The 1950-59 era produced little change in Readings fortunes. The 1950-51 campaign was a decent one for Reading FC, they finished the season off in third place, narrowly failing on gaining promotion to the second division, they also reached the third round of the FA Cup, defeating two sides in the process.
The 1951-52 season was arguably their best for years, they were a dominant force in their division, finishing the season off in second place, they also reached the third round of the FA Cup for the second successive season. Ronnie Blackman was prolific in front of goal through out the campaign as he scored a staggering 39 goals, the most league goals ever scored by a Reading football player in a single season to date. Also their dominance in the division could clearly be seen as the club scored a staggering 112 league goals in total during the campaign.
They suffered a significant down turn in their fortunes, fairing a lot worse in the league, finishing the season off in eleventh place, they crashed out of the FA Cup in the first round. The 53-54 season once again saw them eliminated from the competition in the same round, however they finished the season off in eighth place.
The 1954-55 season was an unmitigated disaster for Reading, their football severely deteriorated as they stumbled to an 18th position finish, narrowly avoiding relegation and they could only reach the first round of the FA cup. The following two seasons witnessed Reading football club finish the season off in 17th and 13th place respectively.
The late 1950’s saw a vast improvement in their football as they finished the 58-59 and 59-60 seasons in fifth and sixth positions respectively. They had a decent run in the FA Cup during the 1959-60 season as they reached the third round of the competition. Their manager, Harry Johnston had now provided stability to the club.