| Competition | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result |
| Friendly | Saturday, 1st March | Reading "Hornets"??? | Home? | Not known |
Match facts:
Reading goals:
Opposition goals:
Half-time:
Attendance:
Weather: At 9am that morning, it was raining with a north-easterly
wind and the barometer showed 29.26 inches (990.9 millibars).
Over the next 24 hours, there was 0.18 inches (4.57 millimetres)
of rain, so there is a pretty good chance that it was wet during
the game, and the maximum temperature was 49 degrees Fahrenheit (9
degrees Centigrade).
Referee: Probably two umpires, one provided by each club
Reading line-up:
Subs not used: Substitutes not allowed?
Match report:
None known. It seems unlikely from the weather report that the game would have been called off.
A more detailed weather report, from the Reading Mercury of 8/3/1873:
As at 9am on 1/3/1873 in the Reading public
gardens:
Observed height of barometer - 29.26
Hygrometer - dry bulb 39, wet bulb 38
Dew Point - 36.7
Moisture - .931
Thermometer - Max 50, Min 28
Wind - NE
Rain - 0.03
Weather - rain
As at 9am on 2/3/1873 in the Reading public
gardens (only those items that might have applied to the previous
day):
Hygrometer - dry bulb 44, wet bulb 43
Dew Point - 41.7
Moisture - .913
Thermometer - Max 49, Min 34
Rain - 0.18
Match notes:
This appears to be the first ever Saturday game.
The newspaper description of the game being between "the two Reading clubs" does not identify the opponents. I know that Reading Hornets formed in 1873, so for the moment I am guessing that they may have provided the opposition. If so, it is impossible to say which were the home club, as both played their games at the Recreation Ground on Kings Meadow. Also, as Reading merged with Reading Hornets in 1877, then this match forms part of our history from both sides.
It seems unlikely that the game was against Reading Grammar School, because in all previous fixtures against the school club, they were named explicitly as such.
Match preview:
From the Reading Mercury, 1/3/1873:
"Football - A match is to be played this afternoon on the Town Recreation Ground, King's Meadows, between the two Reading Clubs."
Ticket information:
The game will be played at Reading Football Club's home ground of Reading Recreation Ground on King's Meadow. As this is in a public park and is not an enclosed ground there will be no admission charge.
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