# 1995–96 Reading F.C. season

During the 1995–96 English football season, Reading F.C. competed in the Football League First Division, following missing out on promotion to the Premier League the previous season.

## Squad

    As of match played 5 May 1996
| Name | Position | Date of birth (Age) | Signed from | Signed in | Contract ends | Apps. | Goals |
| Goalkeepers |||||||||
| Borislav Mihaylov | GK | (1963-02-12)12 February 1963 (aged 33) | Botev Plovdiv | 1995 | | 17 | 0 |
| Nick Hammond | GK | (1967-09-07)7 September 1967 (aged 28) | Plymouth Argyle | 1996 | | 6 | 0 |
| Simon Sheppard | GK | (1973-08-07)7 August 1973 (aged 22) | Watford | 1994 | | 22 | 0 |
| Steve Sutton | GK | (1961-04-16)16 April 1961 (aged 35) | loan from Derby County | 1996 | 1996 | 2 | 0 |
| Defenders |||||||||
| Andy Bernal | DF | (1973-02-21)21 February 1973 (aged 23) | Sydney Olympic | 1994 | | 85 | 2 |
| Martyn Booty | DF | (1971-05-30)30 May 1971 (aged 24) | Crewe Alexandra | 1996 | | 17 | 1 |
| Keith McPherson | DF | (1963-09-11)11 September 1963 (aged 32) | Northampton Town | 1990 | | | |
| Steve Swales | DF | (1973-12-26)26 December 1973 (aged 22) | Scarborough | 1995 | | 11 | 0 |
| Michael Thorp | DF | (1975-12-05)5 December 1975 (aged 20) | Trainee | 1995 | | 5 | 0 |
| Dylan Kerr | DF | (1967-01-14)14 January 1967 (aged 29) | Leeds United | 1993 | | 104 | 5 |
| Dariusz Wdowczyk | DF | (1962-09-25)25 September 1962 (aged 33) | Celtic | 1994 | | 86 | 0 |
| Jeff Hopkins | DF | (1964-04-14)14 April 1964 (aged 32) | Bristol Rovers | 1992 | | 136 | 3 |
| Ady Williams | DF | (1971-09-16)16 September 1971 (aged 24) | Trainee | 1989 | | | |
| Midfielders |||||||||
| David Bass | MF | (1974-11-29)29 November 1974 (aged 21) | Trainee | 1992 | | 9 | 0 |
| Darren Caskey | MF | (1974-08-21)21 August 1974 (aged 21) | Tottenham Hotspur | 1996 | | 15 | 2 |
| Andy Freeman | MF | (1977-09-08)8 September 1977 (aged 18) | Trainee | 1995 | | 1 | 0 |
| Michael Gilkes | MF | (1965-07-20)20 July 1965 (aged 30) | Leicester City | 1984 | | | |
| Mick Gooding (Player-Manager) | MF | (1959-04-12)12 April 1959 (aged 37) | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 1989 | | | |
| Paul Holsgrove | MF | (1969-08-26)26 August 1969 (aged 26) | Millwall | 1994 | | 66 | 5 |
| Tommy Jones | MF | (1964-10-07)7 October 1964 (aged 31) | Swindon Town | 1992 | | 92 | 2 |
| Jamie Lambert | MF | (1973-09-14)14 September 1973 (aged 22) | Trainee | 1992 | | 75 | 10 |
| Mick Murphy | MF | (1977-05-05)5 May 1977 (aged 18) | Trainee | 1994 | | 1 | 0 |
| Phil Parkinson | MF | (1967-12-01)1 December 1967 (aged 28) | Bury | 1992 | | 182 | 9 |
| Derek Simpson | MF | (1978-12-23)23 December 1978 (aged 17) | Trainee | 1994 | | 0 | 0 |
| Michael Meaker | MF | (1971-08-18)18 August 1971 (aged 24) | Queens Park Rangers | 1995 | | 22 | 0 |
| Forwards |||||||||
| Stuart Lovell | FW | (1972-01-09)9 January 1972 (aged 24) | Trainee | 1990 | | | |
| Alan Carey | FW | (1975-08-21)21 August 1975 (aged 20) | Trainee | 1994 | | 3 | 0 |
| Trevor Morley | FW | (1961-03-20)20 March 1961 (aged 35) | West Ham United | 1995 | | 21 | 6 |
| Jimmy Quinn (Player-Manager) | FW | (1959-12-07)7 December 1959 (aged 36) | Bournemouth | 1992 | | 190 | 90 |
| Lee Nogan | FW | (1969-05-21)21 May 1969 (aged 26) | Watford | 1995 | | 68 | 23 |
| Out on loan |||||||||
| Neville Gordon | MF | (1975-11-15)15 November 1975 (aged 20) | Millwall | 1995 | | 1 | 0 |
| Martin Williams | FW | (1973-07-12)12 July 1973 (aged 22) | Luton Town | 1995 | | 16 | 1 |
| Unknown |||||||||
| Jimmy Garrity | | (1976-01-01)1 January 1976 (aged 20) | Newcastle United | 1996 | | 0 | 0 |
| Left during the season |||||||||
| Eric Nixon | GK | (1962-10-04)4 October 1962 (aged 33) | loan from Tranmere Rovers | 1996 | 1996 | 1 | 0 |
| Chris Woods | GK | (1959-11-14)14 November 1959 (aged 36) | loan from Sheffield Wednesday | 1995 | 1995 | 5 | 0 |
| Kenny Brown | DF | (1967-07-11)11 July 1967 (aged 28) | loan from West Ham United | 1995 | 1995 | 15 | 1 |
| Robert Codner | FW | (1965-01-23)23 January 1965 (aged 31) | Brighton & Hove Albion | 1995 | | 5 | 0 |

