2011–12 Reading F.C. season

On 2 June Reading announced that long time defender and club captain Ívar Ingimarsson^[2] was being released, along with David Mooney, Abdulai Bell-Baggie, Danny Joyce, James Rowe and Erik Opsahl. It was also revealed that Julian Kelly and Scott Davies were also leaving to join Notts County and Crawley Town respectively. On the same day Reading announced the signings of Australian youth internationals, and brothers, Cameron and Ryan Edwards from Perth Glory and the Australian Institute of Sport respectively, as well as confirming that Mikele Leigertwood would be joining from Queens Park Rangers for a substantial fee^[2] upon the opening of the transfer window. On 6 July Reading released pictures of their new kits for the upcoming season. On 7 July Matthew Mills was sold to Leicester City for a substantial fee, rumoured to be £5 million.^[3] On 13 July the official squad numbers^[4] were released for the season along with Jobi McAnuff being named the new club captain^[5] following Matt Mills' departure.On 25 July Reading announced that Bongani Khumalo had joined them on a season-long loan from Tottenham Hotspur, and would take the number 26. On 8 August Shane Long was sold to West Brom for an undisclosed amount, believed to be £4.5 million, rising to £6.5 million in clauses.

On 2 June Reading announced that they would be partaking in a pre-season trip to Slovenia to play a two games between 11 and 20 July, but the opponents had yet to be confirmed. It was also announced that Reading would have a friendly away against Northampton Town on 27 July. The Reading team split into the first team and the Reading X1. The Reading XI played their first pre-season friendly against Eastleigh F.C. losing 3–2, with goals from Jordan Obita and Gozie Ugwu. Obita's goal then lead him to being called up to the first 11's trip to Slovenia. The Reading XI's second pre-season game was against Swindon Supermarine and they won 3–0 with goals from Brett Williams, Michael Cain and David Murphy. On Reading's second game of their tour of Slovenia they lost 3–1 to Karabükspor. Sinan Kaloğlu scored first for Karabükspor after 2 minutes, before Brynjar Gunnarsson equalised 2 minutes later. Sinan Kaloğlu went on to secure the win for Karabükspor, and secure his hat trick, with goals in the 18th and 40th minutes.

On 1 August, Ben Hamer joined Charlton Athletic for an undisclosed amount. Reading started the season on 6 August with a 2–2 draw against Millwall. Millwall took the lead through ex-Reading striker Darius Henderson on 49 minutes, before John Marquis doubled their lead on 62. Reading then brought on substitute Mathieu Manset who scored a quickfire double in the 86th and 89th minutes to level the game and share the points. On 9 August it was announced that Reading's first round League Cup game against Charlton Athletic at The Valley was postponed after police advice, along with a host of other football fixtures including the International friendly between England and the Netherlands, due to the ongoing 2011 London riots.^[6][7]
Reading's second game of the season was away to Leicester City on 13 August. Reading came away with a victory thanks to second half goals from Noel Hunt and Hal Robson-Kanu. Reading's midweek clash was away to Portsmouth on 16 August, and ex-Reading striker Dave Kitson scored the only goal of the game in the 51st minute to subject Reading to their first defeat of the season. On 20 August Reading hosted Barnsley and suffered their second defeat of the season, losing 2–1. Barnsley took the lead in the 27th minute through Stephen Foster. Reading started off the second half by winning two penalties in the space of three minutes. First of all Jimmy Kebe was fouled by Jay McEveley in the box, but the resulting penalty was saved from Ian Harte. The second penalty saw Hal Robson-Kanu fouled in the area and this time Harte handing the ball to Noel Hunt, whose penalty was again saved. On 68 minutes Barnsley doubled their lead thanks to Matt Done. Reading pulled one goal back after being awarded a third penalty on 74 minutes, this time Hal Robson-Kanu took penalty and converted it past Luke Steele.
Reading signed defender Joseph Mills from Southampton on a free transfer on 20 August and followed it with the signature of Kaspars Gorkšs from Queens Park Rangers for an undisclosed amount on the 24th. On 26 August, Reading signed Adam Le Fondre from league two Rotherham United for an undisclosed fee, believed to be around £400k, and two days later Brett Williams went the opposite way to Rotherham United on loan until the end of January 2012.^[8]Then next day Reading played Hull City away and suffered their third defeat in a row courtesy of a Robbie Brady goal, leaving Reading in 20th place at the end of August.

Reading started September by losing their fourth straight game, with defeat at home to Watford on the 10th. The goals in this game came from Mark Yeates on 12 minutes and John Eustace on 51, this defeat saw reading drop to 23rd in the championship. 7 days later Reading hosted Doncaster Rovers at home and managed to holt their losing streak by winning 2–0 thanks to goals from Simon Church and Adam Le Fondre's first for the club. On 24 September, Reading visited Coventry City and drew 1–1, both goals came in the first half. Coventry took the lead through Gary McSheffrey after 2 minutes but Simon Church equalised 8 minutes later.

On 27 September Reading announced that midfielders Jake Taylor and Brian Howard had joined Exeter City and Millwall respectively on loan. Later on in the day Reading faced Bristol City at Ashton Gate, with Bristol City taking a 2–0 lead with goals from Albert Adomah in the 22nd and Brett Pitman in the 58th minute. However, Reading came back to win 2–3 after Jobi McAnuff and Adam Le Fondre both scored within 3 minutes of each other before Mathieu Manset found the winner in the fourth minute of stoppage time.

