# 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 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.

## Review and events
### 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. 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. He was followed in the days after by Paul Brooker and Lloyd Owusu who both moved to Brentford on free transfers. 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. The final summer departure from the Madejski was Shaun Goater who agreed to have his contract terminated by mutual consent on 27 July.
The first signings of the summer were Irish pair Kevin Doyle and Shane Long who joined from Cork City on 7 June. 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. 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. On 2 August Chris Makin and John Oster both arrived on free transfers from Leicester City and Burnley respectively. 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.

### 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. 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. 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. 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.
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. Reading were back in league action on 27 August away at Watford though neither team could make the breakthrough and it ended 0 – 0. 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.

### 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. 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. Next up was the visit of Crewe on 17 September which Reading won 1 – 0 thanks to a 78th-minute header from Ivar Ingimarsson. 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. 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. The final game in September was at Southampton which finished 0 – 0 with both sides having chances but failing to make the breakthrough.

## Squad

    As of match played 30 April 2006
| No. | Name | 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 | GK | (1981-09-26)26 September 1981 (aged 24) | Arsenal | 2005 | 2008 | 8 | 0 |
| 28 | Jamie Young | GK | (1985-08-25)25 August 1985 (aged 20) | Youth team | 2002 | | 1 | 0 |
| Defenders ||||||||||
| 2 | Graeme Murty | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 |
* ↑ Graham Stack was born in Hampstead, England, but qualified to represent Republic of Ireland, making his Republic of Ireland Under-21 debut 2003.
* ↑ Jamie Young was born in Brisbane, Australia, but qualified to represent England, Representing England at U-18, U-19 and U-20 level.
* ↑ 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.
* ↑ John Oster was born in Boston, England, but qualified to represent Wales, making his international debut for Wales in 1997.
* ↑ Leroy Lita was born in Kinshasa, DR Congo, but qualified to represent England, representing England at U-21 level.
* ↑ Simieon Howell was born in Reading, England, but qualified to represent Jamaica, representing Jamaica at U-23 level.
* ↑ 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; some limited exceptions apply. 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; some limited exceptions apply. 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 | Name | From | Fee |
| 7 June 2005 | FW | Kevin Doyle | Cork City | Undisclosed |
| 7 June 2005 | FW | Shane Long | Cork City | Undisclosed |
| 29 June 2005 | MF | Stephen Hunt | Brentford | Free |
| 14 July 2005 | FW | Leroy Lita | Bristol City | £1,000,000 |
| 22 July 2005 | MF | Brynjar Gunnarsson | Watford | Undisclosed |
| 2 August 2005 | DF | Chris Makin | Leicester City | Free |
| 2 August 2005 | MF | John Oster | Burnley | Free |
| 24 August 2005 | FW | Eric Obinna | 1. FC Kaiserslautern | Free |
| 14 November 2005 | MF | Conor Sinnott | Bray Wanderers | Free |
| 30 December 2005 | DF | Aaron Brown | Tamworth | Undisclosed |
| 30 December 2005 | GK | Graham Stack | Arsenal | Undisclosed |
| 6 January 2006 | DF | Scott Golbourne | Bristol City | Undisclosed |
| 19 January 2006 | DF | John Halls | Stoke City | £250,000 |

### Out

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

### Loans in

| Start date | Position | Name | From | End date |
| 7 July 2005 | GK | Graham Stack | Arsenal | 6-month loan |
| 1 September 2005 | MF | Sekou Baradji | West Ham United | 2-month loan |
| 23 November 2005 | DF | Aaron Brown | Tamworth | 30 December 2005 |
| 24 November 2005 | DF | Michael Dobson | Brentford | Season long loan |

### Loans out

| Start date | Position | Name | To | End date |
| 4 August 2005 | MF | Simieon Howell | Forest Green Rovers | Season long loan |
| 9 September 2005 | MF | Darren Campbell | Tamworth | |
| December 2005 | GK | Adam Federici | Northwood | One month loan |
| 10 January 2006 | DF | Peter Castle | Rushden & Diamonds | Season long loan |
| January 2006 | GK | Adam Federici | Carshalton Athletic | Season long loan |
| 4 July 2006 | MF | Conor Sinnott | Limerick | November 2006 |

### Released

| Date | Position | Name | Joined | Date |
| November 2005 | MF | Darren Campbell | Colchester United | January 2006 |
| 31 January 2006 | FW | Eric Obinna | Stevenage Borough | |
| 31 May 2006 | DF | Johnny Mullins | Mansfield Town | Free |
| 30 June 2006 | MF | Simieon Howell | Basingstoke Town | August 2006 |
| 30 June 2006 | GK | Jamie Young | Wycombe Wanderers | 2 August 2006 |
| 30 June 2006 | DF | Chris Makin | Southampton | 16 August 2006 |

## Competitions
### Overview

| Competition | First match | Last match | Starting round | Final position | Record | Record | Record | Record | Record | Record | Record | Record |
| Competition | First match | Last match | Starting round | Final position | 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 | Total | Total | Total | Total | 54 | 35 | 15 | 4 | 111 | 42 | +69 | 064.81 |
Last updated: 30 April 2006 Source: Competitions

### Championship
#### Results summary

| Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Home | Home | Home | Home | Home | Home | Away | Away | Away | Away | Away | Away |

#### 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 |

#### League table

| Pos | Teamvte | 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 | Promotion to the FA Premier League |
| 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 | Qualification for Championship play-offs |
| 5 | Leeds United | 46 | 21 | 15 | 10 | 57 | 38 | +19 | 78 | Qualification for Championship play-offs |

### Football League Cup
## Squad statistics

    As of match played 30 April 2006

### Appearances and goals

| No. | Pos | Nat | Player | Total | Total | Championship | Championship | FA Cup | FA Cup | League Cup | League Cup |
| No. | Pos | Nat | Player | 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 | 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 |
| 5 | 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 |
| 8 | | | Own goal | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| 8 | 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 |
| 12 | DF | 3 | Nicky Shorey | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 12 | MF | 10 | Stephen Hunt | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 12 | MF | 11 | John Oster | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| 16 | DF | 2 | Graeme Murty | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 16 | 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 | TOTALS | TOTALS | TOTALS | TOTALS | 22 | 0 | 2 | 24 |