Luton Town Football Club is an English football club based since 1905 at Kenilworth Road, Luton, Bedfordshire. The side currently plays in the Premier League, the first tier of football in England. Founded in 1885, [1] Luton Town became the first professional team in southern England six years later and joined The Football League in 1897. [2] [3] After leaving the League in 1900 due to financial strife, Luton Town competed in the Southern League until Football League membership was regained 20 years later. [2] [3] After an 89-year period of League membership, the team was relegated to the Conference Premier in 2009 due to a 30-point deduction imposed by the football authorities. [4] [5] Five seasons later, the club won promotion back to The Football League. [6]
Luton Town's first team has competed in numerous nationally contested competitions, and the 50 players judged in 2009 the club's best by Denis O'Donoghue of The Times are listed below. In addition, all players who have appeared 100 times for the club in these competitions are given. Club record holders are also included, regardless of the number of matches they played.
Fred Hawkes holds the record for most league appearances for the club, having played 509 matches between 1901 and 1920. [7] The closest to Hawkes's record is Bob Morton, who appeared 495 times between 1948 and 1964. [8] Including all senior competitions, Morton leads the chart with 562 compared to Hawkes's 549. [7] [8] As of 1 July 2009, the player who has won the most international caps while at the club is Mal Donaghy, who appeared 58 times for Northern Ireland. [9] [10]
The goalscoring record is held by Gordon Turner, who scored 276 goals between 1949 and 1964. [11] Turner's tally of 243 league goals is also a club record. [11] Turner's nearest rival is Andy Rennie, whose 147 league goals, 162 in total, were scored between 1925 and 1934. [11] Joe Payne holds the Luton Town record for the most goals scored in a season, set in 1936–37, with 55 league goals in 39 Third Division South games and 58 in all competitions. [12] Payne also holds the Football League record for most goals in a match, with 10 during a 12–0 victory over Bristol Rovers on 13 April 1936. [13] [14] Turner holds the club record for most goals in a top-flight season, with 33 league goals and 38 overall during 1957–58. [15]
Name | Nationality | Caps [a] | Position [b] | Club career | League [c] apps | League goals | Total [d] apps | Total goals | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Andy Rennie | Scotland | Forward | 1925–1934 | 307 | 147 | 335 | 162 | ||
Joe Payne | England | 1 | Forward | 1934–1938 | 72 | 83 | 77 | 87 | ¤ [A] |
Hugh Billington | England | Forward | 1938–1948 | 87 | 63 | 95 | 70 | ||
Bernard Streten | England | 1 | Goalkeeper | 1946–1957 | 276 | 0 | 301 | 0 | |
Syd Owen | England | 3 | Defender | 1947–1959 | 388 | 3 | 423 | 3 | |
Bob Morton | England | Midfielder | 1948–1964 † | 495 | 48 | 562 | 55 | ¤ [B] | |
