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The deal to sign Adam Le Fondre from Rotherham proved inspired. He fired Royals to promotion and he excelled in PL - bargain when looking back

Reading have had many cult heroes over the years, but not many have reached the stature of Adam Le Fondre after his brilliant spell with the Royals.

Le Fondre was vital for Reading in the early 2010s, helping the Royals gain promotion to the Premier League for the 2012/13 season.

The striker made the jump from League Two with Rotherham United in the summer of 2012, to make his mark on the Championship stage.

After suffering a play-off final defeat to Swansea City in the 2010/11 season, and planning the loss of 20-goal striker Shane Long, Brian McDermott's men were deflated going into the 2011/12 season.

The Royals were in need of some rejuvenation. This is where Le Fondre came in.

The then 26-year-old signed from the Millers for a reported fee of £350,000, hoping to emulate the impact of the departed Long.

During the start of the season, Le Fondre had already scored four goals in four games for Rotherham, giving the Royals a sign of things to come.

In his first season, the striker wasn't exactly a main-stay in the starting eleven, used more as a bench player.

However, 12 goals and the Championship title sufficed for McDermott, as Le Fondre's impact helped the Royals in promotion to the top flight after four seasons.

A defining moment in this season was when the Royals met promotion rivals Southampton in a grudge match in April.

Le Fondre came off the bench with the score at 1-1.

The striker wrote himself into Royals folklore that evening at St Mary's.

Within 10 minutes he had sent a wonderful finish into the top corner to put the visitors in front, and he added another in injury time to wrap up a 3-1 win in such a crucial moment of the season.

The victory moved Reading three points clear of Saints at the top of the table and all but secured promotion to the top flight.

Le Fondre flourished on the Premier League stage

It was the Premier League which brought the best out of the nippy striker.

A goal on the opening day versus Stoke City, turned into 12 for the season. Not bad for a striker playing in the fourth tier not so long ago.

In January 2013, he scooped up the Premier League player of the month award, the only Royals player ever to secure the trophy in their history. His substitution heroics came in clutch for Reading this season, scoring eight goals off the bench.

Despite relegation, Le Fondre's efforts won't be forgotten.

Following the Royals' departure from the Premier League, Le Fondre kept up with his habits with 15 goals in the 2013/14 season, as the Royals narrowly missed out on the play-offs.

However, as Reading’s financial difficulties imploded in the summer of 2014, the club were forced to sell their talisman in order to stay afloat. He made the move to Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's Cardiff City for a reported £2.5 million.

Now, 37, Le Fondre spoke to the, I had trials once podcast, about his time at the Madejski Stadium.

"I love Reading as a club, they’re amazing. Such a family-orientated club. I wanted to stay there for longer - I felt like I was the player who would shoot them back up into the Premier League."

Le Fondre was an absolute bargain looking back

Despite only three seasons for the club, Reading certainly got their money's worth of what seemed expensive for a League Two player at the time.

41 goals and a key reason why they're still playing as a football club today, Le Fondre was a hero off the pitch as much as he was on it.

Now, he plays his football in the seventh tier with FC United of Manchester, still scoring goals for fun.

His goal scoring ability off the bench was like no one else, and his late goals will live long in the memory of the Reading faithful.