1994–95 Reading F.C. season

51°27′10″N 1°0′8.7″W

Reading

1994–95 season
Chairman	John Madejski
Manager	Mark McGhee (until 14 December) Mick Gooding & Jimmy Quinn (player-managers from 4 January)
Stadium	Elm Park
First Division	2nd (qualified for play-offs)
Play-offs	Runners-up vs Bolton Wanderers
FA Cup	Third round vs Oldham Athletic
League Cup	Second round vs Derby County
Top goalscorer	League: Stuart Lovell (11) All: Stuart Lovell (14)
Home colours
← 1993–94 1995–96 →

During the 1994–95 English football season, Reading F.C. competed in the Football League First Division, following promotion from the Second Division the previous season.

Season summary

Mark McGhee left Reading in December to take over at Leicester City. Players Jimmy Quinn, Mick Gooding, Ady Williams and Jeff Hopkins acted as caretakers until January, when Quinn and Gooding were named as full-time player-managers. The inexperienced duo led Reading to second in the First Division. In any other season this would have been enough for promotion to the Premier League, but due to restructuring of the league, only two teams would be awarded promotion, and therefore Reading entered the play-offs.

After beating Tranmere Rovers 3–1 on aggregate (3–1 and 0–0 over two legs) they travelled to Wembley to face Bolton Wanderers. Reading were 2–0 up within 12 minutes and appeared certain to be playing top-flight football for the first time in their history next season, but Bolton fought back to score twice in the last 15 minutes to take the game to extra time. Bolton scored twice more in extra time to lead 4–2. Although player-manager Quinn, on as a second-half substitute, pulled one back in the 119th minute, Bolton held on to win and sealed promotion to the Premier League at Reading's expense. Following the final defeat, it would be eleven years before Reading finally experienced top-flight football.

Squad

As of match played 29 May 1995

Name	Nationality	Position	Date of birth (Age[lower-alpha 1])	Signed from	Signed in	Contract ends	Apps.	Goals
Goalkeepers
Shaka Hislop	[lower-alpha 2]	GK	(1969-02-22)22 February 1969 (aged 26)	Howard Bison	1992		126	0
Simon Sheppard		GK	(1973-08-07)7 August 1973 (aged 21)	Watford	1994		0	0
Defenders
Andy Bernal		DF	(1973-02-21)21 February 1973 (aged 22)	Sydney Olympic	1994		40	0
Keith McPherson		DF	(1963-09-11)11 September 1963 (aged 31)	Northampton Town	1990
Adi Viveash		DF	(1969-09-30)30 September 1969 (aged 25)	loan from Swindon Town	1994	1995	12	1
Dylan Kerr		DF	(1967-01-14)14 January 1967 (aged 28)	Leeds United	1993		95	3
Dariusz Wdowczyk		DF	(1962-09-25)25 September 1962 (aged 32)	Celtic	1994		44	0
Jeff Hopkins		DF	(1964-04-14)14 April 1964 (aged 31)	Bristol Rovers	1992		122	3
Ady Williams	[lower-alpha 3]	DF	(1971-09-16)16 September 1971 (aged 23)	Trainee	1989
Midfielders
David Bass		MF	(1974-11-29)29 November 1974 (aged 20)	Trainee	1992		9	0
Michael Gilkes	[lower-alpha 4]	MF	(1965-07-20)20 July 1965 (aged 29)	Leicester City	1984
Mick Gooding (Player-Manager)		MF	(1959-04-12)12 April 1959 (aged 36)	Wolverhampton Wanderers	1989
Paul Holsgrove		MF	(1969-08-26)26 August 1969 (aged 25)	Millwall	1994		29	4
Tommy Jones		MF	(1964-10-07)7 October 1964 (aged 30)	Swindon Town	1992		66	2
Jamie Lambert		MF	(1973-09-14)14 September 1973 (aged 21)	Trainee	1992		54	5
Mick Murphy		MF	(1977-05-05)5 May 1977 (aged 18)	Trainee	1994		1	0
Simon Osborn		MF	(1972-01-19)19 January 1972 (aged 23)	Crystal Palace	1994		39	5
Phil Parkinson		MF	(1967-12-01)1 December 1967 (aged 27)	Bury	1992		133	9
Scott Taylor		MF	(1970-11-23)23 November 1970 (aged 24)	Trainee	1989
Derek Simpson		MF	(1978-12-23)23 December 1978 (aged 16)	Trainee	1994		0	0
Forwards
Stuart Lovell		FW	(1972-01-09)9 January 1972 (aged 23)	Trainee	1990
Lea Barkus		FW	(1974-12-07)7 December 1974 (aged 20)	Trainee	1991		17	0
Alan Carey		FW	(1975-08-21)21 August 1975 (aged 19)	Trainee	1994		3	0
Uwe Hartenberger		FW	(1968-02-01)1 February 1968 (aged 27)	KFC Uerdingen 05	1993		29	5
Jimmy Quinn (Player-Manager)		FW	(1959-12-07)7 December 1959 (aged 35)	Bournemouth	1992		148	73
Lee Nogan		FW	(1969-05-21)21 May 1969 (aged 26)	Watford	1995		23	12
Out on loan
Left during the season
Darren Barnard	[lower-alpha 5]	DF	(1971-11-30)30 November 1971 (aged 23)	loan from Chelsea	1994	1994	4	0