Gordon Turner | England | Forward | 1949–1964 | 406 | 243 | 450 | 276 | ¤ [C] | |
Bert Mitchell | England | Midfielder | 1951–1955 | 106 | 41 | 119 | 43 | ||
Ron Baynham | England | 3 | Goalkeeper | 1952–1965 | 388 | 0 | 432 | 0 | |
Jesse Pye | England | Forward | 1952–1954 | 61 | 32 | 65 | 36 | ||
George Cummins | Republic of Ireland | 19 | Forward | 1953–1961 | 184 | 21 | 212 | 30 | |
Billy Bingham | Northern Ireland | 7 | Midfielder | 1958–1960 | 97 | 27 | 102 | 33 | |
John O'Rourke | England | Forward | 1963–1966 | 84 | 64 | 90 | 66 | ||
Bruce Rioch | Scotland | Midfielder | 1964–1969 | 149 | 46 | 167 | 51 | ||
Graham French | England | Midfielder | 1965–1973 | 182 | 21 | 202 | 3 | ||
John Moore | Scotland | Defender | 1965–1973 | 274 | 13 | 306 | 14 | ||
Tony Read | England | Goalkeeper [D] | 1965–1972 | 203 | 12 | 233 | 12 | ||
Alan Slough | England | Midfielder | 1965–1973 | 275 | 28 | 312 | 32 | ||
Terry Branston | England | Defender | 1967–1971 | 101 | 9 | 118 | 19 | ||
Mike Keen | England | Defender | 1968–1972 | 144 | 11 | 160 | 11 | ||
Brian Lewis | England | Forward | 1968–1970 | 45 | 22 | 53 | 25 | ||
Malcolm Macdonald | England | Forward | 1969–1971 | 88 | 49 | 101 | 58 | ||
John Aston | England | Midfielder | 1972–1978 | 174 | 31 | 201 | 37 | ||
John Faulkner | England | Defender | 1972–1978 | 209 | 6 | 239 | 7 | ||
Bobby Thomson | England | Defender | 1972–1976 | 110 | 1 | 135 | 2 | ||
Alan West | England | Midfielder | 1973–1981 | 285 | 16 | 317 | 17 | ||
Steve Buckley | England | Defender | 1974–1978 | 123 | 9 | 135 | 9 | ||
Paul Futcher | England | Defender | 1974–1978 | 131 | 1 | 142 | 1 | ||
Ron Futcher | England | Forward | 1974–1978 | 120 | 40 | 133 | 43 | ||
Ricky Hill | England | 3 | Midfielder | 1975–1989 | 436 | 54 | 507 | 65 | |
Brian Stein | England | 1 | Forward | 1977–1988 1991–1992 | 427 | 130 | 496 | 154 | |
Mal Donaghy | Northern Ireland | 58 | Defender | 1978–1988 1989–1990 | 415 | 16 | 488 | 21 | ¤ [E] |
David Moss | England | Midfielder | 1978–1985 | 221 | 88 | 245 | 94 | ||
Kirk Stephens | England | Defender | 1978–1984 | 227 | 2 | 248 | 2 | ||
Raddy Antić | Yugoslavia | Midfielder | 1980–1984 | 100 | 9 | 108 | 10 | ||
Brian Horton | England | Midfielder | 1981–1984 | 118 | 8 | 132 | 10 | ||
Paul Walsh | England | 5 | Forward | 1982–1984 | 80 | 24 | 89 | 28 | ¤ [F] |
Tim Breacker | England | Defender | 1983–1990 | 210 | 3 | 262 | 3 | ||
Les Sealey | England | Goalkeeper | 1983–1990 | 207 | 0 | 259 | 0 | ||
Steve Foster | England | Defender | 1984–1989 | 163 | 11 | 213 | 14 | ||
Mick Harford | England | 2 | Forward | 1984–1990 1991–1992 | 168 | 69 | 216 | 92 | |
David Preece | England | Midfielder | 1984–1995 | 336 | 21 | 394 | 27 | ||
Marvin Johnson | England | Defender | 1987–2002 † | 373 | 7 | 440 | 10 | ||
Tony Thorpe | England | Forward | 1993–1998 1998 1999 2002–2003 | 164 | 70 | 193 | 85 | ||
Matthew Taylor | England | Defender | 1999–2002 | 129 | 16 | 146 | 17 | ||
Steve Howard | Scotland | Forward | 2001–2006 | 212 | 96 | 228 | 103 | ||
