1988 Full Members' Cup Final

Last updated

1988 Simod Cup Final
Event 1987–88 Full Members' Cup
Luton Town Reading
14
Date27 March 1988
Venue Wembley Stadium, London
Attendance61,740
← 1987
1989 →

The 1988 Full Members' Cup Final was the third Full Members' Cup final, contested by First Division side Luton Town and Second Division team Reading at Wembley Stadium on 27 March 1988. It was the first, and only, Full Members' Cup final for both teams. Reading were making their first appearance at the national stadium, while Luton had not played at the ground since 1959.

Contents

Background

English teams had been banned from Europe following the Heysel Stadium disaster at the 1985 European Cup Final between Liverpool and Juventus. The Football League started a new tournament for sides in the top two leagues to increase revenues, particularly for sides who had lost revenue through the lack of European football. [1] The 1987–88 Full Members' Cup saw Reading start in the first round of the competition, while Luton were given a bye to the third round following their high league position in the previous season. [2] Reading defeated a top division side in all rounds, excluding the quarter-finals. [3]

Reading's semi-final victory against Coventry City became the latest finish to a football match in Britain at the time, finishing at 22:38. The record stood until 2002. [4]

Route to the Final

Luton Town

10 February 1988Third round [5] Everton (1)1–2 Luton Town (1) Goodison Park, Liverpool
1 March 1988Quarter-final [5] Luton Town (1) 4–1 Stoke City (2) Kenilworth Road, Luton
Shaw Attendance: 4,480
8 March 1988Semi-final [5] Luton Town (1) 2–1 (a.e.t.) Swindon Town (2) Kenilworth Road, Luton

Reading

21 December 1987First round [5] [4] Queens Park Rangers (1)1–3 Reading (2) Loftus Road, London
Jones Soccerball shade.svgSoccerball shade.svg
Tait Soccerball shade.svg
13 January 1988Second round [6] [4] Reading (2) 1–0 Oxford United (1) Elm Park, Reading
Horrix Soccerball shade.svg
3 February 1988Third round [6] [4] Reading (2) 2–1 (a.e.t.) Nottingham Forest (1) Elm Park, Reading
Horrix Soccerball shade.svg
Beavon Soccerball shade.svg
10 February 1988Quarter-final [6] [4] Reading (2) 2–1 (a.e.t.) Bradford City (2) Elm Park, Reading
Bailie Soccerball shade.svg
Horrix Soccerball shade.svg
2 March 1988Semi-final [6] [4] [7] Reading (2) 1–1 (a.e.t.)
(4–3 p)		 Coventry City (1) Elm Park, Reading
Smillie Soccerball shade.svg57' Speedie Soccerball shade.svg79'Attendance: ~15,000
Penalties

Match summary

England international Mick Harford put Luton 1–0 up after fourteen minutes, although he admitted after the game that he handled the ball into the net. [8] On twenty minutes, Michael Gilkes levelled the game for Reading. Gilkes was fouled five minutes later and Reading were awarded a penalty. Stuart Beavon dispatched it, despite Les Sealey, in the Luton goal, guessing the right direction. Mick Tait doubled Reading's lead on 55 minutes, while Neil Smillie finished the game off with the Royals' fourth. [8]

Aftermath

Reading became the second non-top flight side in a row to win the competition, after Blackburn Rovers, but were unable to defend the trophy due to relegation to the Third Division later on in the season. [2] The club never played a Full Members' Cup match again, before the competition was abolished at the end of the 1991–92 season. [9] The victory remains the only major trophy that the club has won, with two semi-final appearances in the FA Cup being the next best cup results for Reading.

Victory for Luton would've been their first major trophy, as well, but they only had to wait a month after the Full Members' Cup final before they defeated Arsenal in the League Cup final to do so. They subsequently finished their First Division season in ninth position. [10] Luton didn't appear in another Full Members' Cup final; a southern semi-final appearance in the 1990–91 season being their best performance following their defeat.