Reading started October with a 0–0 home draw against Middlesbrough on 1st and followed it up 10 days later with an away win at Burnley thanks to a Jem Karacan goal in the 9th minute of injury time. Reading's next game on 19 October was a 2–2 draw at home to Derby County, Theo Robinson opened the scoring in the 59th minute, with Adam Le Fondre equalising in the 65th minute. Tomasz Cywka restored Derby's lead in the 75th minute only for Le Fondre to get his second, and square the game two minutes later. On the 22nd Reading hosted Southampton in that weekend's late kickoff, Mikele Leigertwood put Reading in front in the 71st minute. Southampton then had Dean Hammond sent off for two yellow cards in the 70th and 77th minute, but Steve De Ridder managed to equalise in the 80th minute to end the game 1–1.^[9] Reading's last game of October saw them go away to Crystal Palace and earn a 0–0 drawn, which meant that they had gone the month without defeat and extended their unbeaten run 8 games.

Reading's first game of November was an away trip to Nottingham Forest which the lost 1–0 after a 75th strike from Marcus Tudgay, this ended an 8-game unbeaten run. On the 6th, Reading hosted Birmingham City, and thanks to a 75th strike from Noel Hunt, won the game 1–0. 19 November saw Reading host Cardiff City at the Madjeski Stadium. Cardiff took the lead through a 2nd-minute goal from Peter Whittingham, while Mark Hudson made it 2–0 in the 70th minute. Reading pulled one goal back in the 77th through Jimmy Kebe but could not find a second, losing the game 1–2. The following weekend Reading travelled to Ipswich Town. Ipswich took the lead in the 56th minute after a Daryl Murphy strike before Kaspars Gorkss briefly leveled things in the 76th before another Ipswich goal in the 79th minute by Josh Carson. Reading managed to still all 3 points with 2 goals in stoppage time thanks to Alex Pearce in the 91st and Noel Hunt 93rd. Reading's last game of November was at home to Peterborough United, which they won 3–2. Peterborough took the lead through Tommy Rowe in the 16th minute before Simon Church equalised in the 27th. After the break Reading took the lead in the 78th minute thanks to Hal Robson-Kanu before extending their lead 2 minutes later through Adam Le Fondre. Emile Sinclair pulled a late goal back for Peterborough in the 90th minute.

On 1 January 2012, Marcus Williams left the club on a free transfer to join Sheffield United.^[10] The next day Reading suffered their first defeat in four games away at Cardiff City, losing 3–1. All the goals came in the first half with Cardiff taking a 3–0 lead through Joe Mason, Aron Gunnarsson and Kenny Miller, before Jobi McAnuff scored Reading solitary goal on half time. On 7 January 2012, Reading were knocked out of the F.A. Cup by League One side Stevenage, after losing 1–0 at home to a Darius Charles goal in the 20th minute. On 9 January 2012, it was announced that Alex McCarthy had signed a contract extension until 2015, and also gone out on loan to Ipswich Town for three months.^[11] On 12 January 2012 Reading announced the signing of Republic of Ireland U21 international Karl Sheppard from Shamrock Rovers on a free transfer.^[12] Reading returned to winning form on 14 January away at Watford. Watford took the lead through a Shaun Cummings own goal after 29 minutes, but Jimmy Kebe fired home the equaliser on 42 to see the sides in level at half time. Reading's winner was thanks to substitute Adam Le Fondre who netted with 5 minutes remaining to give Reading all the points. On 20 January, Reading announced that Russian investment group, Thames Sports Investment, had agreed a deal with Sir John Madejski to buy a significant holding in Reading FC. The deal see Madejski stay on as chairman until 2014, and provide Brian McDermott and Nick Hammond with funds to spend during the January transfer window.^[13] 21 January saw Reading lose at home to another promotion contender, Hull City when Robbie Brady scored the only goal of the game after 66 minutes. On 24 January, Jimmy Kebe signed a new contract keeping him at the club until the summer of 2014.^[14] On 26 January, Tomasz Cywka joined Reading on a Free transfer from Derby County until the end of the season.^[15] On the same day the club also announced the signing of Jason Roberts on an 18-month contract from Blackburn Rovers for an undisclosed fee.^[16] Two days later Jason Roberts scored on his debut against Bristol City, converting his saved penalty on 58 minutes after Louis Carey had been shown a straight red card.On Transfer deadline day, 31 January 2012, Reading announced the signing of Matthew Connolly on loan till the end of the season from QPR,^[17] while Bongani Khumalo's loan was ended early and he returned to Tottenham Hotspur.^[18]

During January, Nigerian defender Chibuzor Okonkwo, was also on trial at the club.^[19]