Chris Coyne | Australia | Defender | 2001–2008 | 221 | 14 | 252 | 17 | ||
Kevin Nicholls | England | Midfielder | 2001–2006 2008–2010 | 216 | 30 | 237 | 33 | ||
Jean-Louis Valois | France | Midfielder | 2001–2002 | 34 | 6 | 40 | 6 | ||
Curtis Davies | England | Defender | 2003–2005 | 56 | 2 | 62 | 2 | ¤ [G] |
Name | Nationality | Caps [a] | Position [b] | Club career | League [c] apps | League goals | Total [d] apps | Total goals | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Jimmy Durrant | England | Midfielder | 1897–1904 1913–1914 | 155 | 30 | 177 | 40 | ||
Tom McInnes | Scotland | Forward | 1897–1900 | 93 | 20 | 109 | 29 | ||
Harry Williams | England | Defender | 1898–1905 | 144 | 3 | 157 | 3 | ||
Bill McCurdy | Scotland | Defender | 1899–1901 1905–1909 | 193 | 0 | 211 | 1 | ||
Fred Hawkes | England | Midfielder | 1899–1920 † | 509 | 22 | 549 | 25 | ¤ [H] | |
Fred White | England | Defender | 1900–1909 † | 237 | 10 | 257 | 11 | ||
Bob Hawkes | England | 5 | Midfielder | 1901–1920 † | 349 | 40 | 382 | 43 | ¤ [F] [I] |
Herbert Moody | England | Forward | 1901–1905 1907–1912 | 232 | 93 | 247 | 104 | ||
Billy Barnes | England | Forward | 1904–1907 | 101 | 12 | 107 | 12 | ||
Peter Platt | England | Goalkeeper | 1905–1909 | 130 | 0 | 139 | 0 | ||
Abe Jones | England | Defender | 1906–1910 | 136 | 12 | 141 | 12 | ||
Harry Stansfield | England | Midfielder | 1908–1912 | 135 | 24 | 144 | 24 | ||
Syd Hoar | England | Midfielder | 1913–1915 1919–1925 | 221 | 36 | 237 | 39 | ||
Ernie Simms | England | 1 | Forward | 1913–1915 1916–1922 | 160 | 109 | 178 | 122 | |
Louis Bookman | Ireland | 3 | Midfielder | 1919–1922 | 101 | 8 | 110 | 9 | |
Arthur Roe | England | Midfielder | 1919–1925 | 117 | 1 | 124 | 1 | ||
George Butcher | England | Midfielder | 1920–1925 | 121 | 23 | 129 | 25 | ||
George Lennon | Scotland | Defender | 1920–1923 | 107 | 0 | 115 | 0 | ||
Alf Tirrell | England | Defender | 1920–1924 | 122 | 4 | 130 | 5 | ||
Jimmy Walker | Scotland | Defender | 1920–1926 | 133 | 4 | 138 | 4 | ||
Rob Millar | Scotland | Defender | 1920–1930 | 205 | 4 | 213 | 4 | ||
Bob Graham | Scotland | Defender | 1921–1929 | 164 | 5 | 175 | 5 | ||
Bill Jennings | England | Defender | 1922–1926 | 114 | 2 | 117 | 2 | ||
Syd Reid | Wales | Forward | 1922–1928 | 134 | 70 | 143 | 81 | ||
George Dennis | England | Forward | 1924–1929 | 139 | 41 | 150 | 44 | ||
David Richards | England | Defender | 1925–1931 | 147 | 0 | 152 | 0 | ||
John Black | Scotland | Defender | 1926–1930 | 91 | 4 | 101 | 4 | ||
Charles Fraser | England | Defender | 1926–1935 † | 246 | 4 | 270 | 4 | ||
Henry Kingham | England | Defender | 1926–1937 | 250 | 0 | 275 | 0 | ||
Jimmy Yardley | England | Forward | 1926–1932 | 173 | 78 | 188 | 94 | ||
Harry Woods | England | Forward | 1926–1932 | 97 | 22 | 105 | 13 | ||
George Harford | England | Goalkeeper | 1929–1934 | 99 | 0 | 107 | 0 | ||
Hugh McGinnigle | Scotland | Defender | 1930–1937 | 159 | 2 | 177 | 3 | ||