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 — DF  ENG Darren Barnard (loan return to Chelsea)

Transfers

In

Date	Position	Nationality	Name	From	Fee	Ref.
Summer 1994	GK		Simon Sheppard	Watford
Summer 1994	DF		Andy Bernal	Sydney Olympic	£30,000	[1]
Summer 1994	DF		Dariusz Wdowczyk	Celtic
Summer 1994	MF		Paul Holsgrove	Millwall
Summer 1994	MF		Simon Osborn	Crystal Palace	£90,000	[2]
12 January 1995	FW		Lee Nogan	Watford	£250,000	[3]

Loans in

Date from	Position	Nationality	Name	From	Date to	Ref.
Summer 1994	DF		Darren Barnard	Chelsea
Summer 1994	DF		Adi Viveash	Swindon Town	Summer 1995

Released

Date	Position	Nationality	Name	Joined	Date
30 June 1995	FW		Uwe Hartenberger	Waldhof Mannheim

Competitions

Division two

Main article: 1994–95_Football_League § First_Division

Results

Wolverhampton Wanderers v Reading

13 August 1994 1	Wolverhampton Wanderers	1–0	Reading	Wolverhampton
	Froggatt	Report		Stadium: Molineux

Reading v Portsmouth

20 August 1994 2	Reading	0–0	Portsmouth	Reading
		Report		Stadium: Elm Park

Barnsley v Reading

27 August 1994 3	Barnsley	0–2	Reading	Barnsley
		Report	Osborn Taylor	Stadium: Oakwell

Reading v Stoke City

30 August 1994 4	Reading	4–0	Stoke City	Reading
	Lovell Kerr Gilkes Taylor	Report		Stadium: Elm Park

Reading v Millwall

3 September 1994 5	Reading	0–0	Millwall	Reading
		Report		Stadium: Elm Park

Oldham Athletic v Reading

10 September 1994 6	Oldham Athletic	1–3	Reading	Oldham
	Richardson	Report	Lovell Osborn	Stadium: Boundary Park

Swindon Town v Reading

14 September 1994 7	Swindon Town	1–0	Reading	Swindon
	Scott	Report		Stadium: County Ground

Reading v Sheffield United

17 September 1994 8	Reading	1–0	Sheffield United	Reading
	Quinn	Report		Stadium: Elm Park

Watford v Reading

24 September 1994 9	Watford	2–2	Reading	Watford
	Johnson Moralee	Report	Osborn Lovell	Stadium: Vicarage Road

Reading v Notts County

1 October 1994 10	Reading	2–0	Notts County	Reading
	Lovell Hartenberger	Report		Stadium: Elm Park

Charlton Athletic v Reading

8 October 1994 11	Charlton Athletic	1–2	Reading	Charlton
	Robson	Report	Osborn Gilkes	Stadium: The Valley

Reading v Bristol City

15 October 1994 12	Reading	1–0	Bristol City	Reading
	Gilkes	Report		Stadium: Elm Park

Reading v Sunderland

22 October 1994 13	Reading	0–2	Sunderland	Reading
		Report	Melville Gray	Stadium: Elm Park

West Bromwich Albion v Reading

29 October 1994 14	West Bromwich Albion	2–0	Reading	West Bromwich
	Hunt Ashcroft	Report		Stadium: The Hawthorns

Derby County v Reading

2 November 1994 15	Derby County	1–2	Reading	Derby
	Gabbiadini	Report	Taylor Gilkes	Stadium: Pride Park

Reading v Burnley

5 November 1994 16	Reading	0–0	Burnley	Reading
		Report		Stadium: Elm Park

Southend United v Reading

19 November 1994 17	Southend United	4–1	Reading	Southend-on-Sea
	Jones Bressington (pen.) Thomson	Report	Quinn	Stadium: Roots Hall

