What do old photographs get you thinking? Nick Catley gives us a stream of consciousness on a shot from May 1993.
"I miss the scoreboard. I know it didn’t really show you much but it used to dominate the ground, plus it reminds me of going when I was a kid. I know we have the video screens now…well I don’t, you can’t see them from the back of the Rookery. RCI advert…one of our run of blue-chip sponsors…courier company that went bust, free newspaper, timeshare outfit. Must be between ‘91 and ‘93 then. Oxford? Oh! Is that the last day? Must be, that’s why someone’s taking a photo – no-one would have bothered otherwise, we can be rubbish at documenting the everyday things around us. I remember that day, I must be in the picture, high on the NE terrace. I miss the terraces. Not the openair toilets, or getting soaked (Reading in the League Cup earlier that season…yeesh) but I miss being able to change where I watch from, and being able to go with different people without sorting it out weeks in advance. Mind you, the atmosphere on there was never that brilliant, I won’t be too nostalgic. Shame we could never get a roof. Definitely better in recent years. Aren’t the 1881 great? Let’s hope they get to move properly to the centre of the Rookery before too long, that’ll make a real difference. Hope we get a safe standing section soon. It looks pretty full. Terraces usually do though. A half-full stand looks dreadful, but a half-full terrace just means everyone’s got a bit more space. Can you still get Benskins? We still have an unopened bottle of Cup Final ale at home. Does beer get better with age, like wine? Probably not. Don’t think I’d want to test it. It was a dreadful game that day…"