hiː dʒˈɔɪnd ɹˈiːdɪŋ ɪn nˈaɪntiːnhˈʌndɹɪd sˈɪksti nˈaɪn ænd wɛnt stɹˈeɪt ˌɪntʊ ðə tˈiːm æz fˈɜːst tʃˈɔɪs ɡˈoʊlkiːpɚ, ænd dᵻspˈaɪt bˌiːɪŋ ˈoʊnli , ðə smˈɔːlɪst ɡˈoʊlkiːpɚɹ ɪnðə fˈʊtbɔːl lˈiːɡ, hiː mˌeɪd ðə pəzˈɪʃən hɪz ˈoʊn fɚðə nˈɛkst tˈɛn jˈɪɹz wɪð ɐ tˈoʊɾəl ʌv fˈaɪvhˈʌndɹɪd θˈɜːɾi sˈɛvən fˈɜːst tˈiːm ɐpˈɪɹənsᵻz.
He joined Reading in 1969 and went straight into the team as first choice goalkeeper, and despite being only , the smallest goalkeeper in the Football League, he made the position his own for the next ten years with a total of 537 first team appearances.