Reading fans raise Port Vale statue money after game abandoned

Play was stopped in the 16th minute at Reading on Saturday

Reading supporters have donated to a fund for a statue at Port Vale Football Club as an apology for the abandonment of Saturday's game.

Hundreds of home fans invaded the pitch in protest against Reading's Chinese owner Dai Yongge at the club's match with Vale and play was stopped.

A total of £100,000 is needed for a statue of former long-serving Vale manager John Rudge.

More than £87,000 has been raised with up to £8,000 coming from Reading fans.

Play was stopped in the 16th minute of the League One match, despite Reading urging supporters to leave the pitch.

Last month, fans protested at Parliament against Mr Dai following sanctions imposed by the English Football League (EFL).

Reading have suffered a series of deductions totalling 16 points since November 2021 and supporter-led group Sell Before We Dai is urging the club's majority shareholder to sell.

The club's chief executive has said that Mr Dai would be willing to do so, but asked fans to be patient.

Although fans of the Staffordshire club did not see a full game, many showed their support in the stands and took to social media afterwards to back the cause of Reading supporters.

Donations from their fans began as an apology and thank you to Vale followers.

A small version of what the statue will look like has been taken to Vale Park

Port Vale Supporters Club chairman Mark Porter said: "There [were] a few who put a couple of hundred quid and I just put a tweet out [on X] saying 'thank you to the Reading fans who donated'.

"Then within like five hours that tweet's had 30,000 likes."

Money has been raised for more than two years for the planned statue of Rudge, who managed the club between 1983 and 1999, outside Vale Park.

Kirsty Rollings, from the John Rudge Statue Committee, said its aim was to unveil the statue in October to coincide with his 80th birthday.

The Vale fan stated: "It's been absolutely phenomenal. Our WhatsApp group about the John Rudge statue has just been kind of quite red hot.

John Rudge managed Vale between 1983 and 1999

"[Reading fans have] supported something that means such a lot to us and is so close to our heart - ie the construction of a permanent bronze statue to show the legacy of John Rudge."

She said almost £8,000 had "in the main come from the story and the publicity that's been generated through Reading fans and we are just so, so grateful".