In the Leagues

Initially helping to found the Southern League, Luton Town FC joined the Football League in 1897-8. However, the cost of participation, particularly that of travelling to the northern cities, proved too much so they rejoined the Southern League in 1900-1. In spite of their early start in professionalism, it actually took the club until 1920-1 to make it back to the Football League and it wasn’t until 1955-6 that they managed to reach the top division of English football. The year 1959 brought their first final in the FA Cup, which they lost to Nottingham Forest.

As so often though, after the rise, the fall! Successive demotions took Luton Town Football Club back to the Fourth Division but to their eternal credit they eventually fought back to reach the top flight by 1974-5. From 1982, they managed to stay up there until the end of the 1991-2 season, one highlight being winning the League Cup against Arsenal by a 3-2 margin in 1988. Their success in reaching this final was repeated next season though this time they were again defeated by a Forest side.

Money, Money, Money…

The 1991-2 season marked the beginning of a prolonged decline for Luton Town FC, occasionally yo-yoing up a division before further demotions. Ultimately, the old problem of money cost them their Football League place in the 20th century, putting them into administration with fatal point deductions as the price. Today, Kenilworth Road plays host to visiting sides in the Conference National, a long way perhaps from the glory days of the 1980s in the top flight of football but still providing sporting excitement and a major community focus for the people of Luton and south Bedfordshire.

Mad as Hatters

Luton was famous as a hat-making town for centuries so it’s no surprise that Luton Town FC became known as the Hatters (Any madness was associated with mercury poisoning from hat manufacture in the past and not with the town’s players’ antics on the pitch!) For much of their history, they wore a black and white strip but adopted orange and navy in 1973 to make them more recognisable. After all, a number of famous teams already wore black and white, e.g. Bolton and Spurs and full colour TV was now becoming available. Today though, they turn out to play their games in orange shirts, white shorts and orange socks.

Famous Names at Luton Town FC

Luton Town Football Club may not have enjoyed the more consistent fame of some other teams but it has been the home of some of football’s famous sons. Back in the 1930s, striker Joe Payne scored a remarkable 10 goals against Bristol Rovers, which is a record in the history of the Football League, while England centre forward Malcolm Macdonald helped promote them in the 1960s. Before managing Tottenham, David Pleat was both a player and manager for Luton Town FC and colourful manager Joe Kinnear also led them in a lower division.

So, although Luton Town FC might today be playing in the lower reaches of football, their pedigree would suggest that one day they may well be back to compete at the highest level.