2012.
26. "Reading 1–0 Crewe". ESPN. Retrieved 3 November 2012.
27. "Reading 1–0 Luton". ESPN. Retrieved 3 November 2012.
28. "Norwich 0 – 1 Reading". ESPN. Retrieved 3 November 2012.
29. "Southampton 0 – 0 Reading". ESPN. Retrieved 3 November 2012.
30. "Team". Reading F.C. Retrieved 5 July 2014.
31. "Reading snap up youngster Sinnott". BBC. 14 November 2005. Retrieved 3 October 2012.
32. . Sky Sports. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 3 October 2012.
33. "Stack makes permanent Royals move". BBC. 30 December 2005. Retrieved 3 October 2012.
34. "Golbourne completes Reading move". BBC. 3 January 2006. Retrieved 3 October 2012.
35. "Royals swoop to clinch Halls move". BBC. 19 January 2006. Retrieved 3 October 2012.
36. ":Lisburn Distillery snap up Catney". BBC. 30 November 2005. Retrieved 3 October 2012.
37. "Diamonds take a pair". Sky Sports. Retrieved 3 October 2012.
38. "Tamworth defender joins Reading". BBC. 23 November 2005. Retrieved 3 October 2012.
39. "Reading sign Dobson in loan deal". BBC. 24 November 2005. Retrieved 3 October 2012.
40. "Howell joins Forest Green on loan". BBC. 4 August 2005. Retrieved 3 October 2012.
41. "Royals monitor Tamworth youngster". BBC. 12 September 2005. Retrieved 3 October 2012.
42. "Adam Federici". Northwood FC. Retrieved 3 October 2012.
43. "Rushden capture Reading's Castle". BBC. 10 January 2006. Retrieved 3 October 2012.
44. "Reading starlet joins Limerick". Sky Sports. Retrieved 3 October 2012.
45. "Reading sign Dobson in loan deal". BBC Sport. 24 November 2005. Retrieved 14 October 2013.
46. "Field Mill move for ex Royals man". BBC. 31 May 2006. Retrieved 3 October 2012.
47. "Simieon Howell". Basingstoke Town. Archived from the original on 21 February 2013. Retrieved 3 October 2012.
48. "Ex Reading keeper joins Wycombe". BBC. 2 August 2006. Retrieved 3 October 2012.
49. "Southampton clinch Makin capture". BBC. 16 August 2006. Retrieved 3 October 2012.