February started off for Reading with the Postponement of their Championship game against Doncaster Rovers due to a frozen pitch at the Keepmoat Stadium.^[20] This game was later rescheduled for 13 March.^[21] On 8 February 2012, young defender Angus MacDonald joined League Two Torquay United on loan until the end of the season,^[22] and Brett Williams joined Northampton Town on loan for a month.^[23] Also on 8 February, Joseph Mills signed a new two-and-a-half-year contract, keeping him at The Madejski until 2014.^[24] On 9 February, another young Reading player – Lawson D'Ath – joined Yeovil Town on loan for a month.^[25][26] After the postponement of the Doncaster game, Reading's first game of February was a 2–0 win at home to Coventry City on 11 February, thanks to goals from Jimmy Kebe and Jason Roberts, his second in two games for Reading. They then travelled away to Derby County for a midweek game on the 14th, which they won 1–0 thanks to a 61st-minute goal from Noel Hunt. Reading where back at home on 17 February for the game against Burnley, which saw Jason Roberts net his third goal in four games to secure a 1–0 win.On 22 February, after rumours linking him with the vacant Wolves job, Brian McDermott signed a new contract with Reading keeping him at the Madejski Stadium until 2015.^[27] On 24 February, it was confirmed that Mathieu Manset had joined Chinese Super League side Shanghai Shenhua on loan until 30 June 2012.^[28] The next day saw Reading in action against fellow promotion chasers Middlesbrough at the Riverside Stadium. Noel Hunt's first half goal and Ian Harte's superb free kick saw Reading come away with another three points, and meant that they had won all four games played in February.

On 2 March, it was announced that Jordan Obita would be joining Gillingham on loan for a month.^[29] On 3 March, Reading came from 1–0 down away to Millwall to win 2–1, thanks to goals from Hal Robson-Kanu and substitute Adam Le Fondre, to extended their winning run to 6 games. Reading extended their winning run to 7 on 6 March, with a 1–0 victory over Portsmouth thanks to a first half goal from Noel Hunt. On 8 March, it was announced that Brian McDermott had been nominated for February's Manager of the Month^[30] for four wins out of four, while Adam Federici had been nominated for Player of the Month^[31] for keeping four clean sheets in the four wins. The next day it was announced that both McDermott^[32] and Federici^[33] had won the awards. On 10 March, Reading played Leicester City at the Madejski Stadium and came away with their 8th win on the trot, 3–1, thanks to goals from Mikele Leigertwood, Jason Roberts and Simon Church with Neil Danns scoring Leicester City's consolation goal in the 92nd minute. On 13 March Reading played their re-arranged away fixture against Doncaster Rovers, which ended 1–1 ending Reading's winning streak but continuing their unbeaten run, their goal was courtesy of Alex Pearce. On 15 March, Reading announced the signing of Hayden Mullins on loan until the end of the season from Portsmouth.^[34] On 17 March, Reading headed to Barnsley, and after a goalless first half, early second half goals from Jobi McAnuff and Jem Karacan gave reading the lead. Reading added another from Karacan midway through the second half and then a fourth thanks to Jason Roberts in the 89th minute. This victory extended their unbeaten run to 10 games and moved them 3 points clear of West Ham United in second place. On 20 March Reading's unbeaten run came to an end away at Peterborough United, losing 3–1. Reading took the lead through Noel Hunt in the 20th minute, before George Boyd equalised 5 minutes later. Peterborough took the lead in the 34th minute thanks to Tyrone Barnett, before Paul Taylor finished the scoring 8 minutes from time. Despite the defeat Reading remained in 2nd place. On 22 March, Reading announced the loan signing of Benik Afobe from Arsenal until the end of the season.^[35] On 24 March, Reading got back to winning ways with a 3–1 home victory over Blackpool, with the goals coming from Ian Harte and Alex Pearce in the first half and Mikele Leigertwood in the second. Blackpools goal was scored by Lomana LuaLua. Alex McCarthy was recalled from his loan with Ipswich Town on 28 March due to an injury to Mikkel Andersen.^[36] Reading saw out March the way they started by winning their 6th game of the month, away to West Ham United. Reading went 1–0 down inside 10 minutes to Carlton Cole's goal, before two goals at the end of the first half through, Kaspars Gorkšs and Noel Hunt, saw Reading goal in at the break ahead. The second half saw a converted penalty from Ian Harte and a Ricardo Vaz Tê header make it 2–3, before Mikele Leigertwood sealed the win with his 4th goal of the season making it 2–4 victory to Reading.

On 5 April, it was announced that McDermott had been nominated for March's Manager of the Month,^[37] while Ian Harte had been nominated for Player of the Month.^[38] The next day before Reading's home game against Leeds United it was announced that McDermott had won the manager of the month.^[39] Reading's first game in April was on Good Friday against Leeds United, which they won 2–0 thanks to two late Adam Le Fondre goals after Leeds had Zac Thompson sent off in the 12th minute. Reading then travelled to Brighton & Hove Albion on 10 April, and secured a narrow 1–0 victory after a deflected Ian Harte free kick in the 14th minute. Reading then played Southampton at the St Mary's on 13 April. Reading took the lead through Jason Roberts in the 19th minute, before Rickie Lambert levelled it for the Saints in the three minutes into the second half. McDermott then introduced Adam Le Fondre as a 64th minute sub, who scored in the 72nd and 90th minutes to win the game 3–1 for Reading.

On 17 April, Reading beat Nottingham Forest 1–0 at home. With West Ham United's 1–1 draw against Bristol City the same evening, Reading were automatically promoted to the Premier League.^[40] Four days later their 2–2 draw with Crystal Palace, coupled with Southampton's 2–1 defeat at Middlesbrough, ensured they would be promoted as division champions.^[41]

Reading's last game of the season was away to Birmingham City which they lost 2–0. On 3 May it was announced that Adam Le Fondre had been nominated for the April player of the month after scoring five goals during the month.^[42]

Following the close of the season, Brian McDermott was named Championship Manager of the Year at the League Managers Association Awards, as voted by fellow professional managers.^[43] Reading would release thirteen players at the end of the season, they included Andy Griffin, who played 42 games for Reading after joining the club in 2010, Brian Howard, who played 67 games for the club in three years and Tomasz Cywka, who joined Reading in the January, but only played four times.