### Out 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 |
| — | MF | ENG | Neville Gordon (at Woking) |
| No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |
| — | FW | ENG | Martin Williams (at Bangor) |

### 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 |
| — | GK | ENG | Eric Nixon (loan return to Tranmere Rovers) |
| — | GK | ENG | Chris Woods (loan return to Sheffield Wednesday) |
| No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |
| — | DF | ENG | Kenny Brown (loan return to West Ham United) |
| — | FW | ENG | Robert Codner (to Peterborough United) |

## Transfers
### In

| Date | Position | Name | From | Fee |
| Summer 1995 | GK | Borislav Mihaylov | Botev Plovdiv | |
| Summer 1995 | DF | Steve Swales | Scarborough | |
| 11 August 1995 | MF | Neville Gordon | Millwall | Free |
| Summer 1995 | MF | Michael Meaker | Queens Park Rangers | |
| Summer 1995 | FW | Robert Codner | Brighton & Hove Albion | |
| Summer 1995 | FW | Trevor Morley | West Ham United | |
| Summer 1995 | FW | Martin Williams | Luton Town | Free |
| Winter 1996 | DF | Martyn Booty | Crewe Alexandra | |
| January 1996 | | Jimmy Garrity | Newcastle United | |
| 13 February 1996 | GK | Nick Hammond | Plymouth Argyle | £40,000 |
| 28 February 1996 | MF | Darren Caskey | Tottenham Hotspur | £700,000 |

### Loans in

| Date from | Position | Name | From | Date to |
| Summer 1995 | DF | Kenny Brown | West Ham United | Winter 1996 |
| 1 October 1995 | GK | Chris Woods | Sheffield Wednesday | 31 December 1995 |
| 9 January 1996 | GK | Eric Nixon | Tranmere Rovers | 4 February 1996 |
| 19 January 1996 | GK | Steve Sutton | Derby County | 31 May 1996 |

### Out

| Date | Position | Name | To | Fee |
| Summer 1995 | GK | Shaka Hislop | Newcastle United | £1,580,000 |
| Summer 1995 | MF | Simon Osborn | Queens Park Rangers | £1,100,000 |
| Summer 1995 | MF | Scott Taylor | Leicester City | |
| Summer 1995 | FW | Lea Barkus | Fulham | £20,000 |

### Loans out

| Date from | Position | Nationality | Name | To | Date to | Ref. |
| 22 December 1995 | FW | | Martin Williams | Bangor | End of Season | |
| 1 February 1996 | MF | | Neville Gordon | Woking | End of Season | |

### Released

| Date | Position | Name | Joined |
| 31 December 1995 | MF | Robert Codner | Peterborough United |
| 30 June 1996 | GK | Simon Sheppard | Boreham Wood |
| 30 June 1996 | MF | Tommy Jones | Woking |
| 30 June 1996 | MF | Mick Murphy | Slough Town |
| 30 June 1996 | MF | Neville Gordon | |

