Down the years the Latics and Reading have met 43 times.
Latics have 18 wins, Reading 15, draws 10.
The first ever game between the two sides was on August 26th 1978 when the Latics travelled to Elm Park, the previous home of Reading, and 5,033 spectators saw the home side run out 2-0 winners in the Fourth Division game, in the return fixture at Springfield Park in November that same year Latics got their revenge with a 3-0 win, they had started to find their feet in league football and would go on to have a very good season.
There have been a few memorable encounters with Reading down the years, but the one that jumps out to me is the game that took place on Sunday 8th May 2005.
Lying second in the Championship we knew a win would guarantee promotion to the Premier League and that’s exactly what we got. Goals from Lee McCulloch, Jason Roberts and Nathan Ellington put the Latics 3-0 up before Steve Sidwell grabbed a consolation for the visitors in the 90th minute. I still get goose bumps thinking about that day, I witnessed many a grown man in floods of tears, a fantastic occasion, a great result, but something that gets a little lost in the importance of it all, an excellent game of football played by the Latics.
A note of positivity, it is 10 years since we last lost at Reading.
Last Six Meetings
05 Nov 2016 – Championship – Latics 0 Reading 3
17 Feb 2015 – Championship – Reading 0 Latics 1
09 Aug 2014 – Championship – Latics 2 Reading 2
18 Apr 2014 – Championship – Latics 3 Reading 0
21 Dec 2013 – Championship – Reading 1 Latics 2
23 Feb 2013 – Premier League – Reading 0 Latics 3
Last Time Out
Latics 0 Reading 3
Goal scorers: McCleary 1 & 5, Kermogrant (pen) 63 mins
Referee – David Coote
Attendance – 10,277
Teams:
Latics – Bogdan, R. Burke, Buxton (Byrne 60), Burn, Warnock, Perkins, MacDonald, Power, Gomez (Wildschut 46), Jacobs, Le Fondre (Grigg 71)
Unused Subs – Jaaskelainen, Garbutt, Morgan, Davies
Reading – Al Habsi, Gunter, McShane, Evans, Swift (Van den Berg 77), McCleary (Meite 85), Harriott (Samuel 81), Moore, Kermorgant, Williams, Blackett
Subs – Moore, Obita, Watson, Kelly
Match Highlights
Check out the latest PWU Podcast – Hanging On
This week we are joined in the studio by Wigan Evening Post Latics correspondent Paul Kendrick.
Yes we do fire questions at Paul, best press box food, that tweet – ha ha ha I still can’t stop laughing, the seasons woes, asking difficult questions and the $1m one, who is the new Latics manager?
We take a look back at the Cardiff game, it summed the season up in 90 minutes.
Youth players new contracts and releases.
There is a ‘Legends’ game to look forward to, oh and a trip to Reading on Saturday, party anyone?
The podcast can be listened to by clicking the embedded player below or downloaded to listen at you leisure by visiting www.buzzsprout.com
We are also available on itunes and we have an app for your tablet or mobile, just follow the instructions here
