Reading are preparing to travel to Port Vale for the first time in 22 years tomorrow for their latest League One clash.

Completing the double over the Valiants in 2001/02, just over 5,000 were at Vale Park in September 2001 for the last trip the Royals made to Burslem.

Take a look below at who played that day.

Phil Whitehead

A vastly-experienced goalkeeper who had spent most of the 1990s with rivals Oxford United, the Yorkshireman joined in 1999 and spent four years in Berkshire.

Playing over 100 times for the club, the now-53-year-old kept a clean sheet in Staffordshire 22 years ago.

Reading Chronicle:

Graeme Murty

A big-money signing in 1998, Murty was a staple in the team for the next decade as he famously captained the Royals into the Premiership in 2006.

Departing in 2009 after more than 350 appearances for the club, he retired the following year and has had coaching stints with Norwich City, Southampton and Glasgow Rangers.

He is now the Under-23 manager at North-East giants Sunderland.

Reading Chronicle:

Ady Williams

Reading through and through, Williams first broke through in the 1990s and played over 200 times before moving to Wolves in 1996.

Injury wreaked havoc in four years at Molineux and the defender returned, originally on loan, to play another 150 times from 2000 until 2004.

Winding down his career in 2009, the Wales international is now the voice of sport on BBC Radio Berkshire.

Adrian Whitbread

Another experienced EFL defender with the likes of Leyton Orient and Portsmouth, Whitbread was 30 when originally joining on loan.

Signing permanently ahead of the 2001/02 season, the Londoner only featured 14 times in the next two seasons and retired professionally in 2003.

Joining former Reading coach Martin Allen as an assistant, he has since managed in countries such as Puerto Rico and Bahrain.

Matthew Robinson

A regular for South-Coast rivals Portsmouth and Southampton, full-back Robinson played over 60 games from 2000 until 2002.

Becoming a fan favourite at Oxford over the next four years, making almost 200 appearances, he dropped out of the EFL in 2006 with Forest Green Rovers and Salisbury City.

Taking a step away from football, he is now a police officer.

James Harper

A club legend who played over 350 times in nine years with the club, Harper was the heartbeat of successful Reading teams throughout the 2000s.

The 42-year-old dropped out of the EFL in 2014 but has undertaken a decade-long tour of the non-league circuit.

Basingstoke, Hungerford, Windsor and Ascot have all been short-term homes for Harper in recent years.

Sammy Igoe

A professional footballer for over 15 years, the midfielder made his name with Portsmouth before joining Reading in 2000.

Making almost 100 appearances in three years, he enjoyed similar stints with M4 neighbours Swindon Town and Bristol Rovers.

Another who enjoyed playing the sport for the fun of it, the 47-year-old was played as recently as 2015 for Bognor Regis.

Reading Chronicle:

Phil Parkinson 

A Royals hero, 'Parky' played 361 times for Reading in 11 years with the club.

Possibly the most successful former player to become a manager, he enjoyed great success with Colchester United, Bradford City and Bolton Wanderers.

He is now the figurehead at Wrexham, with their Hollywood owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob Mcelhenney.

Alex Smith

An EFL journeyman of the late-1990s and 2000s, Smith joined Reading from a successful spell with tomorrow's opponent Port Vale.

Scoring twice in 14 games, he left in 2003 and featured for the likes of Chester, Wrexham and Southport before retiring in 2007.

Tony Rougier

Another Port Vale fan favourite, Reading paid the club £325,000 for his services in 2000.

Scoring six times in 99 appearances, the Trinidad and Tobago international continued playing until 2011, via China and USA.

Jamie Cureton

The goalscorer at Vale Park in September 2001, the star striker ended on 16 goals for 2001/02 as the Royals returned to the Championship.

Now in his 50s, Cureton is still playing and has joined the exclusive club of footballers to make more than 1,000 career appearances.

He is a player-manager with Enfield in Isthmian League North.