Reading FC's £500k transfer agreement with Sheffield United was one to remember: View | OneFootball

Chris Armstrong was an excellent addition for the Royals, who richly benefitted from his presence.

Back in the summer of 2008, Reading were at an important stage.

Having just been relegated, Steve Coppell would have been keen to get the Royals back to the Premier League as quickly as possible, having suffered relegation on the final day of the 2007/08 campaign despite winning 4-0 away at Derby County.

Losing the likes of Dave Kitson and Ibrahima Sonko during that summer, as well as Glen Little and John Oster, they also saw Nicky Shorey depart.

Shorey had been an excellent servant for the Royals, proving to be an asset from set-pieces, defending admirably and also representing England on two occasions during his time at the Madejski Stadium (now the Select Car Leasing Stadium).

He made the move to Martin O'Neill's Aston Villa, who looked set to benefit from having him at their disposal.

The Royals, meanwhile, had to find a sufficient replacement and they were able to do that, recruiting Chris Armstrong from Sheffield United during the latter stages of August 2008 for an initial £500,000 fee.

Although there were misses during that window, the Berkshire side managed to recruit some decent players, with stability behind the scenes helping them to recruit some talented players.

Chris Armstrong signing was one to remember for Reading FC

Noel Hunt was recruited during that window and so was Michael Antonio, who has gone on to be an important player in the English top tier.

In terms of their short-term impact though, Armstrong and Hunt were the best additions of that window, with the latter proving to be a useful goalscorer following the departure of Kitson.

Armstrong, meanwhile, was a solid left-back throughout the 2008/09 season, making 40 league appearances and managing to be an asset in the final third as well as the defensive third.

It's no surprise that he was an asset for the Berkshire side, having gained some valuable experience in the top two tiers of English football during his time at Bramall Lane.

His only goal for the Berkshire outfit came at home against Watford in January 2009, volleying the ball past Scott Loach as he helped the Royals secure a 4-0 win in front of the Sky Sports cameras that night.

To his credit, he didn't get sent off during his time in Berkshire either and it's a massive shame that he was forced to retire in 2011 due to a multiple sclerosis diagnosis.

Retiring at just 28, that was gutting for both the player and the club.

The latter would have been keen to see the left-back guiding the Royals back to the top flight and he had the potential to do that, with the club eventually managing to get themselves back to the top level in 2012.

Many Royals fans look back on the 2008/09 season fairly fondly, even with their poor end to the season and their play-off semi-final heartbreak in mind.

Securing some thumping wins and outclassing many teams, it was a fairly enjoyable campaign and Armstrong played a big part in that, with his solidity on the left-hand side allowing others to get forward.

His time at the club may have been cut short in a cruel fashion, and he may not have spent that long at the club, but fans view him in a very positive light.

Thankfully for the Royals, a couple of Armstrong's successors at left-back proved to be major successes.

Ryan Bertrand, who came in on loan from Chelsea, was a massive success during the 2009/10 season and even back then, it was clear that he had a huge amount of potential.

Ian Harte was the club's next regular starter on the left-hand side, and like Shorey, he was very effective from set-pieces.

The Irishman's lack of pace was exposed in the 2011 play-off final, but he recovered from that, won promotion with the club in 2012 and played in the top flight with the Royals.