## Competitions
### First Division
#### League table

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
| 17 | Grimsby Town | 46 | 14 | 14 | 18 | 55 | 69 | −14 | 56 |
| 18 | Oldham Athletic | 46 | 14 | 14 | 18 | 54 | 50 | +4 | 56 |
| 19 | Reading | 46 | 13 | 17 | 16 | 54 | 63 | −9 | 56 |
| 20 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 46 | 13 | 16 | 17 | 56 | 62 | −6 | 55 |
| 21 | Portsmouth | 46 | 13 | 13 | 20 | 61 | 69 | −8 | 52 |

### League Cup
## Squad statistics

    As of match played 5 May 1996

### Appearances and goals

| No. | Pos | Nat | Player | Total | Total | First Division | First Division | FA Cup | FA Cup | League Cup | League Cup |
| No. | Pos | Nat | Player | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals |
| | GK | BUL | Borislav Mihaylov | 17 | 0 | 16 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| | GK | ENG | Nick Hammond | 6 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| | GK | ENG | Simon Sheppard | 22 | 0 | 18 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| | GK | ENG | Steve Sutton | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| | DF | AUS | Andy Bernal | 45 | 2 | 34+6 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| | DF | ENG | Martyn Booty | 17 | 1 | 17 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| | DF | ENG | Keith McPherson | 19 | 0 | 16 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| | DF | ENG | Steve Swales | 11 | 0 | 4+5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 |
| | DF | ENG | Michael Thorp | 5 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| | DF | MLT | Dylan Kerr | 9 | 2 | 4+4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 |
| | DF | POL | Dariusz Wdowczyk | 42 | 0 | 39+1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| | DF | WAL | Jeff Hopkins | 14 | 0 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| | DF | WAL | Ady Williams | 35 | 3 | 31 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| | MF | ENG | Darren Caskey | 15 | 2 | 15 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| | MF | ENG | Andy Freeman | 1 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| | MF | ENG | Michael Gilkes | 50 | 0 | 36+8 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3+2 | 0 |
| | MF | ENG | Mick Gooding | 46 | 3 | 37+3 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| | MF | ENG | Paul Holsgrove | 37 | 1 | 27+3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 0 |
| | MF | ENG | Tommy Jones | 26 | 0 | 13+8 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| | MF | ENG | Jamie Lambert | 21 | 6 | 10+5 | 5 | 0+2 | 0 | 2+2 | 1 |
| | MF | ENG | Phil Parkinson | 49 | 0 | 36+6 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 0 |
| | MF | WAL | Michael Meaker | 22 | 0 | 15+6 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| | FW | AUS | Stuart Lovell | 40 | 9 | 28+7 | 7 | 0+2 | 0 | 3 | 2 |
| | FW | ENG | Trevor Morley | 21 | 6 | 14+3 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| | FW | NIR | Jimmy Quinn | 42 | 16 | 20+15 | 10 | 2 | 2 | 2+3 | 4 |
| | FW | WAL | Lee Nogan | 45 | 11 | 32+7 | 10 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 1 |
| Players away on loan: ||||||||||||
| | MF | ENG | Neville Gordon | 1 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| | FW | ENG | Martin Williams | 16 | 1 | 11+4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 |
| Players who appeared for Reading but left during the season: ||||||||||||
| | GK | ENG | Eric Nixon | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| | GK | ENG | Chris Woods | 5 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| | DF | ENG | Kenny Brown | 15 | 1 | 12 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| | FW | ENG | Robert Codner | 5 | 0 | 3+1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |

### Goal Scorers

| Place | Position | Name | First Division | FA Cup | League Cup | Total |
| 1 | FW | Jimmy Quinn | 10 | 2 | 4 | 16 |
| 2 | FW | Lee Nogan | 10 | 0 | 1 | 11 |
| 3 | FW | Stuart Lovell | 7 | 0 | 2 | 9 |
| 4 | FW | Trevor Morley | 4 | 1 | 1 | 6 |
| 5 | MF | Jamie Lambert | 5 | 0 | 1 | 6 |
| 6 | DF | Ady Williams | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| 6 | MF | Mick Gooding | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| 6 | | Own goal | 2 | 0 | 1 | 3 |
| 9 | DF | Dylan Kerr | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 9 | DF | Andy Bernal | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 9 | MF | Darren Caskey | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 12 | DF | Kenny Brown | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 12 | DF | Martyn Booty | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 12 | MF | Paul Holsgrove | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 12 | FW | Martin Williams | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| | | TOTALS | 54 | 3 | 10 | 67 |

## Team kit

Reading's kit for the 1995–96 was manufactured by Pelada, and the main sponsor was Auto Trader.
| 1995–96 home colours | 1995–96 away colours |