Fred Kean | England | Defender | 1931–1935 | 117 | 5 | 141 | 6 | ||
Tom Mackey | England | Defender | 1932–1938 | 183 | 2 | 208 | 2 | ||
George Martin | Scotland | Midfielder | 1933–1937 | 98 | 27 | 105 | 29 | ||
Joe Coen | Scotland | Goalkeeper | 1934–1939 | 142 | 0 | 158 | 0 | ||
Fred Roberts | England | Forward | 1934–1945 | 180 | 38 | 198 | 45 | ||
Tom Smith [17] | England | Defender | 1934–1939 | 157 | 1 | 172 | 1 | ||
George Stephenson | England | Forward | 1934–1939 | 192 | 58 | 212 | 69 | ||
Bill Fellowes | England | Defender | 1935–1938 | 110 | 3 | 124 | 3 | ||
John Finlayson | Scotland | Defender | 1935–1939 | 154 | 9 | 168 | 9 | ||
Jack Nelson | England | Defender | 1935–1939 | 134 | 1 | 148 | 1 | ||
Harry Cooke | England | Defender | 1946–1953 | 210 | 4 | 228 | 4 | ||
Doug Gardiner | England | Defender | 1946–1951 | 121 | 1 | 134 | 1 | ||
Wally Shanks | England | Defender | 1946–1957 | 264 | 6 | 275 | 6 | ||
Billy Waugh | Scotland | Midfielder | 1946–1950 | 135 | 9 | 147 | 12 | ||
Tom Aherne | Ireland / Republic of Ireland [J] | 1 / 13 [J] | Defender | 1948–1957 | 267 | 0 | 288 | 0 | |
George Stobbart | England | Forward | 1949–1952 | 107 | 30 | 116 | 30 | ||
Charlie Watkins | Scotland | Defender | 1949–1955 | 218 | 16 | 239 | 20 | ||
Les Jones | Wales | Defender | 1950–1958 | 98 | 1 | 110 | 1 | ||
Jim Pemberton | England | Defender | 1950–1958 | 92 | 8 | 100 | 10 | ||
Mick Cullen | Scotland | 1 | Forward | 1951–1958 | 112 | 16 | 125 | 19 | |
Roy Davies | South Africa | Midfielder | 1951–1957 | 150 | 24 | 171 | 27 | ||
Seamus Dunne | Republic of Ireland | 15 | Defender | 1951–1961 | 301 | 0 | 323 | 0 | |
Jimmy Adam | Scotland | Midfielder | 1953–1959 | 137 | 22 | 140 | 24 | ||
John Groves | England | Defender | 1953–1963 | 218 | 16 | 251 | 18 | ||
Terry Kelly | England | Defender | 1954–1963 | 136 | 1 | 150 | 1 | ||
Allan Brown | Scotland | Forward | 1956–1961 | 151 | 51 | 172 | 59 | ||
Brendan McNally | Republic of Ireland | 3 | Defender | 1956–1963 | 134 | 3 | 164 | 3 | |
Ken Hawkes | England | Defender | 1957–1961 | 90 | 1 | 102 | 1 | ||
Dave Pacey | England | Defender | 1957–1965 | 246 | 16 | 277 | 19 | ||
John Bramwell | England | Defender | 1960–1965 | 187 | 1 | 206 | 2 | ||
Harry Walden | England | Midfielder | 1960–1964 | 96 | 11 | 106 | 12 | ||
Fred Jardine | Scotland | Defender | 1961–1970 | 220 | 9 | 243 | 10 | ||
Tommy McKechnie | Scotland | Forward | 1961–1966 | 131 | 31 | 146 | 34 | ||
Gordon Riddick | England | Midfielder | 1962–1967 | 102 | 16 | 114 | 17 | ||
Ray Whittaker | England | Midfielder | 1963–1969 | 170 | 40 | 188 | 45 | ||
Keith Allen | England | Forward | 1966–1973 | 137 | 36 | 154 | 43 | ||
Max Dougan | Scotland | Defender | 1966–1970 | 118 | 0 | 132 | 0 | ||
John Ryan | England | Midfielder | 1970–1976 | 266 | 10 | 304 | 11 | ||
Peter Anderson | England | Midfielder | 1970–1976 | 181 | 34 | 208 | 40 | ||
Keith Barber | England | Goalkeeper | 1970–1977 | 142 | 0 | 158 | 0 | ||
