1988–89 Luton Town F.C. season

Luton Town F.C.
1988–89 season
Chairman David Evans
Manager Ray Harford
Stadium Kenilworth Road
First Division 16th
FA Cup Third round
Football League Cup Runners-up
Full Members' Cup Third round
Top goalscorer League:
All: Roy Wegerle and
Danny Wilson (12)

During the 1988–89 English football season, Luton Town F.C. competed in the Football League First Division, in which they finished 16th to secure an eighth successive season at this level. They were holders of the League Cup for this season and maintained their defence of the trophy to the final, where they were beaten by Nottingham Forest.

Despite being League Cup holders, Luton did not compete in the UEFA Cup this season due to the continuation of the ban on English clubs in European competitions arising from the Heysel disaster of 1985.

Season summary

Luton were unable to build on their top-ten finishes of the two previous seasons and finished the season in 16th, just two points clear of relegation. Luton did manage to reach the League Cup final for the second season running, but were unable to defend the cup as they were beaten 3-1 by Nottingham Forest.

On a positive note, Luton managed to record the biggest home win of the season, when they thrashed Southampton 6-1 in January.

Squad

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Position Player
England GK Alec Chamberlain
England GK Les Sealey
England DF Tim Breacker
England DF John Dreyer
England DF Steve Foster
England DF Steve Williams
England DF Richard Harvey
England DF Marvin Johnson
England DF Rob Johnson
England DF Julian James
Scotland DF Dave Beaumont
England MF Gary Cobb
England MF Ricky Hill
No. Position Player
England MF Darron McDonough[1]
England MF David Oldfield[2]
England MF David Preece
Northern Ireland MF Kingsley Black[3]
Northern Ireland MF Danny Wilson[4]
Republic of Ireland MF Ashley Grimes
England FW Iain Dowie[5]
England FW Mick Harford
England FW Sean Farrell
Northern Ireland FW Paul Gray[6]
South Africa FW Roy Wegerle[7]

Results

DateOpponentVenueCompetitionResScore
27 Aug 88Sheffield WednesdayA1DL0-1
3 Sep 88WimbledonH1DD2-2
10 Sep 88SouthamptonA1DL1-2
17 Sep 88Manchester UnitedH1DL0-2
24 Sep 88EvertonA1DW2-0
27 Sep 88BurnleyHLC2 1stD1-1
1 Oct 88Nottingham ForestA1DD0-0
8 Oct 88LiverpoolH1DW1-0
11 Oct 88BurnleyALC2 2ndW1-0
22 Oct 88MiddlesbroughA1DL2-1
25 Oct 88ArsenalH1DD1-1
29 Oct 88Queens Park RangersH1DD0-0
2 Nov 88Leeds UnitedALC3W2-0
5 Nov 88MillwallA1DL1-3
12 Nov 88Coventry CityA1DL0-1
19 Nov 88West Ham UnitedH1DW4-1
26 Nov 88Norwich CityA1DD2-2
3 Dec 88Newcastle UnitedH1DD0-0
10 Dec 88Derby CountyA1DW1-0
17 Dec 88Aston VillaH1DD1-1
26 Dec 88Tottenham HotspurA1DD0-0
31 Dec 88WimbledonA1DL0-4
2 Jan 89SouthamptonH1DW6-1
7 Jan 89MillwallAFAC3L2-3
10 Jan 89Crystal PalaceAFMC3L1-4
14 Jan 89Charlton AthleticA1DL0-3
18 Jan 89SouthamptonHLC4D1-1
21 Jan 89EvertonH1DW1-0
25 Jan 89SouthamptonALC4 ReplayW2-1
4 Feb 89Nottingham ForestH1DL2-3
12 Feb 89West Ham UnitedALCSF 1stW3-0
18 Feb 89MiddlesbroughH1DW1-0
25 Feb 89ArsenalA1DL0-2
1 Mar 89West Ham UnitedHLCSF 2ndW2-0
11 Mar 89MillwallH1DL1-2
14 Mar 89LiverpoolA1DL0-5
18 Mar 89Sheffield WednesdayH1DL0-1
21 Mar 89Queens Park RangersA1DD1-1
25 Mar 89Manchester UnitedA1DL0-2
28 Mar 89Tottenham HotspurH1DL1-3
1 Apr 89Aston VillaA1DL1-2
9 Apr 89Nottingham ForestNLCFL1-3
15 Apr 89Coventry CityH1DD2-2
22 Apr 89Newcastle UnitedA1DD0-0
29 Apr 89Derby CountyH1DW3-0
2 May 89Charlton AthleticH1DW5-2
6 May 89West Ham UnitedA1DL0-1
13 May 89Norwich CityH1DW1-0

Key: 1D = First Division FAC = FA Cup LC = League Cup FMC = Full Members Cup

See also

References

  1. McDonough was born in Antwerp, Belgium, but was raised in Greater Manchester, England.
  2. Oldfield was born in Perth, Australia, but qualified to represent England internationally as he was raised there. He would make his debut for the U-21 side in 1988.
  3. Black was born in Luton, England, but qualified to represent Northern Ireland internationally and made his international debut for Northern Ireland in 1988.
  4. Wilson was born in Wigan, England, but qualified to represent Northern Ireland internationally and made his international debut for Northern Ireland in 1987.
  5. Dowie was born in Hatfield, England, but qualified to represent Northern Ireland internationally through his father. He made his international debut for Northern Ireland in 1990.
  6. Gray was born in Portsmouth, England, but qualified to represent Northern Ireland internationally as he was raised there. He would make his international debut for the U-21 side in 1990.
  7. Wegerle was born in Cape Town, South Africa, but gained American citizenship in 1991, qualifying through his wife, and made his international debut for the United States in May 1992.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.