On this day 21 years ago, Reading saw their hopes of securing back-to-back promotions take an ultimately insurmountable hit at Molineux as Wolverhampton Wanderers edged ahead in the First Division play-off semi-final.

Alan Pardew had masterminded the Royals’ return to the second tier with a long-awaited promotion from the Second Division with the famous draw at Brentford. Reading made the step up like a duck takes to water, overcoming mixed form early in the campaign to finish fourth with 79 points.

Just two years on from play-off final heartbreak in Cardiff against Walsall, it was Dave Jones’ Wolverhampton Wanderers standing in the way of a return down the M4- with Reading three games from the Premiership for the first time.

Thousands made their way from Berkshire to the West Midlands on May 10, 2003, hoping for a repeat of the victory at Molineux in September.

This looked even better just before the half-hour mark when star striker Nicky Forster converted Nicky Shorey’s cross at the back post to put the Royals ahead.

Top scorer Forster, and partner in crime Martin Butler, caused plenty of problems for Matt Murray between the posts, and future England international Joleon Lescott at the back.

Unfortunately for Reading, the turning point came on the hour mark as Forster limped off with an ankle injury.

Marcus Hahnemann, who had been untested until this point, became busier and eventually he was beaten with 15 minutes remaining as Danny Newton slammed past the USA international to level the scores.

Reading would be fancied at home in a straight shoot-out of a second leg, but within nine minutes Wolves had completed the turnaround when Lee Naylor bent a free-kick past the keeper after future Royals boss Paul Ince had been taken out on the edge of the box.

To add insult to injury, Forster’s replacement, a young Nathan Tyson, saw red in injury time.

Throwing everything at Wolves in the second leg at a sold-out Madejski Stadium, the Royals would be stung late on as future Reading coach, Alex Rae, would smash home a third and book the Old Gold into a date with destiny at the Millennium Stadium.

Dave Jones’ Wolves cruised to a 3-0 win over Neil Warnock’s Sheffield United in the final, marking a first top-flight season since 1984.

It would take three more years, and one managerial change, for Reading to reach the promised land for the first time in their history.