As of match played 28 April 2012

No.	Name	Nationality	Position	Date of birth (Age[N 1])	Signed from	Signed in	Contract ends	Apps.	Goals
Goalkeepers
1	Adam Federici		GK	(1985-01-31)31 January 1985 (aged 27)	Torres	2005	2013[106]	166	1
12	Alex McCarthy		GK	(1989-12-03)3 December 1989 (aged 22)	Academy	2007	2013[107]	16	0
30	Simon Locke		GK	(1991-10-15)15 October 1991 (aged 20)	Academy	2011	2012[92]	0	0
31	Mikkel Andersen		GK	(1988-12-17)17 December 1988 (aged 23)	AB Copenhagen	2007		0	0
Defenders
2	Andy Griffin		RB	(1979-03-07)7 March 1979 (aged 33)	Stoke City	2010	2012[92]	47	0
3	Matthew Connolly		RB	(1987-09-24)24 September 1987 (aged 24)	Queens Park Rangers	2012	(End of season loan)	6	0
5	Alex Pearce[N 2]		CB	(1988-11-09)9 November 1988 (aged 23)	Academy	2006	2013[108]	120	9
15	Sean Morrison		CB	(1991-01-08)8 January 1991 (aged 21)	Swindon Town	2011		1	1
16	Joseph Mills		LB	(1989-10-30)30 October 1989 (aged 22)	Southampton	2011	2014[109]	16	0
17	Kaspars Gorkss		CB	(1981-11-06)6 November 1981 (aged 30)	Queens Park Rangers	2011	2014[110]	43	3
23	Ian Harte		LB	(1977-08-31)31 August 1977 (aged 34)	Carlisle United	2010	2012[92]	81	15
24	Shaun Cummings[111]		RB	(1989-02-25)25 February 1989 (aged 23)	Chelsea	2009	2013[112]	56	0
34	Ethan Gage		CB	(1991-05-08)8 May 1991 (aged 20)	Vancouver Whitecaps	2011	2012[92]	0	0
35	Michael Hector[N 3]		CB	(1992-07-19)19 July 1992 (aged 19)	Academy	2010	2012[92]	0	0
36	Jack Mills		CB	(1992-03-26)26 March 1992 (aged 20)	Academy	2010	2012[92]	1	0
42	Carl McHugh		CB	(1993-02-05)5 February 1993 (aged 19)	Academy	2011	2012[92]	0	0
43	Nick Arnold		RB	(1993-07-03)3 July 1993 (aged 18)	Academy	2011	2012[92]	0	0
46	Angus MacDonald		CB	(1992-10-15)15 October 1992 (aged 19)	Academy	2011	2013[113]	0	0
Midfielders
4	Jem Karacan[N 4]		CM	(1989-02-21)21 February 1989 (aged 23)	Academy	2007		133	8
6	Brynjar Gunnarsson		CM	(1975-10-16)16 October 1975 (aged 36)	Watford	2005	2012[92]	163	10
7	Jay Tabb[N 5]		CM	(1984-02-21)21 February 1984 (aged 28)	Coventry City	2009	2013[113]	89	0
8	Mikele Leigertwood[N 6]		CM	(1982-11-12)12 November 1982 (aged 29)	Queens Park Rangers	2011	2014[114]	71	7
11	Jobi McAnuff[N 7]		LW	(1981-11-09)9 November 1981 (aged 30)	Watford	2009	2014[115]	130	13
14	Jimmy Kebe[N 8]		RW	(1984-01-19)19 January 1984 (aged 28)	RC Lens	2008	2014[116]	171	26
19	Hal Robson-Kanu[N 9]		LW	(1989-05-21)21 May 1989 (aged 22)	Academy	2007	2014[117]	89	10
20	Brian Howard		CM	(1983-01-23)23 January 1983 (aged 29)	Sheffield United	2009	2012[92]	67	3
25	Jake Taylor[118]		MF	(1991-12-01)1 December 1991 (aged 20)	Academy	2009		2	0
26	Hayden Mullins		CM	(1979-03-27)27 March 1979 (aged 33)	Portsmouth	2012	(End of season loan)	7	0
28	Michail Antonio		RW	(1990-03-28)28 March 1990 (aged 22)	Tooting & Mitcham United	2008		30	1
37	Jordan Obita		LW	(1993-12-08)8 December 1993 (aged 18)	Academy	2010	2014[119]	1	0
38	Frankie Raymond		MF	(1992-11-18)18 November 1992 (aged 19)	Academy	2011	2012[92]	0	0
40	Lawson D'Ath		CM	(1992-12-24)24 December 1992 (aged 19)	Academy	2009	2013[113]	1	0
41	Tomasz Cywka		AM	(1988-06-27)27 June 1988 (aged 23)	Derby County	2012	2012[92]	4	0
44	John Goddard		MF	(1993-06-02)2 June 1993 (aged 18)	Academy	2011	2012[92]	0	0
45	Ryan Edwards		MF	(1993-11-17)17 November 1993 (aged 18)	Australian Institute of Sport	2011	2015[95]	0	0
47	Charlie Losasso		MF	(1992-11-11)11 November 1992 (aged 19)	Academy	2011	2012[92]	0	0
50	Cameron Edwards		MF	(1992-03-27)27 March 1992 (aged 20)	Perth Glory	2011	2012[92]	0	0
Forwards
9	Adam Le Fondre		FW	(1986-12-02)2 December 1986 (aged 25)	Rotherham United	2011	2014[120]	33	12
10	Noel Hunt		FW	(1982-12-26)26 December 1982 (aged 29)	Dundee United	2008	2013[113]	132	33
18	Simon Church[N 10]		FW	(1988-12-10)10 December 1988 (aged 23)	Academy	2007	2013[113]	121	24
21	Karl Sheppard		FW	(1991-02-14)14 February 1991 (aged 21)	Shamrock Rovers	2012	2014[121]	0	0
22	Mathieu Manset		FW	(1989-08-05)5 August 1989 (aged 22)	Hereford United	2011	2013[122]	31	5
27	Cédric Baseya		FW	(1987-12-19)19 December 1987 (aged 24)	AS Cherbourg	2011	2012[92]	0	0
29	Nicholas Bignall		FW	(1990-07-11)11 July 1990 (aged 21)	Academy	2008	2013[123]	1	0
32	Jacob Walcott		FW	(1992-06-29)29 June 1992 (aged 19)	Academy	2010	2012[92]	0	0
33	Jason Roberts[N 11]		FW	(1978-01-25)25 January 1978 (aged 34)	Blackburn Rovers	2012	2013[124]	17	6
39	Brett Williams		FW	(1987-12-01)1 December 1987 (aged 24)	Eastleigh	2011	2013[113]	0	0
48	David Murphy		FW	(1993-04-18)18 April 1993 (aged 19)	Academy	2011	2012[92]	0	0
49	Gozie Ugwu		FW	(1993-04-22)22 April 1993 (aged 19)	Academy	2011	2012[92]	0	0
51	Benik Afobe		FW	(1993-02-12)12 February 1993 (aged 19)	Arsenal	2012	(End of season loan)	3	0