Jimmy Ryan | Scotland | Midfielder | 1970–1977 | 184 | 21 | 214 | 25 | ||
Alan Garner | England | Defender | 1971–1975 | 88 | 3 | 112 | 4 | ||
Don Shanks | England | Defender | 1971–1975 | 90 | 2 | 110 | 5 | ||
Paul Price | Wales | 1 | Defender | 1972–1981 | 207 | 8 | 230 | 8 | |
Jimmy Husband | England | Forward | 1973–1978 | 143 | 44 | 162 | 48 | ||
Lil Fuccillo | England | Midfielder | 1974–1983 | 160 | 24 | 180 | 27 | ||
Mark Aizlewood | Wales | Defender | 1978–1982 | 98 | 3 | 110 | 4 | ||
Jake Findlay | Scotland | Goalkeeper | 1978–1985 | 167 | 0 | 187 | 0 | ||
Wayne Turner | England | Midfielder | 1978–1985 | 84 | 2 | 102 | 3 | ||
Mitchell Thomas | England | Defender | 1982–1986 1993–1999 | 292 | 5 | 336 | 5 | ||
Ashley Grimes | Republic of Ireland | 3 | Midfielder | 1984–1989 | 87 | 3 | 115 | 4 | |
Peter Nicholas | Wales | 15 | Midfielder | 1984–1987 | 102 | 1 | 116 | 1 | |
Richard Harvey | England | Defender | 1986–1998 | 162 | 4 | 191 | 5 | ||
Darron McDonough | England | Midfielder | 1986–1992 | 105 | 5 | 129 | 7 | ||
Kingsley Black | Northern Ireland | 16 | Midfielder | 1987–1992 | 127 | 26 | 157 | 30 | |
Julian James | England | Defender | 1987–1998 | 282 | 13 | 335 | 14 | ||
David Oldfield | England | Midfielder | 1987–1989 1995–1998 | 146 | 22 | 172 | 33 | ||
Danny Wilson | Northern Ireland | 15 | Midfielder | 1987–1990 | 110 | 24 | 142 | 30 | |
Alec Chamberlain | England | Goalkeeper | 1988–1993 | 138 | 0 | 158 | 0 | ||
John Dreyer | England | Defender | 1988–1994 | 214 | 13 | 249 | 15 | ||
Lars Elstrup | Denmark | 6 | Forward | 1989–1991 | 60 | 19 | 70 | 27 | ¤ [K] [18] |
Ceri Hughes | Wales | 6 | Midfielder | 1989–1997 | 175 | 17 | 206 | 20 | |
Paul Telfer | Scotland | Midfielder | 1990–1995 | 144 | 19 | 165 | 22 | ||
Phil Gray | Northern Ireland | 5 | Forward | 1991–1993 1997–2000 | 140 | 43 | 161 | 53 | |
Des Linton | England | Defender | 1991–1997 | 83 | 1 | 104 | 1 | ||
Scott Oakes | England | Midfielder | 1991–1996 | 173 | 27 | 200 | 34 | ||
Trevor Peake | England | Defender | 1991–1998 | 179 | 0 | 202 | 0 | ||
Paul McLaren | Scotland | Midfielder | 1993–2001 | 167 | 4 | 202 | 6 | ||
Juergen Sommer | United States | 3 | Goalkeeper | 1993–1995 | 82 | 0 | 103 | 0 | [19] [20] [21] |
Kelvin Davis | England | Goalkeeper | 1994–1999 | 91 | 0 | 105 | 0 | ||
Dwight Marshall | England | Forward | 1994–1999 | 128 | 28 | 156 | 39 | ||
Gary Waddock | Republic of Ireland | Midfielder | 1994–1998 | 153 | 3 | 172 | 3 | ||
Graham Alexander | Scotland | Midfielder | 1995–1999 | 150 | 15 | 180 | 17 | ||
Steve Davis | England | Defender | 1995–1999 | 138 | 21 | 175 | 27 | ||
Stuart Douglas | England | Forward | 1995–2002 | 146 | 18 | 173 | 23 | ||
Ian Feuer | United States | Goalkeeper | 1995–1998 | 85 | 0 | 100 | 0 | ||
Andrew Fotiadis | England | Forward | 1996–2003 | 123 | 18 | 147 | 20 | ||
Matthew Spring | England | Midfielder | 1997–2004 2007–2008 | 308 | 36 | 357 | 43 | ||
Liam George | Republic of Ireland | Forward | 1997–2002 | 102 | 20 | 124 | 24 | ||
