đď¸ Through the Archives: Luton Townâs most memorable matches
Mike Simpson looks back down the years from his time as a Hatter and the most memorable matches, from the best and worst performances, to the time he entered the Kenilworth Road pitch.
Championship Playoff Final on 27th May 2023 is one of Mike Simpson's top two most memorable matches.
The Best, Simply.
Unsurprisingly, my two most memorable matches as a Luton Town fan are those against Arsenal in the Littlewoods Cup Final on 24th April 1988 and Coventry City in the Championship Playoff Final on 27th May 2023. No explanations are necessary for these two choices, but the third one, at home to Bristol Rovers on Wednesday 19 March 1969, requires some context. On that evening I was the teamâs mascot â apparently one of the first, if not the first, and being under the lights the atmosphere was particularly special, more so than had it been a Saturday afternoon.
14,506 people saw the tall, ten year old kid from Dunstable wearing a Luton kit lead Terry Branston and the boys onto the hallowed Kenilworth Road turf. The opposition played their part in losing 3-0, and many memories of the evening are still very clear. I was met on arrival by the Entertainments Manager, a certain Harry Haslam, and on the way to the changing room I saw, and was introduced to, the team manager Alec Stock, who, judging by his expression, must have wondered who on earth I was. I remember the overpowering smell of liniment as I went around the dressing room asking the players to sign autograph books for my sister and me. I was wearing Stylo football boots (with the side laces) as endorsed by George Best, and I was aware of Bruce Rioch looking at them either in envy or bemusement, I suspect the latter, before offering to do the laces up properly for me. Truly the stuff of fantasies.
My father was away in Australia with his job so Gordon, a family friend, went to the game with me, my mother and my sister. Poor Gordon missed Laurie Sheffield scoring the opening goal as he had been despatched to the dressing room to accompany me back to our seats in the main stand â the last time I was able to sit comfortably in a part of the stadium that was evidently built with someone of shorter stature in mind. The team that night was Sandy Davie, Max Dougan, Jack Bannister, Alan Slough, Terry Branston, John Moore, Graham French, Keith Allen, Laurie Sheffield, Brian Lewis and, of course, Bruce Rioch.
Although the Johnstoneâs Paint Trophy final on 5th April 2009 doesnât get a mention above, it was still a great occasion in that we saw our (soon to be relegated from the Football League) team win a cup at Wembley, something that many football fans cannot claim.
Claude Gnakpa in the 2009 Johnstone's Paint Trophy final.
Best individual and team performance
Every fan will have an opinion regarding the best individual performance by a Luton player, as each generation of supporters and every new incarnation of the team throws up their own candidates. Itâs a subject well worthy of discussion, given its disparate nature, and for me, I think immediately of Ron Futcher versus Wolves on 28th December 1974 when, on his home debut, he scored all three goals in a 3-2 victory. The achievement needs to be put in context in that the Town could barely buy a win at the time, and Harry Haslamâs old guard, rooted at the bottom of the first division, was about to be overhauled with the introduction of young players such as Andy King and Steve Buckley in addition to the Futcher twins.
Fast forward nearly 20 years, another phenomenal individual performance came from Scott Oakes against West Ham United in an FA Cup 6th round replay on 23rd March 1994. Oakes was perhaps not the most popular player with the supporters, possibly for a perceived lack of effort on occasions, but his three goals in a classic match were enough to win over the harshest critic, at least for 24 hours. When considering the best goal scored by a Luton player, Scott Oakes again crops up with his brilliant solo effort against Derby County on 22nd January 1994. Again, the context is important as, at the time, the Town were level at 1-1 but Ceri Hughes had been sent off. Down to ten men, most of us would probably have taken the point until Oakesâ individual masterclass made it 2-1.
Nominating the best team performance opens the door to many opinions, and for good reason. Avoiding the temptation to look at just the more recent seasons, I am drawn towards an unlikely fixture, away at Fulham on 3rd October 1998. The home side, managed then by Kevin Keegan, were blown away by the Town, playing in all orange, prompting a German colleague who attended the match with me to say âItâs like watching the Dutch national teamâ.
When considering the best XI to represent the club, by which I mean that which was selected on a regular basis, I would suggest the 1984/85 season was the stand-out. Once David Pleat had been able to invest in players, namely Steve Foster, Peter Nicholas and Mick Harford, he turned a side destined to be relegated into one that could compete in the first division, and indeed the FA Cup. Sadly, as we know, the Chairman at that time soon decided he wanted his loan repaid (at premium rates of interest) which adversely impacted the clubâs financial situation in the long term.
Whatâs your most memorable game?
Let us know in the comments.