That glorious day in the sunshine at Cardiff.
The millenium stadium was humming.
And as the final whistle blew I threw my WFC cap high in the air only to see it disapear into the lower deck.
If anyone on here found it could you please send me a pm. thanks
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Dont remember much sunshine that day! Still an amazing day, it will take something special to top that!
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From agony to ecstasy to anxiety and then euphoria
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Iāve told the story on here before (and thereās even a video somewhere online when the E&S interviewed me about it in the Globe at Marylebone the night before that day in 2015 that Iām still not able to talk about in public), but as itās the anniversary ā¦
In 2001 I was in a pub quiz team in some short-lived national competition (that later went bust as it was too generous in its prizes for the sponsorship it generated). We came top of the teams in our region for the 2nd month it ran - which meant we were one of 10 teams winning free flights, and hotel rooms as part of a weekend in Paris (and a playoff for Ā£1,000 and a place in the grand final - involving a week in Las Vegas and a Ā£10,000 prize).
Well cushty. The only fly in the ointment being that it just so happened to be the same weekend as the game against Reading. (oh the dilemma! 
)
After much soul searching, I ended up driving to Manchester airport on the Friday evening and leaving my car in an on-site short stay, flew with everyone else to Paris where we were whisked to the hotel (somewhere near Montparnasse on the south bank) in an executive coach for a champagne reception and buffet. Rest of Friday night (back to the hotel in time for breakfast! 
) and most of Saturday to ourselves, in the evening we did the quiz playoff* - and another buffet with free booze that I (mostly) had to duck out of to make sure I was up before 5 and heading to Gare du Nord to get the first Eurostar of the day to Waterloo, and then across to Paddington for the train to Cardiff - the route of which happens to go through Reading, meaning I was more or less the only person wearing a red shirt on a train full of blue ones!
I canāt remember exactly how much it cost me in train fares, but know it was a hell of a lot more than it would have done to have gone from home! Actually the Eurostar had some offer on and were charging less for a return ticket than a single, so thatās what I asked for when booking my seat on the train from Paris. The clerk asked me what train back I would be getting:
āI wonāt be coming backā
āSo you want a singleā
āNo because thatās dearerā
āOK, a return. What train will you be coming back on?ā
ā¦ and repeat.
In the end I gave up and said Iād be on the first train out of London the following morning just to shut him up.
āSo do you want a forward facing seat or a rearward one?ā
Some people! 
I had left plenty of leeway in my timetable to get to Paddington just in case, but everything went smoothly and I was there in plenty of time. However, all the 4 earlier trains I could have got before the one Iād reserved a seat on were apparently sold out (by London based Reading fans) so I was twiddling my thumbs in the station for a couple of hours (with my weekend case) and didnāt have enough time in Cardiff to get a pint and soak the atmosphere as much as I would have liked.
But I did meet up with my dad, brother, and mate from Ireland - they met me at the station. Had to detour to my brotherās car to drop off my case, but just about all of Cardiff between the station and the stadium that we went through was full of Reading fans - until we turned a corner into the final and suddenly it was a sea of red after hours and hours of blue and the emotion of the occasion finally hit me. I also remember a bit of banter with the Preston fans in the hotel next door to the stadium that @Chunkster mentioned recently.
Our seats were in the section round the corner at the end all the goals went in, which for some reason wasnāt quite as rammed as the sections on the side - and a bloke in front of me was going mad at everyone in the block for not making enough noise to get behind the team as we went into extra time. Well Iāve had less than 5 hours sleep in the last 48 and had lost my voice cheering before half time but after that journey to be there nobody was telling me I wasnāt a true supporter! I think he got my point ā¦
My brother was giving me a lift home from Cardiff - but remember my own carās still parked at Manchester airport. Iād given the keys to one of my quiz team mates - and they rang me because theyād now flown back but couldnāt work out the immobiliser just moments after the final whistle went. I couldnāt hear a bloody word, and had no voice to reply anyway!
It was all a brilliant day but I have to admit that when Byfield got the ball, turned and shaped to shoot I was groaning and thinking āDonāt even try and hit it from there you idiot!ā Shows you how much I know! 
- So what happened with the quiz playoff? Well my team narrowly came second (think we won Ā£100) - to a team from the Parkbrook on the Wolverhampton Road. Some of them were Walsall fans but had foregone Cardiff for the free flight home. And spookily, in 3rd place was a team from Nottingham which included a Saddleress who was studying at the uni - so a clean sweep for the mighty reds! And in fact, between Paris and reaching the Millennium Stadium I saw less Saddler fans than Iād left behind at the hotel!
The following month the quiz organisers went bust so we didnāt get another chance of a Euro weekend city break and crack at Vegas - but we were in the Championship again, so who cared?
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brilliant story andy. felt the same when byfield shaped to shoot but what a strike! before the game i went down the front and looked up at the masses ranks of saddlers there to see us play in that magnificent stadium and it was an emotional moment. my dad was with me- little did either of us know that it would be his last game before he left to join all those saddlers in the sky. what an exit! superb memories
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Fantastic, that turn and shot still sends tingles down my spine. Have to admit I canāt bring myself to watch it after that, those last few minutes were the longest of my life.
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Watching those highlights - not once did they show Walsall fans until after end of game - all about sad looking Reading fans.
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They had a choice of sad or tense.
After the final whistle it was dejected or delirious.
Thought there might be more takers to see the greatest half hour in Walsall history that exists on YouTube. Obviously not.
Bring it up for the twenty year anniversary and weāll plug it across all the Saddler networksā¦
Great viewing. Especially Sir Rayās face!
20 years today!
The clubās Twitter account have been making a thing of it - https://twitter.com/WFCOfficial
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I was at the game but recorded the live Sky coverage.
When I watched it back on video, Ronnie Moore (who was probably Tranmere manager at the time) was summarising and came out with the least politically correct thing Iāve ever heard on TV.
He was praising Dean Keates and said āheās run his legs off and was now like a mini Douglas Bader.ā
I donāt think they asked him back again!
Canāt believe its 19 years. Amazing day, very hazy in parts.
I remember giving the reading fans some abuse on the way back because there had been a diversion put in place that took both sets of fans down the motorway
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Sat through every minute of those interviews and really enjoyed listening. Itās the little side stories from a players perspective that makes it even more special.
I remember saying to a few Reading fans with their heads in their hands āenjoy Colchester next seasonā as we walked past them outside. Wouldnāt do that now I have matured, of course 
Thatās because itās now actually 20 years - the thread was started 12 months ago! 
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Ronnie Moore was Rotherham manager having just got them promoted automatically in second