Squad
[6] Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
|
|
| 1997–98 season | |
|---|---|
| Chairman | David Kohler |
| Manager | Lennie Lawrence |
| Stadium | Kenilworth Road |
| Second Division | 17th |
| FA Cup | First round |
| League Cup | Second round |
| Football League Trophy | Southern Semi-final |
| Top goalscorer | League: Tony Thorpe (14) All: Tony Thorpe (19) |
| Highest home attendance | 9,041 (vs. Watford, Second Division, 4 October 1997) |
| Lowest home attendance | 2,816 (vs. Colchester United, League Cup, 26 August 1997) |
| Average home league attendance | 5,879 |
The 1997–98 season was the 112th season in the history of Luton Town F.C. It was Luton Town's 77th consecutive season in the Football League, and their 80th overall. It was their second season back in the Football League Third Division following relegation in the 1995–96 season.
This article covers the period from 1 July 1997 to 30 June 1998.
During the 1997–98 English football season, Luton Town F.C. competed in the Football League Second Division. It was the second full season of Lennie Lawrences's spell as Luton Town manager. Hopes were high for promotion following Luton's 3rd place finish the previous season, however injuries to key players in September and October saw Luton Town fall into the relegation zone. [1] They subsequently spent the season battling at the wrong end of the division. Luton were in the relegation zone as late as April and only secured their safety following a 2–2 draw with Brentford in the second last game of the season. [2] Luton's survival was due in no small part to the arrival of Rory Allen on loan from Tottenham Hotspur F.C.. Allen arrived at the end of March with Luton Town sitting 23rd in the table with only 8 games remaining. Allen scored 6 goals in that time which resulted in 5 wins and 1 draw for Luton Town [3]
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15 | Preston North End | 46 | 15 | 14 | 17 | 56 | 56 | 0 | 59 |
| 16 | York City | 46 | 14 | 17 | 15 | 52 | 58 | −6 | 59 |
| 17 | Luton Town | 46 | 14 | 15 | 17 | 60 | 64 | −4 | 57 |
| 18 | Millwall | 46 | 14 | 13 | 19 | 43 | 54 | −11 | 55 |
| 19 | Walsall | 46 | 14 | 12 | 20 | 43 | 52 | −9 | 54 |
Luton Town's score comes first [5]
| Win | Draw | Loss |
| Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Scorers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 09 August 1997 | Blackpool | Away | 0–1 | 6,547 | |
| 18 August 1997 | Southend United | Home | 1–0 | 5,140 | Stuart Douglas |
| 23 August 1997 | Fulham | Away | 0–0 | 8,142 | |
| 30 August 1997 | Oldham Athletic | Home | 1–1 | 5,404 | Tony Thorpe |
| 02 September 1997 | Millwall | Home | 0–2 | 5,781 | |
| 09 September 1997 | Northampton Town | Away | 0–1 | 7,246 | |
| 13 September 1997 | AFC Bournemouth | Away | 1–1 | 4,561 | Dwight Marshall |
| 20 September 1997 | Wrexham | Home | 2–5 | 5,241 | Steve Davis, Phil Gray |
| 27 September 1997 | Bristol City | Away | 0–3 | 8,509 | |
| 04 October 1997 | Watford | Home | 0–4 | 9,041 | |
| 11 October 1997 | Plymouth Argyle | Home | 3–0 | 4,931 | Tony Thorpe (2), Simon Davies |
| 18 October 1997 | Wigan Athletic | Away | 1–1 | 4,466 | David Oldfield |
| 21 October 1997 | Carlisle United | Away | 1–0 | 4,341 | Alan White |
| 25 October 1997 | Brentford | Home | 2–0 | 5,972 | Graham Alexander, Tony Thorpe |
| 01 November 1997 | Wycombe Wanderers | Away | 2–2 | 6,219 | David Oldfield, Tony Thorpe |
| 04 November 1997 | Burnley | Home | 2–3 | 5,315 | Graham Alexander (2) |
| 08 November 1997 | Preston North End | Home | 1–3 | 5,767 | Tony Thorpe |
| 22 November 1997 | Walsall | Home | 0–1 | 4,726 | |
| 29 November 1997 | York City | Away | 2–1 | 3,636 | Graham Alexander, Tony Thorpe |
| 02 December 1997 | Gillingham | Home | 2–2 | 4,408 | Steve Davis, Tony Thorpe |
| 13 December 1997 | Chesterfield | Away | 0–0 | 4,358 | |
| 20 December 1997 | Bristol Rovers | Home | 2–4 | 5,266 | Chris Allen, David Oldfield |
| 26 December 1997 | Northampton | Home | 2–2 | 8,035 | David Oldfield, Tony Thorpe |
| 28 December 1997 | Millwall | Away | 2–0 | 7,461 | Steve Davis, Tony Thorpe |
| 03 January 1998 | Southend United | Away | 2–1 | 5,056 | Graham Alexander (2) |
| 10 January 1998 | Blackpool | Home | 3–0 | 5,574 | Tony Thorpe (3) |
| 17 January 1998 | Oldham Athletic | Away | 1–2 | 6,057 | Graham Alexander |
| 24 January 1998 | Fulham | Home | 1–4 | 8,366 | Tony Thorpe |
| 31 January 1998 | AFC Bournemouth | Home | 1–2 | 5,466 | Marvin Johnson |
| 07 February 1998 | Wrexham | Away | 1–2 | 3,527 | Steve Davis |
| 14 February 1998 | Watford | Away | 1–1 | 15,182 | Marvin Johnson |
| 21 February 1998 | Bristol City | Home | 0–0 | 6,405 | |
| 24 February 1998 | Wigan Athletic | Home | 1–1 | 4,403 | David Oldfield |
| 28 February 1998 | Plymouth Argyle | Away | 2–0 | 4,846 | Andrew Fotiadis, Sean Evers |
| 03 March 1998 | Preston North End | Away | 0–1 | 6,992 | |
| 07 March 1998 | Wycombe Wanderers | Home | 0–0 | 6,114 | |
| 14 March 1998 | Burnley | Away | 1–1 | 9,656 | Mitchell Thomas |
| 21 March 1998 | Grimsby Town | Home | 2–2 | 5,722 | Sean Evers, Steve Davis |
| 28 March 1998 | Walsall | Away | 3–2 | 3,922 | David Oldfield, Rory Allen, Dwight Marshall |
| 04 April 1998 | York City | Home | 3–0 | 5,541 | Graham Alexander(pen), David Oldfield, Phil Gray |