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No.	Pos.	Nation	Player
26	DF	RSA	Bongani Khumalo (return to Tottenham Hotspur after loan)

Updated to match played 28 April 2012
Source: Competitions

Eastleigh v Reading XI

9 July 2011	Eastleigh	3–2	Reading XI	Silverlake Stadium
15:00	Forbes 23' White 27' Slabber 36'	Report	Obita 20' Ugwu 51'	Attendance: 526

NK Dravograd v Reading

15 July 2011	NK Dravograd	0–7	Reading	Ptuj, Slovenia
17:00		Report	Hunt pen.' Manset Church Long	Stadium: Drava Stadium

Karabükspor v Reading

19 July 2011	Karabükspor	3–1	Reading	Slovenia
17:00	Kaloğlu 2', 18', 40'	Report	Gunnarsson 4'	Stadium: NK Odranci Stadium

Woking v Reading XI

19 July 2011	Woking	5–1	Reading XI	Kingfield Stadium
		Report	Triallist

Northampton Town v Reading

23 July 2011	Northampton Town	0–3	Reading	Sixfields Stadium
15:00		Report	Long 45', 49' (pen.) Robson-Kanu 61'	Attendance: 1,554

Bristol Rovers v Reading

26 July 2011	Bristol Rovers	1–2	Reading	Memorial Stadium
19:45	Kuffour 4'	Report	Robson-Kanu 64' Obita 79'	Attendance: 3,309

Swindon Town v Reading

30 July 2011	Swindon Town	1–2	Reading	County Ground
15:00	Pearce 18' (o.g.)	Report	Long 53' (pen.) Manset 71'	Attendance: 4,820

Reading v Millwall

6 August 2011 1	Reading	2–2	Millwall	Madejski Stadium
15:00 BST	Manset 86', 89'	BBC Reading FC	Henderson 49' Marquis 62'	Attendance: 18,531 Referee: Tony Bates

Leicester City v Reading

13 August 2011 2	Leicester City	0–2	Reading	King Power Stadium
15:00 BST		BBC Reading FC	Hunt 64' Robson-Kanu 90'	Attendance: 23,399 Referee: Keith Stroud

Portsmouth v Reading

16 August 2011 3	Portsmouth	1–0	Reading	Fratton Park
19:45 BST	Kitson 51'	BBC Reading FC		Attendance: 13,438 Referee: Andy D'Urso

Reading v Barnsley

20 August 2011 4	Reading	1–2	Barnsley	Madejski Stadium
15:00 BST	Robson-Kanu 74' (pen.)	BBC Reading FC	Foster 27' Done 68'	Attendance: 15,878 Referee: Brendan Malone

Hull City v Reading

27 August 2011 5	Hull City	1–0	Reading	KC Stadium
15:00 BST	Brady 73'	BBC Reading FC		Attendance: 17,295 Referee: Oliver Langford

Reading v Watford

10 September 2011 6	Reading	0–2	Watford	Madejski Stadium
15:00 BST		BBC Reading FC	Yeates 12' Eustace 51'	Attendance: 17,128 Referee: James Linington

