Sheldon Baptiste’s squad returns to league action once again this weekend, this time to face Holyport Reserves.
The two sides will meet at the Atrium, with our young Cityzens hoping to bag their second win of the campaign, bouncing back from their narrow 2-1 defeat against Wargrave, which saw Reiss Baker add another goal to his tally.
Holyport will be looking to gain back-to-back wins in the league, following on from their 2-1 victory over AFC Winkfield, continuing their solid form and following up an impressive 6-0 victory in the Charles Twelftree County Cup.
ABOUT THE OPPOSITION – With reference to FCHD.info
Holyport’s Reserves squad first joined the Hellenic League in the 2012/13 campaign, competing in Division Two East. They finished in ninth place, winning nine games from 24 and earning 30 points. The next two seasons saw the ‘Port place both seventh and ninth respectively, despite being deducted a single point in the 2014/15 season.
Unfortunately, the club made the difficult decision to resign from the Hellenic League in 2016, and subsequently folded due to off-field complexities. However, the Reserves team soon made a comeback, and following a five year absence, were reformed in 2020 and returned to the pyramid.
The team were primarily formed from Under 17s players, who had played a successful season the year prior, and the side participated in Division One of the Thames Valley Premier League that same season. The team finished in tenth position, and continued to play in the second tier until the end of the 2022/23 campaign, in which they gained promotion to the Premier Division following a successful application.
Holyport Reserves currently sit in eleventh place in the table, with six points from two victories.
HEAD-TO-HEAD
This fixture arrives as our fifth meeting with the Port, with the most recent occurring back in March of this year, which ended in a 3-0 win for the visitors. The points were shared in our penultimate meeting, with the scoreline ending 1-1 on Opening Day of the 2023/24 season.
Two of our meetings arose in the Berkshire Trophy Centre Senior Cup competitions, whilst the other two played out last season, in August and March respectively.
LAST FOUR MEETINGS:
3-0 Home Loss – 09/03/24 – City U23s 0-3 HPR
1-1 Away Draw – 19/08/23 – HPR 1-1 City U23s
3-1 Away Loss – 04/02/23 – Berkshire Trophy Centre Senior Cup – 2nd Round
2-1 Home Loss – 12/03/22 – Berkshire Trophy Centre Senior Cup – 1st Round
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.