Reading v Tranmere Rovers

26 November 1994 18	Reading	1–3	Tranmere Rovers	Reading
	Jones	Report	Brannan Muir	Stadium: Elm Park

Sunderland v Reading

3 December 1994 19	Sunderland	0–1	Reading	Sunderland
		Report	Taylor	Stadium: Roker Park

Reading v Middlesbrough

6 December 1994 20	Reading	1–1	Middlesbrough	Reading
	Taylor	Report	Wilkinson (pen.)	Stadium: Elm Park

Portsmouth v Reading

10 December 1994 21	Portsmouth	1–1	Reading	Portsmouth
	Creaney	Report	Quinn (pen.)	Stadium: Fratton Park

Reading v Wolverhampton Wanderers

18 December 1994 22	Reading	4–2	Wolverhampton Wanderers	Reading
	Osborn Quinn Gilkes	Report	Quinn (o.g.) Bull	Stadium: Elm Park

Reading v Millwall

26 December 1994 23	Reading	0–0	Millwall	Reading
		Report		Stadium: Elm Park

Port Vale v Reading

28 December 1994 24	Port Vale	0–2	Reading	Stoke-on-Trent
		Report	Quinn (pen.) Taylor	Stadium: Vale Park

Reading v Grimsby Town

31 December 1994 25	Reading	1–1	Grimsby Town	Reading
	Lambert	Report	Shakespeare	Stadium: Elm Park

Bolton Wanderers v Reading

2 January 1995 26	Bolton Wanderers	1–0	Reading	Bolton
	Coleman	Report		Stadium: Burnden Park

Reading v West Bromwich Albion

14 January 1995 27	Reading	0–2	West Bromwich Albion	Reading
		Report	Hunt Donovan	Stadium: Elm Park

Burnley v Reading

21 January 1995 28	Burnley	1–2	Reading	Burnley
	Parkinson	Report	Nogan Taylor	Stadium: Turf Moor

Middlesbrough v Reading

4 February 1995 29	Middlesbrough	0–1	Reading	Middlesbrough
		Report	Holsgrove	Stadium: Ayresome Park

Reading v Derby County

11 February 1995 30	Reading	1–0	Derby County	Reading
	Kavanagh (o.g.)	Report		Stadium: Elm Park

Tranmere Rovers v Reading

18 February 1995 31	Tranmere Rovers	1–0	Reading	Birkenhead
	Muir	Report		Stadium: Prenton Park

Reading v Southend United

21 February 1995 32	Reading	2–0	Southend United	Reading
	Holsgrove Nogan	Report		Stadium: Elm Park

Notts County v Reading

25 February 1995 33	Notts County	1–0	Reading	Nottingham
	Agana	Report		Stadium: Meadow Lane

Reading v Watford

4 March 1995 34	Reading	4–1	Watford	Reading
	Gilkes Holsgrove Hartenberger	Report	Phillips	Stadium: Elm Park

Millwall v Reading

8 March 1995 35	Millwall	2–0	Reading	Bermondsey
	Oldfield Williams ?' (o.g.)	Report		Stadium: The Den

Reading v Barnsley

11 March 1995 36	Reading	0–3	Barnsley	Reading
		Report	O'Connell Taggart Payton	Stadium: Elm Park

Stoke City v Reading

18 March 1995 37	Stoke City	0–1	Reading	Stoke-on-Trent
		Report	Taylor	Stadium: Victoria Ground

Reading v Oldham Athletic

21 March 1995 38	Reading	2–1	Oldham Athletic	Reading
	Nogan Lovell	Report	Halle	Stadium: Elm Park

Sheffield United v Reading

25 March 1995 39	Sheffield United	1–1	Reading	Sheffield
	Blake	Report	Nogan	Stadium: Bramall Lane

Reading v Swindon Town

1 April 1995 40	Reading	3–0	Swindon Town	Reading
	Lovell (pen.)	Report		Stadium: Elm Park

Grimsby Town v Reading

8 April 1995 41	Grimsby Town	1–0	Reading	Cleethorpes
	Livingstone	Report		Stadium: Blundell Park

Reading v Port Vale

15 April 1995 42	Reading	3–3	Port Vale	Reading
	Nogan	Report	Naylor Porter Bogie (pen.)	Stadium: Elm Park

Luton Town v Reading

17 April 1995 43	Luton Town	0–1	Reading	Luton
		Report	J.Taylor (o.g.)	Stadium: Kenilworth Road

Reading v Bolton Wanderers

21 April 1995 44	Reading	2–1	Bolton Wanderers	Reading
	Lovell Nogan	Report	Lee	Stadium: Elm Park

Bristol City v Reading