Reading v Doncaster Rovers

17 September 2011 7	Reading	2–0	Doncaster Rovers	Madejski Stadium
15:00 BST	Church 52' Le Fondre 59'	BBC Reading FC		Attendance: 15,124 Referee: Graham Salisbury

Coventry City v Reading

24 September 2011 8	Coventry City	1–1	Reading	Ricoh Arena
15:00 BST	McSheffrey 2'	BBC Reading	Church 10'	Attendance: 12,309 Referee: Eddie Ilderton

Bristol City v Reading

27 September 2011 9	Bristol City	2–3	Reading	Ashton Gate
20:00 BST	Adomah 22' Pitman 58'	BBC Reading FC	McAnuff 71' Le Fondre 74' Manset 90+4'	Attendance: 12,018 Referee: Craig Pawson

Burnley v Reading

15 October 2011 11	Burnley	0–1	Reading	Turf Moor
15:00 BST		BBC Reading FC	Karacan 90+9'	Attendance: 13,664 Referee: Paul Gibbs

Reading v Derby County

18 October 2011 12	Reading	2–2	Derby County	Madejski Stadium
20:00 BST	Le Fondre 65', 77'	BBC Reading FC	Robinson 59' Cywka 75'	Attendance: 15,704 Referee: Roger East

Reading v Southampton

22 October 2011 13	Reading	1–1	Southampton	Madejski Stadium
17:20 BST	Leigertwood 71'	BBC Reading FC	Hammond  70'   77' De Ridder 80'	Attendance: 21,889 Referee: Jonathon Moss

Nottingham Forest v Reading

1 November 2011 15	Nottingham Forest	1–0	Reading	City Ground
19:45 GMT	Tudgay 75'	BBC Reading FC		Attendance: 18,506 Referee: David Webb

Reading v Birmingham City

6 November 2011 16	Reading	1–0	Birmingham City	Madejski Stadium
15:00 GMT	Hunt 75'	BBC Reading FC		Attendance: 18,361 Referee: Mark Halsey

Reading v Cardiff City

19 November 2011 17	Reading	1–2	Cardiff City	Madejski Stadium
15:00 GMT	Kebe 77'	BBC Reading FC	Whittingham 2' Hudson 70'	Attendance: 20,361 Referee: Darren Sheldrake

Ipswich Town v Reading

26 November 2011 18	Ipswich Town	2–3	Reading	Portman Road
15:00 GMT	Murphy 56' Carson 79'	BBC Reading FC	Gorkss 76' Pearce 90+1' Hunt 90+3'	Attendance: 17,154 Referee: Eddie Ilderton

Reading v Peterborough United

29 November 2011 19	Reading	3–2	Peterborough United	Madejski Stadium
20:00 GMT	Church 27' Le Fondre 78' Robson-Kanu 80'	BBC Reading FC	Rowe 16' Sinclair 90'	Attendance: 15,907 Referee: Andy Woolmer

Blackpool v Reading

3 December 2011 20	Blackpool	1–0	Reading	Bloomfield Road
15:00 GMT	McManaman 55'	BBC Reading FC		Attendance: 11,656 Referee: Mark Brown

Reading v West Ham United

10 December 2011 21	Reading	3–0	West Ham United	Madejski Stadium
15:00 GMT	Pearce 66' Church 80', 86'	BBC Reading FC	O'Brien  61'   65' Collison  84'	Attendance: 24,026 Referee: Neil Swarbrick

Leeds United v Reading

17 December 2011 22	Leeds United	0–1	Reading	Elland Road
15:00 GMT		BBC Reading FC	Church 2'	Attendance: 23,162 Referee: Colin Webster

Reading v Brighton & Hove Albion

26 December 2011 23	Reading	3–0	Brighton & Hove Albion	Madejski Stadium
15:00 GMT	McAnuff 17', 45+2' El-Abd 90+2' (o.g.)	BBC Reading FC		Attendance: 22,141 Referee: Simon Hooper

Reading v Ipswich Town

31 December 2011 24	Reading	1–0	Ipswich Town	Madejski Stadium
15:00 GMT	Pearce 64'	BBC Reading FC		Attendance: 18,737 Referee: Jock Waugh

Cardiff City v Reading

2 January 2012 25	Cardiff City	3–1	Reading	Cardiff City Stadium
15:00 GMT	Mason 13' Gunnarsson 19' Miller 36'	BBC Reading FC	McAnuff 45'	Attendance: 23,655 Referee: Chris Foy

Watford v Reading

14 January 2012 26	Watford	1–2	Reading	Vicarage Road
17:20 GMT	Cummings 29' (o.g.)	BBC Reading FC	Kébé 42' Le Fondre 85'	Attendance: 11,291 Referee: Graham Salisbury

Reading v Hull City

21 January 2012 27	Reading	0–1	Hull City	Madejski Stadium
15:00 GMT		BBC Reading FC	Brady 66'	Attendance: 17,556 Referee: Graham Scott

Reading v Bristol City

28 January 2012 28	Reading	1–0	Bristol City	Madejski Stadium
15:00 GMT	Roberts 58'	BBC Reading FC	Carey  56'	Attendance: 17,825 Referee: Pat Miller

Reading v Coventry City

11 February 2012 30	Reading	2–0	Coventry City	Madejski Stadium
15:00 GMT	Kebe 25' Roberts 43'	BBC Reading FC		Attendance: 18,006 Referee: David Coote

