The Light At The End Of Reading’s Long Tunnel

One Reading fan shares their jubilation about Tuesday’s news of exclusivity finally being in place for a full takeover.

It’s hard to express how we all feel. Tuesday was day we’ve hoped for for so long that, now it’s happened, I think actually the expected feeling of adulation has now turned into raw emotion. I was at a driving range when I heard the news and, let’s just say, hitting a stationary ball when you’ve got tears of joy is actually very hard.

The light is starting to emerge at the end of the tunnel and, for the first time in about two years since our first points deduction, we actually have cause to look ahead again. Let’s hope that we no longer ever have to hear those words ever again.

The past 12 months or so in particular have been somewhat of an emotional rollercoaster. I think deep down we accepted relegation as a punishment for dreaming big, but to then be hit as much as we have of late, has just been gut punch after gut punch.

As Ruben Selles said after Cambridge United, “there’s only so much someone can take”, and I think for many of us that was true. That feeling of dread every time a notification came up from EFL Comms on Twitter/X, wondering what we’ve been punished for next.

If Netflix were at the training ground this season, pretty much every week would need another episode, with each even more unbelievable than the last.

For those lucky enough to be just looking in, it would seem that it’s just a club in crisis, but for us fans, it’s been tough. Waking up on a Saturday and thinking, “will this be it, will this be our last time we do this together?”

Credit has to go to the staff who’ve done all they can to keep this club afloat. They’ve been the unsung heroes throughout this and deserve all our gratitude. The amount of times any of them could’ve just upped sticks, but they’ve stuck by it, knowing what this club is capable of and what it’ll achieve again in the future. This club is special because of those who make it special and it’s why so many of us love it so much.

In recent weeks, Three Little Birds has become synonymous with our plight. Getting everyone to dig in and just hope that we’re close. I think for many it was our way of distracting ourselves, but now we can believe it. Everything IS gonna be alright.

While we should exercise some caution, let’s get that champagne on ice and make Good Friday the best atmosphere all season!

Up the ‘Ding!