29 April 1995 45	Bristol City	1–2	Reading	Bristol
	Tinnion	Report	Lovell Nogan	Stadium: Ashton Gate

Reading v Charlton Athletic

7 May 1995 46	Reading	2–1	Charlton Athletic	Reading
	Nogan Williams	Report	Chandler	Stadium: Elm Park

League table

Pos	Team v t e	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification or relegation
1	Middlesbrough (C, P)	46	23	13	10	67	40	+27	82	Promotion to the Premier League
2	Reading	46	23	10	13	58	44	+14	79	Qualification for the First Division play-offs
3	Bolton Wanderers (O, P)	46	21	14	11	67	45	+22	77
4	Wolverhampton Wanderers	46	21	13	12	77	61	+16	76
5	Tranmere Rovers	46	22	10	14	67	58	+9	76

Source: ^{[citation needed]}
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goals scored; 3) Goal difference
(C) Champions; (O) Play-off winners; (P) Promoted

Play-offs

Tranmere Rovers v Reading

14 May 1995 First Leg	Tranmere Rovers	1–3	Reading	Birkenhead
14:55 BST (UTC+1)	Malkin 14'		Lovell 9', 81' Nogan 74'	Stadium: Prenton Park Attendance: 12,207 Referee: John Kirkby

Reading v Tranmere Rovers

17 May 1995 Second Leg	Reading	0–0 (3–1 agg.)	Tranmere Rovers	Reading
19:45 BST (UTC+1)				Stadium: Elm Park Attendance: 13,245 Referee: Paul Alcock

Final

Main article: 1995 Football League First Division play-off Final

Bolton Wanderers v Reading

29 May 1995	Bolton Wanderers	4–3 (a.e.t.)	Reading	London
15:00 BST (UTC+1)	Coyle 75' De Freitas 86', 118' Paatelainen 105'	(Report)	Nogan 4' Williams 12' Quinn 119'	Stadium: Wembley Stadium Attendance: 64,107 Referee: Peter Foakes

Bolton Wanderers

Reading

Bolton Wanderers: GK 1 Keith Branagan DF 2 Scott Green DF 3 Jimmy Phillips DF 5 Guðni Bergsson DF 6 Alan Stubbs MF 7 Neil McDonald  46' MF 4 Jason McAteer MF 10 Mixu Paatelainen MF 11 Alan Thompson FW 8 Owen Coyle FW 9 John McGinlay Substitutes: GK 12 Peter Shilton DF 14 John Dreyer FW 15 Fabian de Freitas  46' Manager: Bruce Rioch

Reading: GK 1 Shaka Hislop RWB 2 Andy Bernal  67' DF 4 Keith McPherson DF 6 Dariusz Wdowczyk DF 5 Ady Williams LWB 3 Michael Gilkes MF 8 Mick Gooding MF 7 Simon Osborn MF 11 Scott Taylor FW 9 Lee Nogan  62' FW 10 Stuart Lovell Substitutes: GK 15 Simon Sheppard DF 14 Jeff Hopkins  67' FW 12 Jimmy Quinn  62' Manager: Jimmy Quinn & Mick Gooding

MATCH RULES 90 minutes. 30 minutes of extra-time if necessary. Penalty shootout if scores still level. 3 named substitutes. Maximum of 3 substitutions.

FA Cup

Main article: 1994–95 FA Cup

Reading v Oldham Athletic

7 January 1995 Third Round	Reading	1–3	Oldham Athletic	Reading
15:00 GMT (UTC)	Taylor	Report	Sharp Halle Richardson	Stadium: Elm Park

League Cup

Main article: 1994–95 Football League Cup

Gillingham v Reading

16 August 1994 First Round 1st Leg	Gillingham	0–1	Reading	Gillingham
19:30 BST (UTC+1)		Report	Williams	Stadium: Priestfield Stadium

Reading v Gillingham

23 August 1994 First Round 2nd Leg	Reading	3–0 (4–0 agg.)	Gillingham	Reading
19:45 BST (UTC+1)	Quinn Lovell	Report		Stadium: Elm Park

Reading v Derby County

20 September 1994 Second Round 1st Leg	Reading	3–1	Derby County	Reading
19:45 BST (UTC+1)	Quinn Holsgrove	Report	Gabbiadini	Stadium: Elm Park

Derby County v Reading

28 September 1994 Second Round 2nd Leg	Derby County	2–0 ((a)3–3 agg.)	Reading	Derby
19:45 BST (UTC+1)	Gabbiadini Williams	Report		Stadium: Pride Park

Squad statistics

As of match played 29 May 1995^[4]

