Advertisement

WATCH: Excitable scenes for Harborough Town as League One Reading drawn in FA Cup

Reading FC v Fleetwood Town. The Emirates FA Cup 1st Round <i>(Image: ©Jason Dawson)</i>
Reading FC v Fleetwood Town. The Emirates FA Cup 1st Round (Image: ©Jason Dawson)

A video has gone viral on social media as non-league Harborough Town discovered that they will be travelling to the Select Car Leasing Stadium to face Reading in the FA Cup second round.

Harborough Town, based in the Leicestershire town of Market Harborough, were founded in 1975 and play in the seventh tier of English football, the Southern League Premier Division Central.

Beating Kent-based Tonbridge Angels 4-1 in the FA Cup first round on Saturday, the Bees are in the second round for the first time in their history.

It was a momentous occasion and BBC Radio Leicester were at the clubhouse to record excitable fans and players as the 24,000-seater SCL Stadium awaits them later this month.

They will become the first non-league outfit to visit the SCL Stadium since Welling United were defeat 1-0 in the first round in November 2001.

It has been over 50 years since the Royals hosted a seventh tier side, Bridgewater Town beaten in 1972, while Eastleigh and Kidderminster Harriers have both knocked out Reading in the last five years despite playing in non-league.

From 2002 until 2022, Reading would enter at round three due to their status in the top two divisions.

Less than 3,600 supporters turned up for Saturday's win over Fleetwood Town, but many are hoping that a tie with the non-leaguers can attract a much wider audience in the next round.

Full fixture details are yet to be confirmed, with televised fixtures yet to be selected by broadcasters.