What It Means: home of the Anglo-Saxon Readingas tribe, Reddinges in the Domesday Book.





Why It's There: village first recorded in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle in 870 when Alfred and Ethelred fought the Danes there. An abbey and cloth from all those fluffy Berkshire sheep got the money rolling in. Now part of the M4 Megabyte corridor, where recession is a concept as alien as the blue crystals of Metebelis III.





Why They're There: the definitive Christian Democrats, formed at a public meeting on Christmas Day 1871, making them the oldest club south of Nottingham. Joined the league in 1920.





When It All Began: April 1927, 5-0, never bettered for score, and rarely the occasion, as Boro had just been promoted with a draw at Blackpool in the previous game.





Local Heroes: John Madejski, moved them from Division Two at Elm Park, which like many an elm rotted away, to the Premier League in a new ground, which few could begrudge naming after him; Steve Coppell, Brian McDermott, Steve Sidwell, Jimmy Quinn, and Trevor Senior.





Cult Hero: Robin Friday, "the greatest footballer you never saw," a combination of the best and worst bits of George Best, Oliver Reed and Keith Richards. Obsessive enjoyer of hospitality, including Her Majesty's.





Local Villains: Robert Maxwell, tried to merge them with Oxford to become Thames Valley Royals, an idea that unlike its creator sank immediately without trace; traditionally Aldershot, until they went out of business, later Oxford and Swindon.





Boro Highs: 5-0 (April 1927), 4-0 (December 1997).





Boro Lows: 0-2 (February 2012), 0-1 (February 1995 and March 2008), for the manner of the goals as much as the result (see below.





Hello to: Uwe Fuchs (February 1995); Jaime Moreno [Second Coming] (December 1997), Afonso Alves and Dong-Gook Lee (March 2008).





Goodbye to: Willie Millar (December 1928), Emerson and Derek Whyte (December 1997).





Boro Hero: George Camsell (April 1927), hat-trick in that 5-0, his 10th of the season, nine in the league, still a record.





Boro Bogeyman: Ian Harte (February 2012) free-kick to seal win, after two in the previous meeting and many a Leeds let down; Jimmy Kebe (September 2010), stunning solo run and goal; and (March 2010) almost identical until David Wheater helped it in.





Typical Boro 1: 0-0 (December 1928) first time in seven months Boro failed to score at home, and against a team third-bottom.

Typical Boro 2: 2-2 (March 1967), after being 2-0 up against a side with three away points in three months.

Typical Boro 3: and aptly a Triple Typical Boro. 0-1 (March 2008), Reading had managed just three away points all season - and lost their previous eight games. Scored with their first shot, in the 93rd minute, inevitably from James Harper, who Boro tried to sign to replace Lee Cattermole but Reading kept upping the price.





Typical Boro in Typical New Year: 0-1 (February 1995), Paul Holsgrove's first career goal, after eight years of trying.





Nearly Chelsea: for the last two years 51% owned by Anton Zingarevich, son of a St Petersburg oligarch, always risky as Vladimir Putin, in that forceful way he has, says rich Russians should be patriotic and invest in Russian clubs.





Nearly Leicester: as from this week co-owned by businesswoman Khunying Sasima Srivikorn, from now on known as "The Thai Consortium."





Nearly Cardiff: a Malaysian millionaire called Tan is part of it, but manager and fans can breathe a sigh of relief; Robert Tan is no relation to Vincent, news that probably had several London lawyers crying into their Romanée-Conti '61.





Have Another Pint Before Kick-off: this fixture went 80 years without a first-half goal until Mark Viduka's in February 2007. 23 of its 29 goals have come in the second half.





Except Just the Once: Barry Robson's 24-second goal in September 2010 is the Riverside's fastest. Three of those six first half goals came in this game, two more last season.





Regal Airs: "Royals" is from the Royal County of Berkshire, home of Windsor Castle. But don't feel patronised, as Yorkshire, especially the North Riding, was pretty Royal itself once - as they now know in Leicester, Richard III grew up in Middleham. Granted, Windsor's is in better nick, but like the local railways, it's had rather more spent on it than ours have. And Durham is still the Land of the Prince Bishops. Anyway, some would prefer the People's Republic of Teesside.

Used to be known as the Biscuitmen, from the home of Huntley and Palmers. But a crown on the shirt is so much more dignified than a fig roll.





Your Boys Took One Hell of a Beating: Ricky Gervais, Jeremy Kyle, Kate Winslet, Sam Mendes, Lucy Worsley, Mike Oldfield, Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor, and a woman once known as Kate Middleton, who, at the age of 32, has already had more names than Huddersfield's ground or Sellafield, and should have at least two more to come.



