| Event | 1987–88 Full Members' Cup | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Date | 27 March 1988 | ||||||
| Venue | Wembley Stadium,London | ||||||
| Attendance | 61,740 | ||||||
←1987 1989 → | |||||||
The1988 Full Members' Cup final was the thirdFull Members' Cup final, contested byFirst Division sideLuton Town andSecond Division teamReading atWembley 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.
English teams had been banned from Europe following theHeysel Stadium disaster at the1985 European Cup final betweenLiverpool andJuventus. TheFootball 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] The1987–88 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]
| 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 |
| 21 December 1987First round[5][4] | Queens Park Rangers (1) | 1–3 | Reading (2) | Loftus Road,London |
Jones Tait |
| 13 January 1988Second round[6][4] | Reading (2) | 1–0 | Oxford United (1) | Elm Park,Reading |
| Horrix |
| 3 February 1988Third round[6][4] | Reading (2) | 2–1 (a.e.t.) | Nottingham Forest (1) | Elm Park,Reading |
| Horrix Beavon |
| 10 February 1988Quarter-final[6][4] | Reading (2) | 2–1 (a.e.t.) | Bradford City (2) | Elm Park,Reading |
| Bailie Horrix |
| 2 March 1988Semi-final[6][4][7] | Reading (2) | 1–1 (a.e.t.) (4–3p) | Coventry City (1) | Elm Park,Reading |
| Smillie 57' | Speedie 79' | Attendance: ~15,000 | ||
| Penalties | ||||
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]
Reading became the second non-top flight side in a row to win the competition, afterBlackburn 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 aFull 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 theFA 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 defeatedArsenal in theLeague Cup final to do so. They subsequently finished theirFirst Division season in ninth position.[10] Luton didn't appear in another Full Members' Cup final; a southern semi-final appearance in the1990–91 season being their best performance following their defeat.
| Luton Town | 1–4 | Reading |
|---|---|---|
| Harford 13' | Gilkes 20' Beavon 25' (pen.)Tait 57'Smillie 66' |
          Luton Town |   Reading |
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Match rules
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