We last travelled to Reading's Madjeski Stadium back in April 2013, now 10 years later there are a couple of strange coincidences to that game, read on to find out all the details you need to make the trip.
Saints will be taking over 2,500 supporters to Reading on Saturday for a friendly, that hopefully shows that despite the woes of last season, Southampton supporters are staying loyal to the club in the Championship.
Some of them would have been there back in April 2013, bizarrely in that game we also faced a Reading team managed by a man who had been manager of Saints only months before.
Nigel Adkins had been tasked with keeping Reading in the Premier League after being sacked by Saints in January 2013, fast forward to 2023 and again the Royals have a man in charge who was in our dugout only a few months earlier with Reuben Selles now confirmed as Reading boss.
Back in 2013 and there were issues with getting there by train, work at Reading Station meant that there was no direct trains and now in 2023, strikes could cause havoc, so check train times before going.
We travel to the Madejski Stadium with most supporters knowing that its probably one of the most inaccessible stadium's , not just in terms of location, but also in terms of accessibility and facilities in the vicinity of the stadium.
The Stadium
Located some 3 1/2 miles out from the City Centre and about a mile from the M4 although its an out of term stadium, the fact is it might as well be in the middle of the Sahara.
The ground itself isn't too bad although only about 3/4 of the size of St Mary's, but that's just about the only redeeming feature. In 1998 it was seen as visionary, 25 years later, there aren't many away fans with a good word to say about it.
Although it is still called the Madjeski Stadium, it is also known as the Select Car Leasing Stadium,.
The Away Section
Away fans are located in one end of the stadium, in the South Stand, where up to 4,300 can be accommodated (although the normal allocation is 2,327)., They appear to have given us half of the end, although with more tickets seemingly allocated to us, we might have a little more than half for this game.
The view is good but the concourses are cramped underneath.
Getting There
By road its quick and easy a quick trip up the M3 to Basingstoke and then follow signs to Reading on the A33, it shouldnt take much more than 45-50 minutes.
However finding somewhere to park is the trick, our advice is not to cross the M4 and into the industrial park that houses the Mad Stad, but to turn off to the village on your right just before the M4, its called Three Mile Cross, it has a couple of pubs and you can park there for free, from there its just over a mile to the stadium, but not only do you save on expensive parking, but you avoid the long queues after the game to get back to the M4 and across it. Take my word for it, if your going to drive do this, its about the only place within a 20 minute walk of the stadium you will get a drink in, not to emtion the savings on parking and traffic jams.
By Train
Usually its quite simple, a direct train to Reading followed by a football special bus from Reading train station, however you need to check what trains are running and be mindful of cancellations due to striker action, also whether Reading will run special buses, I will try to find the answer to that out nearer the time and update with any news so keep checking back.
Drinking Eating Etc
There is little around the ground, although there may be a fan zone open behind the East Stand with mobile bar units open to both home and away fans, there is also a bar at the nearby Holiday Inn or a pub called The World Turned Upside Down, a short walk from the Hotel, allow at least 15 minutes to walk to the stadium for both.
Our advice if travelling by car is the aforementioned Three Mile Cross where there are several pubs, although allow at least 30 minutes to walk to the ground for the mile or so walk.
If you travel by train there is a pub just outside the train station, although in fairness this is handy for the special buses. Otherwise plenty within a few minutes walk.
If you do manage to avoid this, then Reading has a few good traditional pubs in the City Centre as well as the usual chain pubs.
Reading
Madejski Stadium
Capacity: 24,200 (all seated)
Address: Bennett Road, Reading, RG2 0FL
Main Telephone No: 0118 968 1100
Fax No: 0118 968 1101
Ticket Office: 0844 249 1871
Ticket Office Fax: 0870 999 1001
Team Nickname: The Royals
Pitch Size: 102 x 70 metres
Year Ground Opened: 1998