Blackburn Rovers handed Reading FC a promotion key that will not be forgotten: View | OneFootball

Reading managed to secure promotion back to the Premier League in 2012 after four years away, with the signing of Jason Roberts helping them to the title.

On the 26th of January 2012, Reading were just outside of the play-offs, one point off of the top six.

The season before, they had lost out in the play-off final, losing 3-2 against Swansea City, who were managed by their former boss, Brendan Rodgers.

Having tried to shake off the hangover from the play-off final defeat, the Royals took a while to get going. But midway through the season, the Royals had strung together a good bit of form that meant that reaching the play-offs again, at that stage, was a reality.

The man in charge at the time was Brian McDermott, and with Adam Le Fondre scoring the goals, McDermott felt that another striker was what they needed to take them to the next level.

This led to the signing of Jason Roberts.

Jason Roberts had been an experienced Premier League striker

Roberts had been playing in the Premier League for a decade before his move to Reading, plying his trade for West Bromwich Albion, Portsmouth, Wigan Athletic and Blackburn Rovers.

Roberts had shown himself to be a player who would cause problems for defences, with his work rate and brutality making him a nightmare for opposition defenders.

At the time, he was at Blackburn and had become a backup striker in the first half of the 11/12 campaign, failing to score in ten appearances in the top flight.

But over the last few seasons he had shown himself to be a consistent goalscorer in the Premier League, so naturally in the Championship he should be a bigger threat.

This led to Roberts’ arrival, signing an 18-month contract at the Madejski Stadium. He was seen as the perfect player to complement Adam Le Fondre, a prolific poacher for the Royals at the time.

Jason Roberts pivotal in Reading’s promotion charge

Roberts' first game in a Reading shirt saw him score on his debut, putting in the rebound after David James saved his penalty for Bristol City.

His impact would carry on as he would help them go on an eight-game winning run, contributing four goals and five assists in that time. His other three goals came against Coventry City, Leicester City, and Burnley, scoring the only goals in a 1-0 win against the latter.

Arguably his most important goal, though, came in the 3-1 win away at Southampton, which many now see as the game that won Reading the title, with Southampton finishing in second behind them in the end.

Roberts would score the first goal at St Mary’s, with Reading leading at half time.

After Rickie Lambert equalised, a brace from Le Fondre sent the away end into raptures. In the next game, the Royals confirmed promotion after beating Nottingham Forest, going on to secure the Championship title also.

Roberts was highly thought of by McDermott as he was the missing piece to promotion

Years later in 2016, when McDermott had once again taken charge at Reading for a second spell, he cited his signing of Roberts in 2012 as the type of player he would want once again.

“There is a case of bringing in an old head,” he said. “I’ve done that before. The best example I can give you would be Jason Roberts.

“Jason came in at a time when we were doing well and he added to the mix. If there is a player like that that comes available, and we think is right, then I would certainly do that.”

The fact that McDermott wanted a player like Roberts to come in for him and do a similar job in the future not only shows how much McDermott rated him, but how valuable his experience was in the middle of an intense promotion battle.

Roberts came in and did exactly what he was meant to do, helping the Royals to achieve promotion. Whilst he only played a small part in the club’s history, he will be remembered fondly.