Straight back down to the old 2nd Division with a new manager in Tony Pulis, new players and new hope! Our opening game of the season was at Reading's Madjeski Stadium.  Being Summer and with Reading an easy trip down the M4 we decided to go. As it was such a short trip we had no real need to stop for food on the way. We ended up parking in a side road on an industrial estate about a 15 minute walk to the stadium. The ground looked unbefitting to a club of Reading's status at the time.  It was impressive, spankingly new and to top it all, it was the first ground I had come across where smoking wasn't permitted in the seating area - so none of the usual wafts of smoke choking your lungs, which I had become accustomed to over the years as a football fan.   As impressive as it was though, the ground lacked any sort of character.  It was literally a soulless bowl and could have been anyone's ground.   We were seated at the very front of the packed away end.  Roughly 2,500 City fans must have made the short journey and we had a close-up view of the action.   Just minutes into the new season and one of our new signings Gerald Lavin signed his own transfer request by booting the ball into the Reading fans on the far side.  He was red-carded and played only a few more games for City ever again.  Meanwhile the Reading fans were incensed.  That incident, coupled with the hot weather seemed to stir up a lot of anger between the two sets of supporters.   Reading had much the better of the game and went 1-0.  However in the 2nd half, 10 man City managed an equaliser through Brian Tinnion and we went mad.  On the West Match the next day I recorded myself half-climbing over the barrier in front of me before thinking better of it! However with barely minutes left, the City of the previous season reared it's ugly head and we conceded a sloppy goal to doom us to defeat.   On coming out of the stadium the stewards made a human barrier in our path telling us we had to walk all the way around the stadium instead of the nice quick route to the car.  the situation was dealt with very badly and angered a lot of the City fans, who probably wouldn't have minded had they been given previous knowledge.