Newport County v Reading, 1985
Reading made history in 1985/86 with a record-breaking start to the season. Tottenham had previously held the record of 11 consecutive wins from the start of the season in 1960/61. Twenty-five years later, both Manchester United and Third Division Reading won their first ten league games of the season, until the Reds drew 1-1 at Luton in their eleventh outing, while Reading narrowly beat Bolton 1-0 at Elm Park to equal Spurs’ record. They went on to Somerton Park, Newport, the following Saturday, 12 October 1985, with football history in their sights.
Only two years earlier, the club’s future had been in doubt, when a merger between Reading and rivals Oxford United as Thames Valley Royals was proposed by Robert Maxwell, the Oxford chairman who also held 19% of Reading’s shares: “If we in Thames Valley are to retain a League club we’ve got to unite Reading and Oxford”. Maxwell was adamant as fans of both clubs rallied in protest, “Everything in the world that cannot pay its way must go the way of merger to combine into stronger units” and dismissed the protestors, “If they want to become supporters of someone else, they’re entirely welcome”. Former Reading player Roger Smee, now a successful businessman, and club director Roy Tranter managed to block the merger in the High Court, with Smee eventually taking over as chairman in July 1983.
Since then, the club had been promoted from the Fourth Division in 1983/84 under Ian Branfoot, formerly assistant to previous manager Maurice Evans (sacked in January 1984). After leaving Reading in October 1989, Branfoot took over as manager of First Division Southampton in June 1991, guiding them into the Premier League era before a two-year stint at Fulham ended in 1996.
Reading’s talisman was prolific striker Trevor Senior, one of the league’s top scorers in the mid-80s, who later returned to the club after top-flight stints with Watford and Middlesbrough. By the end of his second spell at Reading in 1992, Senior had brought his total goal tally as the club’s all-time leading scorer up to 191 in league and cup. Captain Martin Hicks went on to establish a club appearance record of 603 overall, while central defensive partner Steve Wood played in the top tier for Millwall and Southampton (where he was signed by Branfoot).
Bobby Smith was in charge of Newport County at the time of Reading’s visit, replaced in March 1986 by John Relish stepping up from player/coach during a run of defeats. The side included another player/coach in the veteran Welsh international Leighton James, a future Premier League defender in teenager Darren Peacock, and Tony Pulis who would successfully manage Stoke City in the top flight. The attendance of 6,449 proved the biggest crowd at Somerton Park that season.
Match details for Newport County – Reading; Somerton Park, Football League Division Three, Saturday 12 October 1985
Newport County: 1. Mark Kendall, 2. Tony Pulis, 3. Peter Jones (sub. John Relish), 4. Sean Reck, 5. Darren Peacock, 6. Terry Boyle, 7. Ken Gill, 8. Roy Carter, 9. Leighton James, 10. Gordon Staniforth, 11. John Lewis. Manager: Bobby Smith
Reading: 1. Gary Westwood, 2. Gary Peters, 3. Colin Baillie, 4. Stuart Beavon, 5. Martin Hicks, 6. Steve Wood, 7. Jerry Williams, 8. Mark White, 9. Trevor Senior, 10. Dean Horrix (sub. Kevin Bremner), 11. Andy Rogers. Manager: Ian Branfoot. Scorers: Beavon, Bremner
Attendance: 6,449
Note: Due to this game taking place during the domestic television blackout at the start of the 1985/86 season, I have been unable to find any match footage.
Reading’s 2-0 win at Newport, secured by goals from Stuart Beavon and substitute Kevin Bremner, set a new record which they added to with a 1-0 victory at Lincoln next time out. Those 13 wins remain an English League record for consecutive wins from the start of the season. Eleven days after visiting Newport, Reading were looking to equal the Football League record of 14 total consecutive victories – held jointly by Manchester United (1904/05), Bristol City (1905/06) and Preston (1950/51), all in the Second Division – only to draw 2-2 with Wolves at Elm Park.
Newport County – Reading 1985: L) Stuart Beavon; R) Ian Branfoot
They were eventually promoted for the second time in three seasons as Third Division champions; future Premier League clubs Cardiff, Wolves and Swansea filled the bottom three places. Reading’s finest hour came with a 4-1 Simod (Full Members’) Cup win at Wembley over First Division Luton in 1988; another relegation the same year was followed by promotion back to the second tier in 1994. Then after finishing second in 1994/95, they suffered play-off defeat before finally reaching the Premier League in 2006 under Steve Coppell for an initial two-year spell, and an impressive eighth-place finish which remains their highest ever.
The two clubs were soon to head in opposite directions after this meeting – while Newport finished 19th in the 1985/86 campaign, their demise came rapidly with relegation the following season and another demotion from the Football League as the bottom of the 92 clubs in 1987/88, ending their 60-season stay in the senior ranks. Worse was to follow as they failed to complete their first season in the Conference and were expelled, bankrupt with debts of £330,000, in February 1989. Unable to play at Somerton Park, they re-formed as ‘Newport AFC’ (County was restored in 1999) and re-started in the Hellenic League in 1989/90, with John Relish returning as manager for the first steps on the long road back to an eventual return to the league in 2013.
The Football League during the 1980s is covered in my book Before the Premier League: A History of the Football League’s Last Decades.
Trevor Senior & Somerton Park, Newport 1985