PLAYER PROFILE

Dave Kitson

Position: Forward

Height: 6'3

Weight: 13st 0lbs

Date of Birth: 1980-01-21 Hitchin, England

Dave Kitson

Dave Kitson signed for Reading from Cambridge United on Boxing Day 2003 for the fee of £150,000 and has proven himself a vital asset ever since.

Kitson's professional career has been a curious one to say the least. Unlike most players, he was never associated with a club at a young age and even stopped playing altogether to work for Sainsbury's between the ages of 17 and 20.

After that, he first played for a pub team then signed for non-league side Arlesey Town, starting out in the centre of midfield, but moving up front after injuries forced the manager's hand.

His first season as a professional came in the 2001/02 season after signing for Cambridge United. He scoried nine times before adding a further 22 in the following campaign. He was also named the club's Player of the Season that year.

In the 2003/04 season, his big break came when Steve Coppell signed him for Reading, becoming the latest savvy signing for an ascendant Royals side.

He did not bed immediatly into the side, but after scoring a sensational five goals in a 10-1 mauling of Aldershot in the reserves, he found a path into the first team, making 10 apperances and scoring on his full debut at Cardiff, despite struggling with a recurring hamstring problem throughout much of the campaign.

His first full season at the Madejski came in the 2004/05 season, where he scored 19 goals despite a three month injury absence.

Injury again kept him out for a large part of the 2006/07 season, but the fact that he scored four goals in just 12 starts proved how important a player he is to the Royals' future success.