Match details

Luton Town 1–4 Reading
Harford Soccerball shade.svg13' Gilkes Soccerball shade.svg20'
Beavon Soccerball shade.svg25' (p)
Tait Soccerball shade.svg57'
Smillie Soccerball shade.svg66'
Wembley Stadium, London
Attendance: 61,740
Kit left arm shoulder stripes white shirt alt.png
Kit left arm.svg
Kit body vneckonwhite.png
Kit body.svg
Kit right arm shoulder stripes white shirt alt.png
Kit right arm.svg
Kit shorts white stripes.png
Kit shorts.svg
Kit socks orange top.png
Kit socks long.svg
Luton Town
Kit left arm.svg
Kit body Reading F.C. Away 1988.png
Kit body.svg
Kit right arm.svg
Kit shorts.svg
Kit socks 2 navy stripes.png
Kit socks long.svg
Reading
GK1 Flag of England.svg Les Sealey
RB2 Flag of England.svg Tim Breacker
CB5 Flag of England.svg Steve Foster
CB6 Ulster Banner.svg Mal Donaghy
LB3 Flag of Ireland.svg Ashley Grimes
RM7 Ulster Banner.svg Danny Wilson
CM4 Flag of England.svg Darron McDonough
CM8 Flag of England.svg Brian Stein
LM11 Flag of England.svg Ian Allinson
CF9 Flag of England.svg Mick Harford
CF10 Flag of England.svg Mark Stein
Substitutes:
GK Flag of Wales (1959-present).svg Andy Dibble
DF Flag of England.svg Rob Johnson
MF Ulster Banner.svg Kingsley Black
MF Flag of England.svg David Oldfield
FW Flag of Nigeria.svg Emeka Nwajiobi
Manager:
Flag of England.svg Ray Harford
GK1 Flag of England.svg Steve Francis
RB2 Ulster Banner.svg Colin Bailie
CB5 Flag of England.svg Martin Hicks
CB6 Flag of England.svg Keith Curle
LB3 Flag of England.svg Steve Richardson
RM7 Flag of Wales (1959-present).svg Linden Jones
CM4 Ulster Banner.svg Stuart Beavon
CM8 Flag of England.svg Les Taylor
LM11 Flag of England.svg Neil Smillie
CF9 Flag of England.svg Mick Tait
CF10 Flag of England.svg Michael Gilkes
Substitutes:
GK Flag of England.svg Gary Westwood
DF Flag of England.svg Paul Franklin
MF Flag of England.svg Gary Peters
MF Flag of England.svg Jerry Williams
FW Flag of England.svg Francis Joseph
Manager:
Flag of England.svg Ian Branfoot

Match rules

  • 90 minutes
  • 30 minutes of extra-time if necessary
  • Penalty shootout if scores still level
  • Five named substitutes
  • Maximum of two substitutions

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References

  1. ↑ "Full Members Cup: the anti-European Cup that nobody wanted". fourfourtwo.com. 23 March 2016. Retrieved 19 March 2018.
  2. 1 2 "1987-88 Football League Full Members Cup". fchd.info. Retrieved 19 March 2018.
  3. ↑ "Giant Killing". Royals Record. Retrieved 19 March 2018.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Reading 1987-88". Royalsrecord.co.uk. Retrieved 1 January 2014.
  5. 1 2 3 4 1st rnd results at Statto, with links to other rounds [ permanent dead link ]
  6. 1 2 3 4 1987/88 Reading season results at Royals Mad - note 1st round match against QPR is missing from list
  7. ↑ "Penalty Shoot-outs". Archived from the original on 11 October 2012. Retrieved 19 March 2018.
  8. 1 2 "Memories of the Wembley Simod Cup win". Get Reading. 9 April 2015. Retrieved 19 March 2018.
  9. ↑ "Full Members' Cup Records". Royals Record. Retrieved 23 March 2018.
  10. ↑ "1987-88 Football League". fchd.info. Retrieved 23 March 2018.
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