1988–89_Luton_Town_F.C._season
1988–89 Luton Town F.C. season
Luton Town F.C. 1988–89 football season
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.
| 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) |
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.
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. Survival was achieved on the final day of the season with a 1–0 home win over Norwich City; this was the first of three successive seasons where Luton would secure First Division on the final day of the season before finally being relegated in 1992.
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14 | Charlton Athletic | 38 | 10 | 12 | 16 | 44 | 58 | −14 | 42 | |
| 15 | Sheffield Wednesday | 38 | 10 | 12 | 16 | 34 | 51 | −17 | 42 | |
| 16 | Luton Town | 38 | 10 | 11 | 17 | 42 | 52 | −10 | 41 | |
| 17 | Aston Villa | 38 | 9 | 13 | 16 | 45 | 56 | −11 | 40 | |
| 18 | Middlesbrough (R) | 38 | 9 | 12 | 17 | 44 | 61 | −17 | 39 | Relegation to the Second Division |
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Goals scored
(R) Relegated
| Date | Opponent | Venue | Competition | Res | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 27 Aug 88 | Sheffield Wednesday | A | 1D | L | 0–1 |
| 3 Sep 88 | Wimbledon | H | 1D | D | 2–2 |
| 10 Sep 88 | Southampton | A | 1D | L | 1–2 |
| 17 Sep 88 | Manchester United | H | 1D | L | 0–2 |
| 24 Sep 88 | Everton | A | 1D | W | 2–0 |
| 27 Sep 88 | Burnley | H | LC2 1st | D | 1–1 |
| 1 Oct 88 | Nottingham Forest | A | 1D | D | 0–0 |
| 8 Oct 88 | Liverpool | H | 1D | W | 1–0 |
| 11 Oct 88 | Burnley | A | LC2 2nd | W | 1–0 |
| 22 Oct 88 | Middlesbrough | A | 1D | L | 2–1 |
| 25 Oct 88 | Arsenal | H | 1D | D | 1–1 |
| 29 Oct 88 | Queens Park Rangers | H | 1D | D | 0–0 |
| 2 Nov 88 | Leeds United | A | LC3 | W | 2–0 |
| 5 Nov 88 | Millwall | A | 1D | L | 1–3 |
| 12 Nov 88 | Coventry City | A | 1D | L | 0–1 |
| 19 Nov 88 | West Ham United | H | 1D | W | 4–1 |
| 26 Nov 88 | Norwich City | A | 1D | D | 2–2 |
| 3 Dec 88 | Newcastle United | H | 1D | D | 0–0 |
| 10 Dec 88 | Derby County | A | 1D | W | 1–0 |
| 17 Dec 88 | Aston Villa | H | 1D | D | 1–1 |
| 26 Dec 88 | Tottenham Hotspur | A | 1D | D | 0–0 |
| 31 Dec 88 | Wimbledon | A | 1D | L | 0–4 |
| 2 Jan 89 | Southampton | H | 1D | W | 6–1 |
| 7 Jan 89 | Millwall | A | FAC3 | L | 2–3 |
| 10 Jan 89 | Crystal Palace | A | FMC3 | L | 1–4 |
| 14 Jan 89 | Charlton Athletic | A | 1D | L | 0–3 |
| 18 Jan 89 | Southampton | H | LC4 | D | 1–1 |
| 21 Jan 89 | Everton | H | 1D | W | 1–0 |
| 25 Jan 89 | Southampton | A | LC4 Replay | W | 2–1 |
| 4 Feb 89 | Nottingham Forest | H | 1D | L | 2–3 |
| 12 Feb 89 | West Ham United | A | LCSF 1st | W | 3–0 |
| 18 Feb 89 | Middlesbrough | H | 1D | W | 1–0 |
| 25 Feb 89 | Arsenal | A | 1D | L | 0–2 |
| 1 Mar 89 | West Ham United | H | LCSF 2nd | W | 2–0 |
| 11 Mar 89 | Millwall | H | 1D | L | 1–2 |
| 14 Mar 89 | Liverpool | A | 1D | L | 0–5 |
| 18 Mar 89 | Sheffield Wednesday | H | 1D | L | 0–1 |
| 21 Mar 89 | Queens Park Rangers | A | 1D | D | 1–1 |
| 25 Mar 89 | Manchester United | A | 1D | L | 0–2 |
| 28 Mar 89 | Tottenham Hotspur | H | 1D | L | 1–3 |
| 1 Apr 89 | Aston Villa | A | 1D | L | 1–2 |
| 9 Apr 89 | Nottingham Forest | N | LCF | L | 1–3 |
| 15 Apr 89 | Coventry City | H | 1D | D | 2–2 |
| 22 Apr 89 | Newcastle United | A | 1D | D | 0–0 |
| 29 Apr 89 | Derby County | H | 1D | W | 3–0 |
| 2 May 89 | Charlton Athletic | H | 1D | W | 5–2 |
| 6 May 89 | West Ham United | A | 1D | L | 0–1 |
| 13 May 89 | Norwich City | H | 1D | W | 1–0 |
Key: 1D = First Division FAC = FA Cup LC = League Cup FMC = Full Members Cup
- Players arranged in alphabetical order by surname.
| Pos. | Name | League | League Cup | FA Cup | Full Members Cup | Total | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| MF |  Ian Allinson |
1 (4) | 0 | 0 (1) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 (5) | 0 |
| DF |  Dave Beaumont |
15 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 18 | 0 |
| MF | Kingsley Black |
35 (1) | 9 | 9 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 45 (1) | 10 |
| DF | Tim Breacker |
19 (3) | 0 | 5 (2) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 26 (5) | 0 |
| GK | Alec Chamberlain |
6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 0 |
| MF | Richard Cooke |
0 (6) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 (6) | 0 |
| DF |  Mal Donaghy |
8 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 0 |
| FW | Iain Dowie |
1 (7) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 (7) | 1 |
| DF | John Dreyer |
16 (2) | 1 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 22 (2) | 1 |
| DF | Steve Foster |
36 | 3 | 9 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 46 | 3 |
| DF |  Ashley Grimes |
12 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 17 | 0 |
| FW | Mick Harford |
33 | 7 | 7 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 42 | 11 |
| DF | Richard Harvey |
11 (1) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12 (1) | 0 |
| MF | Ricky Hill |
33 | 3 | 8 (1) | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 43 (1) | 6 |
| DF | Julian James |
1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | (1) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 (1) | 0 |
| DF | Marvin Johnson |
16 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 20 | 0 |
| DF | Rob Johnson |
19 (2) | 0 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 23 (2) | 1 |
| FW | Raphael Meade |
2 (2) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 (2) | 0 |
| MF | Darron McDonough |
9 (1) | 0 | (1) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 (2) | 0 |
| MF | David Oldfield |
15 (6) | 1 | 4 (1) | 2 | (1) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 22 (8) | 3 |
| MF | David Preece |
26 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 34 | 0 |
| GK | Les Sealey |
32 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 42 | 0 |
| FW |  Roy Wegerle |
28 (4) | 8 | 7 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 (1) | 0 | 36 (5) | 12 |
| DF | Steve Williams |
10 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 14 | 0 |
| MF | Danny Wilson |
37 | 9 | 9 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 47 | 12 |
- McDonough was born in Antwerp, Belgium, but was raised in Greater Manchester, England.
- Black was born in Luton, England, but qualified to represent Northern Ireland internationally and made his international debut for Northern Ireland in 1988.
- Wilson was born in Wigan, England, but qualified to represent Northern Ireland internationally and made his international debut for Northern Ireland in 1987.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.