Alan White | England | Defender | 1997–2000 2009–2010 | 99 | 4 | 115 | 4 | ||
Emmerson Boyce | England | Defender | 1998–2004 | 186 | 8 | 212 | 9 | ||
Peter Holmes | England | Midfielder | 2000–2007 | 105 | 11 | 127 | 12 | ||
Ahmet Brković | Croatia | Midfielder | 2001–2008 | 194 | 31 | 223 | 38 | ||
Russell Perrett | England | Defender | 2001–2007 | 99 | 9 | 108 | 9 | ||
Sol Davis | England | Defender | 2002–2009 | 199 | 3 | 229 | 3 | ||
Kevin Foley | Republic of Ireland | Defender | 2002–2007 | 151 | 3 | 166 | 5 | ||
Steve Robinson | Northern Ireland | 7 | Midfielder | 2002–2008 | 185 | 9 | 211 | 12 | [22] |
Dean Brill | England | Goalkeeper | 2003–2009 2012–2013 | 88 | 0 | 109 | 0 | ||
Marlon Beresford | England | Goalkeeper | 2003–2004 2004–2008 | 116 | 0 | 132 | 0 | ||
Keith Keane | Republic of Ireland | Midfielder | 2003–2012 | 237 | 7 | 284 | 8 | ||
Enoch Showunmi | Nigerian | Forward | 2003–2006 | 102 | 14 | 114 | 16 | ||
Rowan Vine | England | Forward | 2004–2007 | 112 | 31 | 121 | 33 | ||
Dean Morgan | England | Forward | 2005–2008 | 88 | 11 | 101 | 12 | ||
Jake Howells | Wales | Midfielder | 2008–2016 | 273 | 29 | 334 | 31 | ||
Claude Gnakpa | France | Midfielder | 2008–2011 | 105 | 22 | 134 | 27 | ||
George Pilkington | England | Defender | 2008–2012 | 140 | 11 | 169 | 12 | ||
Mark Tyler | England | Goalkeeper | 2009–2016 | 257 | 0 | 297 | 0 | ||
Alex Lawless | Wales | Midfielder | 2010–2016 | 169 | 18 | 203 | 22 | ||
Andre Gray | England | Forward | 2012–2014 | 97 | 52 | 111 | 57 | ||
Jonathan Smith | England | Midfielder | 2012–2017 | 149 | 10 | 176 | 11 | ||
Steve McNulty | England | Defender | 2013–2016 | 117 | 2 | 125 | 2 | ||
Scott Griffiths | England | Defender | 2013–2016 | 105 | 3 | 115 | 3 | ||
Pelly Ruddock Mpanzu | England | Midfielder | 2013 2014– | 306 | 20 | 349 | 20 | ||
Cameron McGeehan | Northern Ireland | Midfielder | 2014 2015–2017 | 98 | 28 | 106 | 31 | ||
Elliot Lee | England | Forward | 2015 2017– | 104 | 27 | 124 | 30 | ||
Scott Cuthbert | Scotland | Defender | 2015–2018 | 97 | 3 | 111 | 4 | ||
Dan Potts | England | Defender | 2015– | 162 | 9 | 179 | 11 | ||
Olly Lee | England | Midfielder | 2015–2018 | 105 | 10 | 123 | 11 | ||
Alan Sheehan | Republic of Ireland | Defender | 2016–2020 | 117 | 6 | 135 | 9 | ||
Glen Rea | Republic of Ireland | Midfielder | 2016– | 184 | 7 | 207 | 8 | ||
James Justin | England | Defender | 2016–2019 | 90 | 6 | 114 | 6 | ||
Danny Hylton | England | Forward | 2016– | 136 | 51 | 156 | 59 | ||
James Collins | Republic of Ireland | 8 | Forward | 2017–2021 | 174 | 68 | 183 | 72 | [23] |
Andrew Shinnie | Scotland | Midfielder | 2017–2021 | 90 | 6 | 106 | 10 | ||
Harry Cornick | England | Forward | 2017– | 176 | 29 | 193 | 31 | ||
Luke Berry | England | Midfielder | 2017– | 117 | 17 | 133 | 19 | ||
Sonny Bradley | England | Defender | 2018– | 139 | 5 | 149 | 5 | ||
Matty Pearson | England | Defender | 2018–2021 | 128 | 10 | 136 | 10 |
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.