| 07 April 1998 | Grimsby Town | Away | 1–0 | 4,455 | Rory Allen |
| 11 April 1998 | Gillingham | Away | 1–2 | 6,846 | Rory Allen |
| 14 April 1998 | Chesterfield | Home | 3–0 | 5,884 | Dwight Marshall, Rory Allen, David Oldfield |
| 18 April 1998 | Bristol Rovers | Away | 1–2 | 8,038 | David Oldfield |
| 25 April 1998 | Brentford | Away | 2–2 | 6,596 | Dwight Marshall, Rory Allen |
| 02 May 1998 | Carlisle United | Home | 3–2 | 6,729 | Sean Evers, (og), Rory Allen |
| Round | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Goalscorers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| R1 | 15 November 1997 | Torquay United | Home | 0–1 | 3,446 |
| Round | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Goalscorers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| R1 1st leg | 12 August 1997 | Colchester United | Away | 1–0 | 2,840 | Tony Thorpe |
| R1 2nd leg | 26 August 1997 | Colchester United | Home | 1–1 | 2,816 | Tony Thorpe |
| R2 1st leg | 16 September 1997 | West Bromwich Albion | Home | 1–1 | 3,437 | Stuart Douglas |
| R2 2nd leg | 23 September 1997 | West Bromwich Albion | Away | 2–4 | 7,227 | Steve Davis, Tony Thorpe |
| Round | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Goalscorers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SR2 | 06 January 1998 | Brentford | Home | 2–1 | 3,106 | Tony Thorpe, David Oldfield |
| SQF | 27 January 1998 | Fulham | Away | 2–1 | 5,103 | Dwight Marshall, Tony Thorpe |
| SSF | 17 February 1998 | AFC Bournemouth | Away | 0–1 | 5,367 |
[6] Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
|
|
| Pos. | Name | League | FA Cup | League Cup | FL Trophy | Total | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| MF |  David Oldfield | 45 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 53 | 10 |
| MF | Paul McLaren | 41 (2) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 48 (2) | 0 |
| DF | Steve Davis | 39 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 45 | 5 |
| DF |  Graham Alexander | 39 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 44 | 8 |
| MF |  Gary Waddock | 34 (2) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 (2) | 0 | 39 (4) | 0 |
| DF | Mitchell Thomas | 28 (2) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 32 (2) | 1 |
| FW | Tony Thorpe | 27 (1) | 14 | 1 | 0 | 2 (1) | 2 | 1 (1) | 0 | 31 (3) | 16 |
| GK | Kelvin Davis | 32 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 33 | 0 |
| DF | Alan White | 26 (2) | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 31 (2) | 1 |
| FW |  Dwight Marshall | 19 (10) | 4 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 23 (10) | 5 |
| DF |  Darren Patterson | 23 | 0 | 0 (1) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 26 (1) | 0 |
| MF | Sean Evers | 14 (8) | 3 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 19 (8) | 3 |
| MF |  Simon Davies | 8 (11) | 1 | 0 (1) | 0 | 3 (1) | 0 | 3 | 0 | 14 (13) | 1 |
| DF | Julian James | 23 (1) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 25 (1) | 0 |
| FW | Stuart Douglas | 5 (11) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 (1) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 (12) | 1 |
| FW | Phil Gray | 14 (3) | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 (1) | 0 | 15 (4) | 2 |
| MF | Chris Allen | 14 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 17 | 1 |
| GK |  Ian Feuer | 13 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 17 | 0 |
| FW | Andrew Fotiadis | 5 (11) | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 (11) | 1 |
| DF | Bryan Small | 16 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 16 | 0 |
| DF | Marvin Johnson | 12 (1) | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 15 (1) | 2 |
| MF | Matthew Spring | 6 (6) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 (6) | 0 |
| DF | Richard Harvey | 6 (1) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 (1) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 10 (2) | 0 |
| DF | Gary Doherty | 1 (8) | 0 | 0 (1) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 (9) | 0 |
| FW | Rory Allen | 8 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 6 |
| DF | Gavin McGowan | 6 (2) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 (2) | 0 |
| FW | Liam George | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 (2) | 0 | 0 (1) | 0 | 1 (3) | 0 |
| GK | Andy Dibble | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| DF | Stuart Fraser | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| GK | Nathan Abbey | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| MF | Robert Kean | 0 (1) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 (1) | 0 |
| MF | Paul Showler | 0 (1) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 (1) | 0 |
| DF | Trevor Peake | 0 (1) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 (1) | 0 |
| — | own goal | — | 1 | — | 0 | — | 0 | — | 0 | — | 1 |
Luton Town Football Club is a professional football club from Luton, Bedfordshire, England. The club currently competes in the EFL Championship, the second tier of the English football pyramid, following relegation from the 2023–24 Premier League. Nicknamed "The Hatters", Luton Town have played their home games at Kenilworth Road, since 1905.
