Not that I usually write previews for Friendly games, I thought I would make an effort on the occasion of Spurs visit this Saturday to the Madejski Stadium for their penultimate warm-up game for the new season. For the home side of course, there will be just one more week, before they kick off in earnest to try and improve upon their 7th place in last season's Coca-Cola Championship competition. Reading missed out on the play-offs on the last day, by virtue of their 3-1 defeat at promoted Wigan, and West Ham's 2-1 win at Watford. For the second year running the sixth placed side eventually won promotion at Cardiff (Palace had done it the previous year), and "The Royals" failed by three points to make the play-offs, although in 2003-4 they were ninth and had a negative goal difference. The previous year, Reading made the Play-Off semi-finals, but lost out to Wolves. As you can see, Steve Coppell's side has the necessary pedigree to make yet another challenge to win Premiership football to be played in a stadium that replaced Elm Park in 1998.

Amazingly, it is nearly 75 years (apart from war-time games)since these two teams met in a competitive fixture. That was on 27th December, 1930, when Spurs won 2-1, having beaten Reading at White Hart Lane by a massive 7-1 in August of that season. Spurs finished third that season, and had to wait a couple more years before getting back to Division One, whilst Reading were relegated and played in the lower divisions until 1986. Ted Harper scored 5 goals in that August game, and only Alf Stokes and Bobby Smith have matched that record in all Spurs' history.

In recent years the leadership of Alan Pardew and now Steve Coppell, coupled no doubt with the stewardship of Chairman John Madejski (after whom the stadium is of course named), has led to such close challenges for promotion.

There is a long list of players who have played for both sides, mostly playing for The Royals after their time at Tottenham. Most famous amongst these must be Steve Archibald, who spent a season in Reading's colours in 1991-2. Gary Brooke, David Leworthy, Brian Statham and John Polston are amongst the former Spurs playing in Berkshire. In most recent times, ex-Spurs have been Darren Caskey (now in non-league football) and Kevin Watson, who now plays for Colchester.

Watson played his handful of games for Spurs in the 92-93 season. One of these was in front of the Kop in the last game of the season, when Spurs lost 6-2 in a carnival atmosphere on the farewell of the Kop Terraced Stand. I remember one of Darren Caskey's memorable games for Spurs on 18th December 1993, when he scored a dramatic equaliser to make it a 3-3 draw on a day when White Hart Lane had mourned the death of Danny Blanchflower.

This will be Reading's first and last high profile pre-season game. They return this week from a short tour in Sweden, where they have enjoyed massive wins over lowly sides. Their squad does include gooner loanee keeper Graham Stack, who I do believe still has an issue to settle with officers of the law (nothing unusual for a gooner, then), right-winger Glen Little, who played against us for Burnley in November 2002, when they beat us in the Third Round of the Worthington Cup, and an impressive striker in Dave Kitson, signed from Cambridge United at Christmas 2003 (not to be confused with ex- Derby and ex- West Ham striker Paul Kitson - last heard of at Rushden and Diamonds.)

Spurs will be fairly relaxed, I'm sure, after their winning tour in South Korea, and with Edgar Davids (hopefully!)looming in the background, the midfield will be fighting hard to secure their position for the new season. Michael Dawson is back in training after breaking his nose in South Korea, and goalkeeper Paul Robinson resumed full training this week, having been maintaining his fitness with the squad on tour. We may also get our first sight of Nourredine Naybet and Reto Ziegler with the first team squad this pre-season.

There should a good crowd and a cracking atmosphere in a stadium that has hosted under-21 Internationals. It won't be easy, but I anticipate a good win for Spurs.

· How to get there - and parking information

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