Two Reading FC legends met for the first time on the eve of Reading’s League One campaign.
Rod ‘Spider’ Thornhill, who made more than 220 appearances for the Royals in the 1960s, still lives in Reading and is a resident at Parsons Grange Care Home in Shinfield.
And on Friday, Reading 106 Legend Dave Kitson – who now runs football coaching sessions in the Reading area with The Dave Kitson Academy – popped along to Parsons Grange to meet the 82-year-old and deliver a talk to Rod and other residents about his career as a professional footballer.
“It was great to meet Rod and have a chat about our experiences of playing for Reading,” said Kitson.
“It was a pleasure to be able to give a talk to Rod and the other Parsons Grange residents.”
Thornill’s son Ian – a Reading fan and author of a book about his father’s time at Elm Park – said: “It was wonderful meeting Dave Kitson and to hear him reminiscing about his playing days with Reading FC.
“It was also great to see Dave take the opportunity to listen to the residents at Parsons Grange on a range of subjects and also have a chat about football with my dad.
“My dad got his ‘Spider’ nickname as he was 6′ 1″ tall and a bit gangly, so when he marked you, he was all over you!”
Although Rod might not be a name familiar with younger Reading fans, Roger Ware – who reported on the Royals for local media for many years – remembers him well.
“Rod will be best remembered by Reading fans as the midfield ghost, a player seldom in the spotlight because he had a role just as vital as any of the flair players,” said Ware – who was part of the team of people who helped former Reading chairman Roger Smee block the proposed merger between Reading and Oxford United in 1983.
“It was Rod’s task to interrupt the flow of the opposition by close-marking their key playmaker, a role he carried out week after week to perfection.
“I always remember at a press conference after one game with then Reading manager Roy Bentley, some unfortunate journo said to Roy: ‘Why didn’t we see much of Rod today?’
“The manager turned to the questioner and said: ‘OK – now tell me how much you saw of the opposition’s star man?’ It was actually ‘not a lot’ because Rod had marked him right out of the game.
“Rod was tall and gangly, hence the nickname Spider, but he was not entirely about having a negative influence. Occasionally he broke free of that role – notably with a famous burst of four goals in less than half an hour in a game against Watford.”
You can read about Rod Thornhill’s football career with Reading FC and also reminisce about Reading in the 1950s and 1960s in ‘Spider: The Rod Thornhill Story’ which is available on Amazon.
