| 1987–88 season | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Chairman | David Evans | ||
| Manager | Ray Harford | ||
| Football League First Division | 9th | ||
| FA Cup | Semi-final | ||
| Football League Cup | Winners | ||
| Full Members' Cup | Runners-up | ||
| Top goalscorer | League: Mark Stein (11) All: Mick Harford (21) | ||
| Highest home attendance | 13,010 vsOxford United (Football League Cup, 28 February 1988) | ||
| Lowest home attendance | 4,240 vsWigan Athletic (Football League Cup, 6 October 1987) | ||
| Average home league attendance | 8,039[1] | ||
The 1987–88 season was the 103rd season in the history ofLuton Town Football Club. It was Luton Town's 68th consecutive season inthe Football League, and their 71st overall. It was also their sixth successive season in theFirst 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 theFootball League Cup, and reached theFA Cupsemi-final andFull 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 1985Heysel disaster continuing for a fourth season.
1982–83 saw Luton Town back in theFirst Division underDavid Pleat, making a final day escape from relegation atMaine Road throughRaddy Antić.[2] By 1985–86 Pleat had ensured that Luton had climbed to a ninth-place finish, but at the end of the season Pleat left to take up the reins atTottenham Hotspur.[2][3] Youth team manager and former playerJohn Moore was promoted to manager, and formerFulham bossRay Harford was brought in as his assistant.[4] Due to the club's infamous ban on visiting supporters, 1986–87 saw Luton excluded from theFootball League Cup.[2] However, it proved to be Luton Town's best yet, as Moore and Harford took the club to their highest ever league finish; seventh.[2] When Moore resigned after only one season, Harford was promoted to manager for the 1987–88 campaign.[5]
The promotion ofRay Harford to manager ensured a sense of continuity was maintained atKenilworth Road, as Harford had been assistant toJohn Moore the previous season.Danny Wilson arrived fromBrighton & Hove Albion during July in a £150,000 deal,[6] as the club looked to build on their seventh-place finish the year before.
Luton made a dismal start to theFirst Division season, not winning their first game of the campaign until the sixth time of asking with a 5–2 victory overOxford United at theManor Ground. A second victory followed the next week, as Luton beatEverton 2–1. Meanwhile, Harford continued to dabble in the transfer market – ScottishwingerMickey Weir arrived fromHibernian for £230,000, whileRobert Wilson andStacey North were sold toFulham andWest Bromwich Albion respectively.[7][8] Days after the Weir transfer,Mike Newell was sold toLeicester City - perhaps a surprising move as Newell had been Luton's top scorer the previous season and even scored a hat-trick against defending double winnersLiverpool.[7] Two league defeats followed, atCharlton Athletic andQueens Park Rangers – but in between there was a winning start in theLeague Cup as Luton beatWigan Athletic 1–0 atSpringfield Park, courtesy of a goal from new signing Weir.
AMick Harford goal was enough to secure a 1–1 draw againstManchester United atKenilworth Road, and Harford bagged ahat-trick three days later as Luton trounced Wigan 4–2 in the second leg of the League Cup fixture. Harford scored a penalty atFratton Park on the 10th, but it wasn't enough to prevent a 3–1 victory forPortsmouth.Ian Allinson signed fromStoke City for £10,000, and made his debut a week later as Luton beatWimbledon 2–0.[7]
The impact of a 1–0 home defeat toLiverpool was softened by subsequent success in the League Cup, asCoventry were routed 3–1 atLeicester City'sFilbert Street. Three comfortable league victories followed, Luton keeping a clean sheet in every one, and the League Cup run continued with a 1–0 win atIpswich. Defeat atNorwich City was followed by thederby match atWatford –Steve Foster's goal gave Luton a 1–0 victory. A draw and a loss followed, before Luton rounded off the calendar year with a 1–0 home win overCharlton.
New Year's Day saw a 3–0 home win overChelsea – indeed, Luton went through the month unbeaten. The start of the club'sFA Cup run saw victory atHartlepool, while a draw and a victory in the league kept Luton comfortably in mid-table. The League Cup success continued, asBradford City were beaten 2–0 atKenilworth Road.
Oxford United then visited Kenilworth Road for one of the more remarkable fixtures of the year – Luton beat Oxford 7–4, asMark Stein scored ahat-trick. Luton travelled to Oxford four days later for the League Cup semi-final first leg, and came out of the match with a 1–1 draw.Arsenal beat Luton 2–1 atHighbury, beforeMickey Weir, who had just signed fromHibernian months before, returned to Hibernian on the 14th in a £200,000 move.[7][8]
Luton achieved victory overEverton in theFull Members' Cup, and it then took a replay to knockQueens Park Rangers out of the FA Cup. The second leg in the League Cup against Oxford saw Luton run out 2–0 victors, with a place in the final against Arsenal as their prize.