Altrincham Football Club is a professional football club based in Altrincham, Greater Manchester, England. Founded in 1891 and nicknamed "the Robins", they are currently members of the National League, the fifth tier of English football, and play at Moss Lane.
Peter James Holmes is an English former professional footballer who played as a midfielder. He played in the Football League for Luton Town, Chesterfield, Lincoln City and Rotherham United. He is the assistant manager at Isthmian League South Central Division club Hayes & Yeading United.
Nathan Jason Jones is a Welsh professional football manager who is the manager of League One club Charlton Athletic. He is also a former player who played as a left-back and a midfielder.
Lee Martin Nogan is a Welsh former professional footballer and manager. He is the elder brother of Kurt Nogan.
Christopher Anthony Allen is an English professional football coach and former player.
South-eastern English football clubs Luton Town and Watford have been rivals since their respective formations in the late 19th century. The clubs are respectively from Luton, Bedfordshire, and Watford, Hertfordshire, and for this reason a match between the two teams is sometimes called a "Beds–Herts Derby". Another name occasionally used in the press is "M1 Derby", which comes from the M1 motorway, which passes both towns.
The 1991–92 season was the 106th season in the history of Luton Town Football Club. It was Luton Town's 71st consecutive season in the Football League, and their 74th overall. It was also their tenth successive season in the First Division, and their 16th overall. Luton Town were relegated on the season's final day, and thus condemned to second-tier football for the following season. This deprived them of a place in the new FA Premier League.
The 1974–75 season was the 89th season in the history of Luton Town Football Club. It was Luton Town's 55th consecutive season in the Football League, and their 58th overall. It was also the team's first season in the First Division since 1959–60, and their sixth overall. The season saw Luton narrowly relegated back to Division Two.
Adam Spencer Locke is an English retired professional footballer, who played as a defender.
The 2005–06 season was the 120th season in the history of Luton Town Football Club, and the club's 85th consecutive year in the Football League. This was the club's first season in the second tier of English football since the 1995–96 season.
The 2004–05 season was the 119th season in the history of Luton Town Football Club, and club's 84th consecutive year in the Football League. Luton ended the season as champions of the rebranded League One competition, formerly known as the Second Division, with 98 points, achieving promotion to the Championship; the club's first elevation to that level since the 1981–82 season.
Thomas Alun Lockyer is a Welsh professional footballer who plays as a centre back for EFL Championship club Luton Town and the Wales national team.
Cameron Alexander McGeehan is a professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for EFL League One club Northampton Town. Born in England, he also plays for the Northern Ireland national team.
The 2019–20 season was the 134th in the history of Luton Town Football Club, a professional association football club based in Luton, Bedfordshire, England. Their successive promotions from League Two in 2017–18 and League One in 2018–19 meant it was the club's first season in the Championship after a 12-year absence and 94th season in the English Football League. The season ran from 1 July 2019 to the end of the 2019–20 Championship season.
The 2020–21 season was the 135th in the history of Luton Town Football Club, a professional association football club based in Luton, Bedfordshire, England. Their 19th-place finish in 2019–20 meant it was the club's second consecutive season in the Championship and 95th season in the English Football League. Luton were eliminated in the third round of the 2020–21 EFL Cup, after being beaten 3–0 at home to Premier League club Manchester United, and lost 3–1 away to Chelsea, also of the Premier League, in the FA Cup fourth round.
The 1992–93 season was the 107th season in the history of the Luton Town Football Club. It was Luton Town's 72nd consecutive season in the English Football League, and their 75th overall. It was their first season back in the second tier following relegation in the 1991-92 season which deprived them of a place in the new FA Premier League.
The 1998–99 season was the 113th season in the history of Luton Town F.C. It was Luton Town's 78th consecutive season in the Football League, and their 81st overall. It was their third consecutive season in the Football League Third Division.