Kenilworth Road, known affectionately as The Kenny, is an association football stadium in Bury Park, Luton, Bedfordshire, England. It has been the home ground of Luton Town since 1905. The stadium has also hosted women's and youth international matches, including the second leg of the 1984 European Competition for Women's Football final.
Paolo Pasquale Peschisolido, commonly known as Paul Peschisolido, is a Canadian former soccer player and coach. Peschisolido was coach of English League Two club Burton Albion from May 2009 until March 2012.
Robert Murray Hawkes was an English footballer who played for Luton Town, became their first international player, and competed in the 1908 Summer Olympics.
Luton Town Football Club is an English professional football club based in the town of Luton, Bedfordshire. Founded in 1885, Luton Town were the first professional team in the south of England, fully professional by 1891. Luton were also one of the first southern Football League clubs, joining in 1897 before leaving again in 1900 due to financial instability. The club rejoined the League for the 1920–21 season. George Thompson became the club's first manager four years later, but only lasted eight months before leaving, and wasn't replaced until 1927. 1936–37 saw Luton promoted to the Second Division, and the first post-war seasons saw a strong Luton team begin to emerge. Record goalscorer Gordon Turner's arrival into the first team in 1950 helped Luton to promotion to the First Division for the first time in 1954–55, and the team remained there until relegation in the 1959–60 season. Luton also reached the 1959 FA Cup Final, where Turner's absence and the team's questionable preparation for the game meant that Luton lost 2–1 to Nottingham Forest. The club was subsequently relegated three times in six seasons, reaching the Fourth Division by 1965–66. However, players such as Malcolm Macdonald ensured that the club was then promoted twice in three years and was back in the Second Division by 1970.
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.
Ernest Simms was an English footballer, who was best known as a Luton Town centre forward. He was the first forward to play for England while playing for a Third Division club.
The 1987–88 season was the 103rd season in the history of Luton Town Football Club. It was Luton Town's 68th consecutive season in the Football League, and their 71st overall. It was also their sixth successive season in the First Division, and their 12th overall. The season is one of the club's most successful of all time, as Luton Town achieved a ninth-place finish in the league, won the Football League Cup, and reached the FA Cup semi-final and Full Members' Cup final. As League Cup winners, they would normally have qualified for the UEFA Cup, but were denied a first foray into European competition due to the ban on English clubs as a result of the 1985 Heysel disaster continuing for a fourth season.
Dallow Lane was a football ground in Luton, England. It was the home ground of Luton Town from its formation in 1885 until a move to Dunstable Road in 1897.
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 1885–86 season was the first season in the history of Luton Town Football Club. The club had been in existence for less than three months on the season's start, and as Luton did not enter any league competition the team's first competitive match came on 31 October, an FA Cup tie against Great Marlow which was lost 3–0.
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.
Herbert Moody was an English footballer.
Luton Town Football Club is an English football club based in Luton, Bedfordshire, which competes in the Championship, the second tier of English football, for the 2020–21 season. Formed in 1885 as the product of a merger, Luton Town became the first professional team in the south of England six years later and joined the Football League in 1897. After leaving the League in 1900 because of financial difficulties, Luton Town settled at their Kenilworth Road ground in 1905 and competed in the Southern League until 1920, when the club rejoined the Football League. The team was relegated to the Football Conference in 2009, after 89 consecutive years of League membership, following a 30-point deduction imposed by the football authorities. Five seasons later, the club won promotion back to the Football League.