No English league team had yet won more than one domestic cup competition in the same season, but Luton were now in serious contention to win three domestic cups in the same season.
March saw Luton win two successive matches in the Full Members' Cup, but also lose twice in a row in the league. The end of the month saw the Full Members' Cup final againstSecond DivisionReading – Luton were defeated 4–1 atWembley Stadium. Consolation was taken from a 4–1 victory overPortsmouth two days later. This left them with two cups to play for.
Luton lost theFA Cup semi-final 2–1 toWimbledon, and Luton only won once in the league during April.
TheLeague Cup Final againstArsenal came on the 24th, and Luton took an early lead throughBrian Stein. Luton were overhauled by the opposition during the second half, and trailed 1–2 before a penalty was awarded to Arsenal with ten minutes left.Andy Dibble, a young goalkeeper standing in for the more experiencedLes Sealey, savedNigel Winterburn's shot, and the Luton team rallied to equalise soon after throughDanny Wilson. Stein scored the winner with the last kick of the game to bring the first ever piece of major silverware toLuton.
Following the League Cup victory, Luton drew atNorwich before beatingWatford 2–1 at home to complete a double over their rivals.Tottenham Hotspur beat Luton 2–1 atWhite Hart Lane, before Luton finished the season with four consecutive 1–1 draws withSouthampton,Liverpool andNottingham Forest (twice). Luton achieved a ninth-place finish, to go with their cup achievements – an FA Cup semi-final place, a League Cup victory, and a Full Members' Cup final.
At the end of the season, long-serving striker Brian Stein left for French clubSM Caen on afree transfer, whileEmeka Nwajiobi retired due to injury.[9][10] DefenderJohn Dreyer signed fromOxford United on 27 June for £140,000.[7]
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7 | Wimbledon[a] | 40 | 14 | 15 | 11 | 58 | 47 | +11 | 57 | Qualified for theFootball League Centenary Trophy and disqualified from theEuropean Cup Winners' Cup[11] |
| 8 | Newcastle United | 40 | 14 | 14 | 12 | 55 | 53 | +2 | 56 | Qualified for theFootball League Centenary Trophy |
| 9 | Luton Town[b] | 40 | 14 | 11 | 15 | 57 | 58 | −1 | 53 | Disqualified from theUEFA Cup[12] |
| 10 | Coventry City | 40 | 13 | 14 | 13 | 46 | 53 | −7 | 53 | |
| 11 | Sheffield Wednesday | 40 | 15 | 8 | 17 | 52 | 66 | −14 | 53 |
Luton Town results given first.
| Win | Draw | Loss |
| Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Scorers | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15 August 1987 | Derby County | Away | 0–1 | 17,204 | — | |
| 18 August 1987 | Coventry City | Home | 0–1 | 9,380 | — | |
| 22 August 1987 | West Ham United | Home | 2–2 | 8,073 | Harford (2) | |
| 29 August 1987 | Chelsea | Away | 0–3 | 16,075 | — | |
| 31 August 1987 | Arsenal | Home | 1–1 | 8,745 | Wilson (pen) | |
| 5 September 1987 | Oxford United | Away | 5–2 | 6,804 | Breacker,Harford,Hill,Nwajiobi,B. Stein | |
| 12 September 1987 | Everton | Home | 2–1 | 8,124 | B. Stein 18',Hill 50' | |
| 19 September 1987 | Charlton Athletic | Away | 0–1 | 5,002 | — | |
| 26 September 1987 | Queens Park Rangers | Away | 0–2 | 11,175 | — | |
| 3 October 1987 | Manchester United | Home | 1–1 | 9,137 | Harford 19' | |
| 10 October 1987 | Portsmouth | Away | 1–3 | 12,391 | Harford (pen) | |
| 17 October 1987 | Wimbledon | Home | 2–0 | 7,018 | B. Stein,Wilson | |
| 24 October 1987 | Liverpool | Home | 0–1 | 11,997 | — | |
| 7 November 1987 | Newcastle United | Home | 4–0 | 7,638 | M. Stein 2', 62',Nwajiobi 75',B. Stein 87' | |
| 14 November 1987 | Sheffield Wednesday | Away | 2–0 | 16,960 | Allinson,M. Stein | |
| 21 November 1987 | Tottenham Hotspur | Home | 2–0 | 10,091 | Allinson (2) | |