Appearances and goals

No.	Pos	Nat	Player	Total		Division 1		Playoffs		FA Cup		League Cup
				Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
	GK	ENG	Shaka Hislop	54	0	46	0	3	0	1	0	4	0
	DF	AUS	Andy Bernal	40	0	33	0	3	0	1	0	3	0
	DF	ENG	Keith McPherson	27	0	19+4	0	3	0	0	0	0+1	0
	DF	ENG	Adi Viveash	6	0	6	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
	DF	MLT	Dylan Kerr	40	1	35+1	1	0	0	0	0	4	0
	DF	POL	Dariusz Wdowczyk	44	0	37+1	0	3	0	1	0	2	0
	DF	WAL	Jeff Hopkins	28	0	20+1	0	0+2	0	0+1	0	3+1	0
	DF	WAL	Ady Williams	29	3	20+2	1	3	1	0	0	4	1
	MF	ENG	Michael Gilkes	46	8	37+3	8	3	0	1	0	2	0
	MF	ENG	Mick Gooding	47	0	37+2	0	3	0	1	0	4	0
	MF	ENG	Paul Holsgrove	29	4	23+1	3	0	0	1	0	2+2	1
	MF	ENG	Tommy Jones	21	1	18+2	1	0	0	1	0	0	0
	MF	ENG	Jamie Lambert	11	1	3+8	1	0	0	0	0	0	0
	MF	ENG	Mick Murphy	1	0	0+1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
	MF	ENG	Simon Osborn	39	5	31+1	5	3	0	0	0	4	0
	MF	ENG	Phil Parkinson	35	0	25+6	0	0	0	1	0	3	0
	MF	ENG	Scott Taylor	51	9	31+13	8	3	0	1	1	1+2	0
	FW	AUS	Stuart Lovell	38	14	25+5	11	3	2	1	0	4	1
	FW	ENG	Alan Carey	2	0	0+2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
	FW	GER	Uwe Hartenberger	16	2	8+7	2	0	0	0+1	0	0	0
	FW	NIR	Jimmy Quinn	42	10	31+4	5	0+2	1	1	0	4	4
	FW	WAL	Lee Nogan	23	12	18+2	10	3	2	0	0	0	0
Players who appeared for Reading but left during the season:
	DF	ENG	Darren Barnard	4	0	3+1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0

Goal Scorers

Place	Position	Nation	Name	First Division	Playoffs	FA Cup	League Cup	Total
1	FW		Stuart Lovell	11	2	0	1	14
2	FW		Lee Nogan	10	2	0	0	12
3	FW		Jimmy Quinn	5	1	0	4	10
4	MF		Scott Taylor	8	0	1	0	9
5	MF		Michael Gilkes	8	0	0	0	8
6	MF		Simon Osborn	5	0	0	0	5
7	MF		Paul Holsgrove	3	0	0	1	4
8	DF		Ady Williams	1	1	0	1	3
9	FW		Uwe Hartenberger	2	0	0	0	2
			Own goal	2	0	0	0	2
11	MF		Tom Jones	1	0	0	0	1
	MF		Jamie Lambert	1	0	0	0	1
	DF		Dylan Kerr	1	0	0	0	1
			TOTALS	58	6	1	7	72

Team kit

Reading's kit for the 1994–95 was manufactured by Pelada, and the main sponsor was Auto Trader.

1994–95 home colours

1994–95 away colours

Notes

1. Age as of the end of the season
2. Shaka Hislop was born in Hackney, England, and represented England at U-21 level, but also qualified to represent Trinidad and Tobago internationally and would make his international debut for Trinidad and Tobago in 2000.
3. Ady Williams was born in Reading, England, but also qualified to represent Wales internationally through his father, and would make his international debut for Wales on 23 May 1994.
4. Michael Gilkes was born in Hackney, England, but also qualified to represent Barbados internationally and would make his international debut for Barbados in 2000.
5. Darren Barnard was born in Rinteln, Germany, and represented England at U-18 level, but also qualified to represent Wales internationally and would make his international debut for Wales in 1998.

References

1. "Andy Bernal". readingfcformerplayers.co.uk/. Reading F.C. Former Players. Archived from the original on 14 July 2016. Retrieved 29 May 2020.
2. "Simon Osborn". readingfcformerplayers.co.uk/. Reading F.C. Former Players. Archived from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 29 May 2020.
3. "Lee Nogan". readingfcformerplayers.co.uk/. Reading F.C. Former Players. Archived from the original on 13 October 2017. Retrieved 29 May 2020.
4. "Season 1994-95". royalsrecord. Retrieved 28 May 2020.

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