Following their encouraging 1-0 cup performance against Penn & Tyler’s Green U23s and a week-long break, Saturday afternoon will see Sheldon Baptiste’s team host Wargrave. His side will be looking to continue their run of form in the league after their clash against Slough Heating Laurencians back in January ended with a compelling 3-0 score line.

Our opposition will be fighting for all three points this time out after the spoils were shared in their 1-1 tie against current league leaders Westwood Wanderers.

ABOUT THE OPPOSITION

In the 1989/90 campaign, Wargrave FC earned the title of champions in Division Three of the Reading League Kennet, enabling them to participate in Division Two in the following season. They gained promotion once again in the 1991/92 season, but were unfortunately relegated in 1995.

The 2001/02 campaign saw The Grave narrowly miss the title due to goal difference, however they were able to be promoted to Division One.

The next five seasons saw Wargrave frequently transfer divisions, moving between Divisions Four, Three and Two, until gaining promotion back into Division One in 2010/11.

In 2014, the Reading League was re-established as the Thames Valley Premier League, in which Wargrave participated in Division Two. Three seasons later, the Grave were relegated despite earning fifth place in the table, and dropped to Division Three. 

That same season, in the 2017/18 campaign Wargrave earned automatic promotion back into Division Two, and were subsequently promoted again the next season as winners of Division Two, earning their spot back in Division One.Following the return of football after the pandemic, Wargrave were promoted into the Premier Division in 2020/21. Last season saw Wargrave continue their impressive form, placing runners up behind title-winners Westwood Wanderers, with only a point separating the sides.

Currently, The Grave sit in third position, winning ten games in twenty, having earned thirty-two points.

HEAD-TO-HEAD

This won’t be the first meeting between our two sides, with the most recent tie ending in a 2-1 loss away from home, back in October of last year. Two back-to-back fixtures finished with an identical scoreline of 4-1 to The Grave, despite occurring in two different campaigns, with no points yet to have been picked up against this weekend’s opposition.

LAST FIVE MEETINGS

2-1 Away Loss – 19/10/24

3-0 Away Loss – 17/02/24 

4-1 Home Loss – 06/01/24

4-1 Home Loss – 08/04/23

1-0 Away Loss – 24/09/22

ADDRESS: The Atrium Health Club, Scours Ln, Tilehurst, Reading, RG30 6AY

KEY INFORMATION: There are no admission fees for this match – 2pm Kick-Off

GETTING HERE

By Car:  Take the A4074 towards Reading.

Turn right onto Bridge Street/A4155 and continue to follow the A4155.

At Caversham Bridge Roundabout, take the 2nd exit onto Richfield Avenue and continue straight on.

Go through the roundabout with Kwik-Fit on your left-hand side and continue straight on to Cow Lane.  When you get to the roundabout, take the 2nd exit onto Portman Road, before continuing to Wigmore Lane. There will be a Shell Petrol Station on your left hand-side.

At the roundabout, take the 3rd exit onto Oxford Rd/A329 before turning right on to Scours Lane. Reading City Football Club will be signposted.

Once you’ve turned on to Scours Lane, continue straight on under the railway bridge and then take a right and keep going until you pass the Rivermoor. The Atrium will be signposted ahead, and the pitch will be across the road from the car park.

Parking: Parking is available on site here at The Atrium at no extra cost on a first come first served basis. In the event that the club car park is full, then additional car parking is available at the Reading Retail Park, where you are permitted a maximum stay of 3 hours. There may also be additional space at the Rivermoor.

Postcode for Additional Parking: RG30 1PR

Leave the Atrium and drive back up Scours Lane until you reach the junction with the A329, then turn left. Continue straight on at the roundabout before turning right to enter Reading Retail Park.

It’s roughly a 5-10 minute walk back to the Atrium.

Nearest Railway Station: The nearest railway stations to The Atrium are Reading West & Tilehurst, both of which are served by regular services operated by Great Western Railway from the much larger Reading Station and are within walking distance from the Atrium.

Reading West is also served by services from destinations including Basingstoke & Newbury whilst Tilehurst is also served by services from destinations including Didcot & Oxford.

Bus: The nearest bus stop to the ground is Norcot Junction and is served by the 16 and 17 Reading Bus service which travel between Central Reading and Tilehurst every 10 minutes. More details on the bus route/s here.