Reading FC's last third tier side- Where are they now?

A famous day in the club's history, Jamie Cureton's late equaliser earned the Royals the point they needed at Brentford to return to the second tier (Division One as it was then) for the first time since 1998.

But, where are they now?

Phil Whitehead

An Oxford United legend with over 200 appearances to his name, the Yorkshireman arrived in Reading in 1999 after a short stint with West Brom.

Playing over 100 times, he made just four appearances upon the club's return to the Championship before moving on in 2003.

He saw out his playing days with Tamworth before retiring in 2004.

Graeme Murty

A man who needs no introduction, the future captain had already been at the club for five years.

A near ever-present in Alan Pardew's side, Murty would be appointed club captain in 2003 and skippered the team to Premier League promotion in 2006.

Remaining a much-loved figure at the club until 2009, he had a short spell with Southampton before retiring in 2010 to become a coach.

Having worked with the likes of Norwich City and Glasgow Rangers, he is currently the head of Sunderland's academy.

Adrian Viveash

One of very few men to have played for all three of the sides in the 'Didcot Triangle- he made his name at hometown club Swindon and had two loan spells at Elm Park in 1992/93 and 1994/95.

Making over 200 appearances for Walsall, he returned to Berkshire (but this time the Madejski Stadium) in 2000.

A regular for two seasons, he spent time with the likes Oxford, Aldershot and Kidderminster in the latter stages of his career.

After nearly a decade in the coaching setup at Chelsea, he became Mark Robins' assistant at Coventry City in 2017- where he remains.

Nicky Shorey

Another who, like Murty, would go onto become a Premier League star with the Royals.

Arriving from Leyton Orient in 2001, the young full back would make nearly 300 appearances across two spells, earn full senior caps for England and play for the likes of Aston Villa and Portsmouth in a long and varied playing career.

Following in his fathers’ footsteps to go into scouting after retiring, the defender did have a spell working for the club before the Covid-19 pandemic.

Most recently, Shorey was Head of Recruitment at Gillingham until December 2022.

Andrew Hughes

A young star with Oldham and Notts County, Reading signed a 23-year-old Hughes in 2001 for £250,000.

Going on to make nearly 200 appearances across four years, Hughes was a key component of Pardew’s upwardly mobile team of the early 2000s.

Almost doubling their investment when Norwich City showed interest in 2004, Hughes continued to forge a successful Football League career with the likes of Leeds United, Scunthorpe United and Charlton Athletic.

Hughes has most recently been back at Carrow Road, assisting with loans and player pathways.

Sammy Igoe

A Portsmouth legend in the 1990s, the joined Reading in 2000 and played almost 100 times as the club looked to fight back into the Championship.

Joining Swindon in 2005, Igoe went on to become a cult-hero at Bristol Rovers for his goal in their League Two play-off final in 2007.

Dropping down the divisions, he played until his mid-30s and retired in 2014.

Phil Parkinson

The fulcrum of Reading teams in the 1990s and early 2000s, ‘Parky’ played almost 400 times for the Royals in a stint last over a decade.

One of the few former Royals to go on and forge a successful managerial career, the 55-year-old has won promotions with Bradford City and Bolton Wanderers- as well as leading the Bantams to the League Cup final despite being in the fourth tier.

Now at Hollywood-owned Wrexham, the Lancashire lad is leading the Welsh club into a Football League season for the first time in over a decade.

John Salako

Already in his 30s with over 300 club appearances to his name, the Crystal Palace legend aged like a fine wine in Berkshire.

The former England international played over 100 times in a three-year spell and his experience proved invaluable with making the step up to the second tier.

A regular pundit on television since his retirement in 2005, he has also had time as a coach at Selhurst Park.

Martin Butler

A clinical striker at lower league level with Walsall and Cambridge, Reading paid around £750,000 to sign him in 2000.

Scoring over 30 goals in 103 appearances, the West-Midlander was forged strong partnerships with Nicky Forster and Jamie Cureton during their goal-laden period.

Continuing to impress with Rotherham United and upon his return to Walsall, Butler retired in 2009 and has no more involvement in football.

Nicky Forster

One of the club’s most prolific strikers of the last 40 years, Forster in 1999 and scored 60 goals in 187 appearances.

Proving just as deadly in the Championship, the forward netted 18 on his return to the second tier and put in good numbers up until his exit in 2005.

Going on to impress for the likes of Brighton and Brentford, Forster was caretaker manager of the Bees in 2011. Having spells in the managerial hotseat in non-league, he has since become a goal setting coach.

Substitutes

Jamie Cureton

The main man himself, Cureton was the super sub for the Royals in the early noughties.

Arriving from Bristol Rovers in 2001, the striker plundered half a century of goals in just 108 appearances- most of them from the bench.

Moving down the divisions, 47-year-old Cureton is still playing in non-league with Enfield- although he is now player-manager and has led them to the Essex Senior League title this season.

Bas Savage

Making his professional mark with Reading, Savage was promising upon arrival but suffered a serious injury and never truly recovered after a year out.

Released in 2005, he has bounced around the lower leagues and initially retired in 2015 with Thai club TOT SC, however he came out of retirement in 2020 to feature for South Park in the Isthmian League.