| 5 December 1987 | Norwich City | Home | 1–2 | 7,002 | B. Stein | |
| 12 December 1987 | Watford | Away | 1–0 | 12,152 | Foster | |
| 18 December 1987 | Southampton | Home | 2–2 | 6,618 | Harford,McDonough | |
| 26 December 1987 | Everton | Away | 0–2 | 32,128 | — | |
| 28 December 1987 | Charlton Athletic | Home | 1–0 | 7,243 | Wilson | |
| 1 January 1988 | Chelsea | Home | 3–0 | 8,018 | M. Stein 12,B. Stein 50',Harford 64' | |
| 2 January 1988 | West Ham United | Away | 1–1 | 16,716 | M. Stein | |
| 16 January 1988 | Derby County | Home | 1–0 | 7,175 | McDonough | |
| 6 February 1988 | Oxford United | Home | 7–4 | 8,063 | Harford (2),McDonough,B.Stein,M.Stein (3) | |
| 13 February 1988 | Arsenal | Away | 1–2 | 22,612 | M.Stein | |
| 5 March 1988 | Wimbledon | Away | 0–2 | 4,854 | — | |
| 15 March 1988 | Coventry City | Away | 0–4 | 13,711 | — | |
| 29 March 1988 | Portsmouth | Home | 4–1 | 6,740 | B.Stein,M.Stein,Wilson,own goal | |
| 2 April 1988 | Newcastle United | Away | 0–4 | 20,752 | — | |
| 5 April 1988 | Sheffield Wednesday | Home | 2–2 | 7,337 | McDonough,B. Stein | |
| 12 April 1988 | Manchester United | Away | 0–3 | 28,830 | — | |
| 19 April 1988 | Queens Park Rangers | Home | 2–1 | 6,735 | Foster,Wilson (pen) | |
| 30 April 1988 | Norwich City | Away | 2–2 | 13,171 | M. Stein,Wilson (pen) | |
| 2 May 1988 | Watford | Home | 2–1 | 10,409 | Oldfield,Wilson (pen) | |
| 4 May 1988 | Tottenham Hotspur | Away | 1–2 | 15,437 | Grimes | |
| 7 May 1988 | Southampton | Away | 1–1 | 12,722 | Wilson | |
| 9 May 1988 | Liverpool | Away | 1–1 | 30,374 | Oldfield 30' | |
| 13 May 1988 | Nottingham Forest | Home | 1–1 | 9,108 | Donaghy 5' | |
| 15 May 1988 | Nottingham Forest | Away | 1–1 | 13,106 | Oldfield 2' |
| Round | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Goalscorers | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3rd Round | 9 January 1988 | Hartlepool United | Away | 2–1 | 6,187 | Weir,McDonough | |
| 4th Round | 30 January 1988 | Southampton | Home | 2–1 | 10,009 | Allinson,B. Stein | |
| 5th Round | 20 February 1988 | Queens Park Rangers | Away | 1–1 | 15,856 | Harford | |
| 5th Round (replay) | 24 February 1988 | Queens Park Rangers | Home | 1–0 | 10,854 | own goal | |
| 6th Round | 12 March 1988 | Portsmouth | Home | 3–1 | 12,857 | Wilson,M. Stein,Harford | |
| Semi-final | 9 April 1988 | Wimbledon | Neutral | 1–2 | 25,963 | Harford | [A] |
| Round | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Goalscorers | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2nd Round 1st Leg | 22 September 1987 | Wigan Athletic | Away | 1–0 | 5,018 | Weir | |
| 2nd Round 2nd Leg | 6 October 1987 | Wigan Athletic | Home | 4–2 | 4,240 | Harford (3),McDonough | |
| 3rd Round | 27 October 1987 | Coventry City | Neutral | 3–1 | 8,113 | Harford (2),Weir | [B] |
| 4th Round | 17 November 1987 | Ipswich Town | Away | 1–0 | 15,643 | B. Stein | |
| 5th Round | 19 January 1988 | Bradford City | Home | 2–0 | 11,022 | Foster,Harford | |
| Semi-final 1st Leg | 10 February 1988 | Oxford United | Away | 1–1 | 12,943 | B. Stein | |
| Semi-final 2nd Leg | 28 February 1988 | Oxford United | Home | 2–0 | 13,010 | B. Stein,Grimes | |
| Final | 24 April 1988 | Arsenal | Neutral | 3–2 | 95,732 | B. Stein (2),Wilson | [C] |
| Round | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Goalscorers | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3rd Round | 16 February 1988 | Everton | Away | 2–1 | 5,204 | Oldfield (2) 61', 83' | |
| Quarter-final | 1 March 1988 | Stoke City | Home | 4–1 | 4,580 | Harford (2),B. Stein (2) | |
| Semi-final | 8 March 1988 | Swindon Town | Home | 2–1 | 10,027 | B. Stein,M. Stein | [D] |
| Final | 27 March 1988 | Reading | Neutral | 1–4 | 61,740 | Harford 13' | [C] |
