LUTON TOWN F.C.
Founded: 1885
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LUTON TOWN F.C. (Football Club)
Included Info: Brief History, Club/Stadium Info, Team Jersey & Much More...
BRIEF HISTORY of LUTON TOWN FOOTBALL CLUB
(reproduced from 'Wikipedia' pages)
Luton Town Football Club was formed on 11 April 1885, the product of a merger of the two leading local teams,
Luton Town Wanderers and Excelsior. Luton became the first club in southern England to be fully professional.
The club was a founder member of the Southern Football League in the 1894–95 season and finished as runners-up
in its first two seasons. It then left to help form the United League and came second in that league's inaugural
season before joining the Football League (then based mostly in northern and central England) for 1897–98,
concurrently moving to a new ground at Dunstable Road. Poor attendance, high wages, and the high travel and
accommodation costs that resulted from Luton's distance from the northern heartlands of the Football League
crippled the club financially, and made it too expensive to compete in that league. A return to the Southern
League was therefore arranged for the 1900–01 season. Eight years after arriving at Dunstable Road, Luton moved
again, settling at their current ground, Kenilworth Road, in 1905. A poor 1911–12 season saw Luton relegated to
the Southern League's Second Division; the club won promotion back two years later. After the First World War
broke out, Luton took part in The London Combination during 1915–16, and afterwards filled each season with
friendly matches.
The Luton side first played in the white and black colours which it has retained for much of its history during
the 1920–21 season, when the club rejoined the Football League. Luton stayed in the Third Division South until
1936–37, when the team finished top and won promotion to the Second Division, at that time the second tier of
English football. During the promotion season, striker Joe Payne scored 55 goals in 39 games; during the previous
season he had scored 10 in one match against Bristol Rovers, which remains a Football League record today.
During the early 1950s, one of Luton's greatest sides emerged under manager Dally Duncan. This team reached the
top flight for the first time in 1955–56, after finishing the season in second place behind Birmingham City on goal
average. A few years of success followed, including an FA Cup Final appearance against Nottingham Forest in 1958–59.
However, the club was relegated the following season, and, by 1964–65, was playing in the fourth tier.
In yo-yo club fashion, Luton were to return. The team won the Fourth Division championship in 1967–68 under the
leadership of former player Allan Brown; two years later Malcolm Macdonald's goals helped them to another promotion.
Luton Town won promotion back to the First Division in 1973–74, but were relegated the following season by a solitary
point. Former Luton player David Pleat was made manager in 1978, and by 1982–83 the team was back in the top flight.
The club achieved its highest ever league position, seventh, in 1986–87, and, managed by Ray Harford, won the Football
League Cup a year later with a 3–2 win over Arsenal. The club reached the League Cup Final once more in 1988–89, but
lost 3–1 to Nottingham Forest.
The club was relegated from the top division at the end of the 1991–92 season, and sank to the third tier four years
later. Luton stayed in the third-tier Second Division until relegation at the end of the 2000–01 season. Under the
management of Joe Kinnear, who had arrived halfway through the previous season, the team won promotion from the
fourth tier at the first attempt. "Controversial" owner John Gurney unsettled the club in 2003, terminating Kinnear's
contract on his arrival in May; Gurney replaced Kinnear with Mike Newell before leaving Luton as the club entered
administration. Newell's team finished as champions of the third-tier Football League One in 2004–05. While Newell's
place was taken by first Kevin Blackwell and later former player Mick Harford, the team was then relegated twice
in a row, starting in 2006–07, and spent the latter part of the 2007–08 season in administration, thus incurring a
ten-point deduction from that season's total. The club then had a total of 30 points docked from its 2008–09 record
by the Football Association and the Football League for financial irregularities dating back several years.
These deductions proved to be too large an obstacle to overcome, but Luton came from behind in the final of the
Football League Trophy to win the competition for the first time. Relegation meant that 2009–10 saw Luton playing
in the Conference Premier, a competition which the club had never before participated in. The club unsuccessfully
contested the promotion play-offs three times in four seasons during their time as a non-League club. In the
2012–13 FA Cup fourth round, Luton won their away tie against Premier League club Norwich City 1–0 and, in doing so,
became the first non-League team to beat a side from England's top division since 1989. In the 2013–14 season,
under the management of John Still, Luton won the Conference Premier championship with three games to spare, and
thereby secured a return to the Football League for 2014–15.
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CLUB FACTS & INFORMATION
| Official Name
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| Luton Town F.C. |
| Club Nickname
| --
| The Hatters |
| Year Founded
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| 1885 (132 years ago) |
| English County
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| Bedfordshire |
| Current Ground
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| Kenilworth Road |
| Ground Location
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| Luton, England |
| Club's Owner
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| Luton Town F.C. 2020 Ltd |
| Club Chairman
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| Nick Owen |
| Current Manager
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| Nathan Jones |
| Current League
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| League Two |
| Last Season
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| League Two, 4th place |
HOME COLORS
Orange & Navy Blue |
AWAY COLORS
White & Orange |
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INTERESTING STADIUM FACTS & INFORMATION
KENILWORTH ROAD
1 Maple Road, Luton,
Bedfordshire, LU4-8AW, England
OPENED: ......... 1905
SURFACE: ........ Grass
COST: .............. not available
CAPACITY: ...... 10,356
RECORD: ......... 30,069 (1959 vs Blackpool)
OWNER: ........... Luton Borough Council
OPERATOR: ..... Luton Town F.C.
FIELD SIZE: ..... 110 x 72 yards (101 x 66 meters)
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HOME JERSEY
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AWAY JERSEY
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Kenilworth Road (Luton Town) Seating Diagram
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LUTON TOWN STADIUM WALLPAPERS (Free Download)
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