Derby County v Reading

14 February 2012 31	Derby County	0–1	Reading	Pride Park
19:45 GMT		BBC Reading FC	Hunt 61'	Attendance: 22,567 Referee: Geoff Eltringham

Reading v Burnley

17 February 2012 32	Reading	1–0	Burnley	Madejski Stadium
20:00 GMT	Roberts 11'	BBC Reading FC		Attendance: 17,185 Referee: Darren Deadman

Middlesbrough v Reading

25 February 2012 33	Middlesbrough	0–2	Reading	Riverside Stadium
15:00 GMT		BBC Reading FC	Hunt 17' Harte 80'	Attendance: 17,314 Referee: Stuart Attwell

Millwall v Reading

3 March 2012 34	Millwall	1–2	Reading	The Den
15:00 GMT	Keogh 16'	BBC Reading FC	Robson-Kanu 45' Le Fondre 76'	Attendance: 11,271 Referee: Chris Sarginson

Reading v Portsmouth

6 March 2012 35	Reading	1–0	Portsmouth	Madejski Stadium
20:05 GMT	Hunt 24'	BBC Reading FC		Attendance: 18,399 Referee: Oliver Langford

Reading v Leicester City

10 March 2012 36	Reading	3–1	Leicester City	Madejski Stadium
15:00 GMT	Leigertwood 15' Roberts 75' Church 89'	BBC Reading FC	Danns 90+1'	Attendance: 21,858 Referee: Robert Madley

Doncaster Rovers v Reading

13 March 2012 1 29	Doncaster Rovers	1–1	Reading	Keepmoat Stadium
19:45 GMT	Bennett 27'	BBC Reading FC	Pearce 51'	Attendance: 8,287 Referee: Tony Bates

Barnsley v Reading

17 March 2012 37	Barnsley	0–4	Reading	Oakwell
15:00 GMT		BBC Reading FC	McAnuff 47' Karacan 49', 65' Roberts 89'	Attendance: 9,381 Referee: Darren Sheldrake

Peterborough United v Reading

20 March 2012 38	Peterborough United	3–1	Reading	London Road
19:45 GMT	Boyd 25' Barnett 34' Taylor 82'	BBC Reading FC	Hunt 20'	Attendance: 6,717 Referee: Simon Hooper

Reading v Blackpool

24 March 2012 39	Reading	3–1	Blackpool	Madejski Stadium
15:00 GMT	Harte 30' Pearce 35' Leigertwood 60'	BBC Reading FC	LuaLua 41'	Attendance: 20,906 Referee: Fred Graham

West Ham United v Reading

31 March 2012 40	West Ham United	2–4	Reading	Upton Park
15:00 BST	Cole 8' Vaz Tê 77'	BBC Reading FC	Gorkšs 44' Hunt 45+2' Harte 58' (pen.) Leigertwood 84'	Attendance: 33,350 Referee: Chris Foy

Reading v Leeds United

6 April 2012 41	Reading	2–0	Leeds United	Madejski Stadium
14:00 BST	Le Fondre 84', 90'	BBC Reading FC	Thompson  12'	Attendance: 22,775 Referee: Darren Drysdale

Brighton & Hove Albion v Reading

10 April 2012 42	Brighton & Hove Albion	0–1	Reading	Falmer Stadium
19:45 BST		BBC Reading FC	Harte 14'	Attendance: 20,610 Referee: Mick Russell

Southampton v Reading

13 April 2012 43	Southampton	1–3	Reading	St Mary's Stadium
19:45 BST	Lambert 48'	BBC Reading FC	Roberts 19' Le Fondre 72', 90'	Attendance: 31,892 Referee: Mike Dean

Reading v Nottingham Forest

17 April 2012 44	Reading	1–0	Nottingham Forest	Madejski Stadium
20:00 BST	Leigertwood 81'	BBC Reading FC		Attendance: 22,899 Referee: Gavin Ward

Reading v Crystal Palace

21 April 2012 45	Reading	2–2	Crystal Palace	Madejski Stadium
15:00 BST	Gorkšs 20' Roberts  45' Le Fondre 53'	BBC Reading FC	Zaha 14' Murray 76'	Attendance: 23,431 Referee: Andy D'Urso

Birmingham City v Reading

28 April 2012 46	Birmingham City	2–0	Reading	St Andrew's
12:30 BST	Rooney 24' Murphy  37' Elliott 75' (pen.)	BBC Reading	Connolly  55'	Attendance: 25,516 Referee: Robert Madley

Reading's First Round tie against Charlton drawn for 9 August 2011 was postponed on police advice due to the riots happening in London.^[7] It was later rearranged to be played on Tuesday, 23 August 2011.

