Remember the date forever: Tuesday, August 26th, 2008. Reading played hosts to Luton Town in the Carling Cup.
The two Hunt brothers from Waterford, Stephen and Noel, started together for the first time with the Royals in a competitive game and they did not take long to make their mark on the game and they also created a record which had many people scratching their heads and wondering if two Irish-born brothers had ever before scored for the same team in the same game in the UK.
Noel Hunt opened the scoring after only 11 minutes when he headed home a corner kick taken by Stephen.
Four minutes later Noel crossed for Stephen and he scored (pictured). Amazing. The two local players continued to heap misery on poor old Luton afterwards.
Stephen created the third goal for Alex Perace on 54 minutes.
Reading went four goals in front a minute later but almost beyond belief the Hunts were not involved in that goal scored by Jem Karacan.
However, Noel beat the offside trap on 76 minutes and he laid the ball off for James Henry who duly netted goal number five. Luton did score a late goal but at that stage they had been run ragged by Stephen and Noel.
The game marked the debut of Dave Mooney who was signed by Reading the previous week from Cork City. He replaced the other former Cork player Shane Long. Reading at this stage have almost as many Irish players on their books as any League of Ireland team. A record-breaking night then for Stephen and Noel, and indeed Waterford.
Alan Lee
Alan Lee is a former Waterford Bohemians and Southend United player. He also won a Kennedy Cup medal with Waterford in the early ’90s. The Republic of Ireland striker played the majority of his schoolboy football in the Waterford Schoolboy League, as he lived in Waterford with his parents.
He was born in Galway (August 21, 1978) but his father, Harry, was a bank manager with AIB in Waterford and that is the reason why he is regarded as “one of us.” Having played for Ipswich Town for the past two seasons following spells with various other clubs such as Torquay United, Burnley, Rotherham United and Cardiff City he was transferred to Crystal Palace late last week.
He marked his debut on Saturday last by coming on as a substitute for Palace and one minute after came on he set up a goal for Calvin Andrew. That goal but Crystal Palace 2-1 in front against Reading but Stephen Hunt got into his stride following that goal and he created two goals for another Irish international, Wexford man Kevin Doyle, who went on to score a hat-trick. Stephen recently married Kevin’s first cousin. Reading won the game 4-2.
