Port Vale’s match at Reading is abandoned after fans protest
Port Vale’s League One game against Reading was abandoned after a pitch invasion by hundreds of home fans protesting against owner Dai Yogge.
Reading fans are furious about Yogge’s financial mismanagement of the club. The 55 year-old is accused of running the club into the ground landing them with transfer embargoes and points deductions through poor financial management. Find out more about why the Reading supporters are protesting here.
The match kicked off at 3pm but it was stopped after sixteen minutes after hundreds of Reading fans invaded the pitch.
#readingfc pic.twitter.com/eYa8JtBFLV
— James Earnshaw (@james_e1871) January 13, 2024
A mass pitch invasion has happened at Reading v Port Vale as the home support continue to protest against their owners. All power to them. It deserves headlines. pic.twitter.com/qZkE3UQpjk
— HLTCO (@HLTCO) January 13, 2024
It must have been a bizarre experience for loan addition Jenson Weir, who was picked in the starting XI and making his Vale ‘debut’. There were multiple delays early on as tennis balls were thrown onto the pitch. When play did start, Vale began brightly with Alex Iacovitti having a header ruled out for offside from an Ethan Chislett free-kick. Reading countered with two appeals for penalties turned down just before play came to an end around the sixteen minute mark.
The pitch invasion caused the players to be called back to their dressing rooms as the game was halted by the officials. The protests continued for over an hour. In the early stages, many of the travelling Vale contingent applauded the protesting Reading fans on the pitch. However, there was more controversy later on with Reading fans appearing to be split between those who remained in the stands or left the pitch having made their point and those who remained in the centre circle seemingly determined to see the fixture abandoned.
After some confusion and conflicting announcements over the tannoy, there was finally official confirmation at 4.26pm, that the match had been abandoned and it will now need to be replayed.
OVF Opinion – Reading call for help – the game should respond
While annoying for those wanting to watch this game, this is bigger than the annoyance of a match being called off. This call for help needs to be heard and supported by the wider football community….
While we have every sympathy for the Port Vale players and especially the fans who paid good money to see this game, we also back the Reading protests just so long as they remain peaceful. They are clearly the result of increasing desperation amongst their fanbase and not a kneejerk reaction. While annoying for those wanting to watch this game, this is bigger than the annoyance of a match being called off. This call for help needs to be heard and supported by the wider football community.
When the Valiants have been in financial trouble, we were grateful for the support of fans of other clubs, which remind us that we are all part of one football family. Loyal, lifetime Reading fans no doubt love their club as much as Vale fans and this website does not like to see other clubs’ supporters suffering through poor ownership.
We wish the Reading protesters all the best and hope that they secure a sustainable future for their club under new ownership soon. We hope the message for is clear – either Mr Yongge voluntarily and quickly ends his incompetent and damaging reign or if not, it’s time for the football authorities to take quick and decisive action.
To find out more about the Reading protest click here
Top image: Twitter @TimDellor