| Pos. | Name | League | FA Cup | League Cup | FM Cup | Total | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| DF |  Tim Breacker | 40 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 2 (2) | 0 | 56 (2) | 1 |
| DF | Steve Foster | 39 | 2 | 6 | 0 | 8 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 55 | 3 |
| MF | Danny Wilson | 38 | 8 | 6 | 1 | 8 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 54 | 10 |
| DF |  Mal Donaghy | 32 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 49 | 1 |
| GK | Les Sealey | 31 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 46 | 0 |
| FW | Brian Stein | 28 | 9 | 5 | 1 | 8 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 44 | 18 |
| DF |  Ashley Grimes | 31 (1) | 1 | 4 (1) | 0 | 3 (2) | 1 | 3 | 0 | 41 (4) | 2 |
| FW | Mick Harford | 24 (1) | 9 | 5 | 3 | 7 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 39 (1) | 21 |
| MF | Darron McDonough | 24 (3) | 4 | 6 | 1 | 6 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 38 (3) | 6 |
| DF | Rob Johnson | 21 (4) | 0 | 4 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 2 (1) | 0 | 34 (5) | 0 |
| FW | Mark Stein | 20 (5) | 11 | 6 | 1 | 4 (1) | 0 | 3 | 1 | 33 (6) | 13 |
| MF | Ian Allinson | 23 (4) | 3 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 32 (4) | 4 |
| MF | Ricky Hill | 16 (1) | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 20 (1) | 2 |
| MF | Kingsley Black | 10 (3) | 0 | 0 (1) | 0 | 3 (1) | 0 | 4 | 0 | 17 (5) | 0 |
| MF | David Preece | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 15 | 0 |
| GK |  Andy Dibble | 9 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 12 | 0 |
| FW |  Emeka Nwajiobi | 10 (2) | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 (1) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11 (3) | 2 |
| MF |  Mickey Weir | 7 (1) | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 11 (1) | 3 |
| DF | Marvin Johnson | 7 (2) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 9 (2) | 0 |
| MF | David Oldfield | 6 (2) | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 (1) | 0 | 1 (1) | 2 | 8 (4) | 5 |
| MF | Gary Cobb | 4 (3) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 5 (3) | 0 |
| FW | Mike Newell | 4 (1) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 (1) | 0 |
| MF | Robert Wilson | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| DF | Richard Harvey | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 (1) | 0 | 2 (1) | 0 |
| MF | Ricky McEvoy | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| MF | Paul Gray | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| DF | Julian James | 0 (3) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 (3) | 0 |
| DF | Stacey North | 0 (1) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 (1) | 0 |
| — | own goal | — | 1 | — | 1 | — | 0 | — | 0 | — | 2 |
| Date | Player | From | Fee | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16 July 1987 | Danny Wilson | Brighton & Hove Albion | £150,000 | [6] |
| 11 September 1987 | Mickey Weir | Hibernian | £230,000 | [7][8][E] |
| October 1987 | Ian Allinson | Stoke City | £10,000 | [7] |
| 27 June 1988 | John Dreyer | Oxford United | £140,000 | [7] |
| Date | Player | To | Fee | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 1987 | Robert Wilson | Fulham | ||
| 16 September 1987 | Mike Newell | Leicester City | £350,000 | [7] |
| 5 November 1987 | Mark Walton | Colchester United | £15,000 | [7] |
| December 1987 | Stacey North | West Bromwich Albion | £100,000 | |
| 14 January 1988 | Mickey Weir | Hibernian | £200,000 | [7] |
| 31 May 1988 | Brian Stein |  SM Caen | Free | [9] |
| 31 May 1988 | Emeka Nwajiobi | Retired | [10] | |
| Date | Player | To | End date | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 March 1988 | Sean Farrell | Colchester United | 16 May 1988 | [7] |