Charlton Athletic v Reading

23 August 2011 First Round	Charlton Athletic	2–1	Reading	The Valley, London
19:45 BST (UTC+1)	Benson 25' Euell 64'	Report	Morrison 73'	Attendance: 6,668 Referee: Dean Whitestone

Reading v Stevenage

7 January 2012 Third Round	Reading	0–1	Stevenage	Madejski Stadium
15:00		BBC Reading FC	Charles 20'	Attendance: 11,295 Referee: Nigel Miller

As of match played 28 April 2012^[125]

No.	Pos	Nat	Player	Total		Championship		FA Cup		League Cup
				Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
1	GK	AUS	Adam Federici	47	0	46	0	1	0	0	0
2	DF	ENG	Andy Griffin	9	0	9	0	0	0	0	0
3	DF	ENG	Matthew Connolly	6	0	6	0	0	0	0	0
4	MF	TUR	Jem Karacan	37	3	36+1	3	0	0	0	0
5	DF	SCO	Alex Pearce	47	5	46	5	1	0	0	0
6	MF	ISL	Brynjar Gunnarsson	5	0	1+4	0	0	0	0	0
7	MF	EIR	Jay Tabb	21	0	10+9	0	1	0	1	0
8	MF	ATG	Mikele Leigertwood	42	5	41	5	1	0	0	0
9	FW	ENG	Adam Le Fondre	33	12	17+15	12	1	0	0	0
10	FW	IRL	Noel Hunt	41	8	33+8	8	0	0	0	0
11	MF	JAM	Jobi McAnuff	42	5	40	5	1	0	1	0
12	GK	ENG	Alex McCarthy	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	0
14	MF	MLI	Jimmy Kébé	33	3	30+3	3	0	0	0	0
15	DF	ENG	Sean Morrison	1	1	0	0	0	0	1	1
16	DF	ENG	Joseph Mills	16	0	13+2	0	0	0	0+1	0
17	DF	LVA	Kaspars Gorkšs	43	3	42	3	1	0	0	0
18	FW	WAL	Simon Church	33	7	19+12	7	1	0	1	0
19	MF	WAL	Hal Robson-Kanu	37	4	19+16	4	1	0	0+1	0
20	MF	ENG	Brian Howard	2	0	0+1	0	0	0	1	0
22	FW	FRA	Mathieu Manset	17	3	4+11	3	0+1	0	1	0
23	DF	EIR	Ian Harte	34	4	30+2	4	1	0	1	0
24	DF	ENG	Shaun Cummings	36	0	32+2	0	1	0	1	0
26	MF	ENG	Hayden Mullins	7	0	6+1	0	0	0	0	0
28	MF	ENG	Michail Antonio	7	0	2+4	0	0+1	0	0	0
33	FW	GRN	Jason Roberts	17	6	17	6	0	0	0	0
37	MF	ENG	Jordan Obita	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	0
40	MF	ENG	Lawson D'Ath	1	0	0	0	0+1	0	0	0
41	MF	POL	Tomasz Cywka	4	0	1+3	0	0	0	0	0
51	FW	ENG	Benik Afobe	3	0	1+2	0	0	0	0	0
Players who appeared for Reading but left during the season:
9	FW	IRL	Shane Long	1	0	1	0	0	0	0	0
26	DF	RSA	Bongani Khumalo	5	0	4	0	0	0	1	0

As of match played 28 April 2012^[125]

Place	Position	Nation	Number	Name	Championship	FA Cup	League Cup	Total
1	FW		9	Adam Le Fondre	12	0	0	12
2	FW		10	Noel Hunt	8	0	0	8
3	FW		18	Simon Church	7	0	0	7
4	FW		33	Jason Roberts	6	0	0	6
5	MF		8	Mikele Leigertwood	5	0	0	5
	MF		11	Jobi McAnuff	5	0	0	5
	DF		5	Alex Pearce	5	0	0	5
8	DF		23	Ian Harte	4	0	0	4
	MF		19	Hal Robson-Kanu	4	0	0	4
10	DF		17	Kaspars Gorkss	3	0	0	3
	MF		4	Jem Karacan	3	0	0	3
	MF		14	Jimmy Kebe	3	0	0	3
	FW		22	Mathieu Manset	3	0	0	3
14				Own Goal	1	0	0	1
	DF		15	Sean Morrison	0	0	1	1
Total					69	0	1	70

As of match played 28 April 2012^[126]

Position	Nation	Number	Name	Championship		FA Cup		League Cup		Total
DF		17	Kaspars Gorkšs	6	0	0	0	0	0	6	0
FW		10	Noel Hunt	6	0	0	0	0	0	6	0
MF		6	Mikele Leigertwood	6	0	0	0	0	0	6	0
MF		11	Jobi McAnuff	5	0	0	0	1	0	6	0
DF		5	Alex Pearce	6	0	0	0	0	0	6	0
MF		4	Jem Karacan	5	0	0	0	0	0	5	0
MF		19	Hal Robson-Kanu	3	0	0	0	1	0	4	0
FW		33	Jason Roberts	2	1	0	0	0	0	2	1
DF		2	Andy Griffin	3	0	0	0	0	0	3	0
FW		9	Adam Le Fondre	2	0	1	0	0	0	3	0
DF		16	Joseph Mills	3	0	0	0	0	0	3	0
DF		3	Matthew Connolly	2	0	0	0	0	0	2	0
DF		24	Shaun Cummings	2	0	0	0	0	0	2	0
MF		14	Jimmy Kébé	2	0	0	0	0	0	2	0
FW		22	Mathieu Manset	2	0	0	0	0	0	2	0
DF		23	Ian Harte	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	0
MF		26	Hayden Mullins	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	0
MF		7	Jay Tabb	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	0
Total				58	1	1	0	2	0	61	1

The 2011–12 Reading F.C. kits.^[152]

Supplier: Puma
Sponsor(s): Waitrose

Home colours

Away colours

Goalkeeping colours