Luton Town - Kenilworth Road

Luton Town FC

Kenilworth Road Stadium
1 Maple Road
Luton
LU4 8AW

01582 411622
Official Website
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Ground Number: 45
Tuesday 19th October 1999
Luton Town 1-1 Wycombe Wanderers
Nationwide League Division 2

TEN FACTS ABOUT LUTON TOWN FC

1:  FORMATION

Luton Town Football Club was formed on 11 April 1885. Before this there were many clubs in the town, the most prominent of which were Luton Wanderers and Luton Excelsior. A Wanderers player, George Deacon, came up with the idea of a 'Town' club which would include all the best players in Luton. Initially based at Excelsior's Dallow Lane ground, Luton Town began making payments to certain individual players in 1890. The following year, Luton became the first club in southern England to be fully professional.

2:  NON-LEAGUE

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. They spent seasons in the United and Western Leagues but mainly stayed in the Southern League, never actually winning the title. They returned to non-League football in 2009 after an 89-year absence. Five years were spent in the Conference National.

3:  FOOTBALL LEAGUE

Luton Town spent a few seasons in the Football League's second tier in at the end of the 1890s, finishing as high as 8th in 1898. They would rejoin on a full-time basis in 1920 in the newly-established 3rd Division South. In 1937, they won the title for promotion to Division 2. The decade between 1955 and 1965 was especially turbulent, reaching as high as 8th in Division 1 in 1958 but down to Division 4 by 1965. They were back in Divison 1 by 1982. In terms of the best-ever placing that came in the 1986-87 season when they finished an incredible 7th best team in the country which is unthinkable in the modern game. 

On the flip side, the period of 2006-2009 was disastrous, with three successive relegations from the Championship to the Conference, this massive fall from grace was not helped by 10 & 30-point deductions for financial reasons after a series of poor decisions, in particular the destructive ownership of John Gurney. Another meteoric rise has been seen since returning to the Football League in 2014. Four seasons were spent in League 2 before they finished as runners-up to Accrington Stanley in 2018. They went up to the Championship the following year as champions. It was remarkable enough that they flourished here, yet a miracle happened in 2023 when they beat Coventry City in the playoff final to reach the hallowed land of the Premiership.

4:  FA CUP

The club were runners-up to Nottingham Forest in the 1959 final when they lost 2-1 in the showpiece at Wembley Stadium. Conversely, defeats at Non-League Hillingdon Borough in 1969 and Welling United in 2013 are less happy memories for Hatters fans.

5:  LEAGUE CUP

Perhaps the club's finest honour came in 1988 when they lifted the League Cup at Wembley Stadium.  With ten minutes left on the clock and Arsenal 2–1 ahead, a penalty save from stand-in goalkeeper Andy Dibble sparked a late Luton rally: Danny Wilson equalised before Brian Stein scored the winner with the last kick of the match. The club reached the League Cup Final once more in 1989 but lost 3–1 to Nottingham Forest.

6:  MORE CUP GLORY

In 2009, the blow of going out of the Football League was softened slightly when the club lifted the Football League Trophy. Luton beat Scunthorpe United 3–2 in the Football League Trophy final in front of 40,000 of their own supporters at Wembley Stadium but lost their League status eight days later. Perhaps a more credible competition nowadays, Luton Town have won the Bedfordshire Senior Cup ten times. Their latest victory came in 2023 as they beat Biggleswade FC 6-2. Only Dunstable Town (12) and Biggleswade Town (11) have won the cup on more occasions. 

7:  CONTROVERSIES

The club were also famous for a huge riot at their ground in 1985 in a game against Millwall where extensive damage was caused to the ground and surrounding. It turned out that hooligans had come from lots of other clubs for one big fight and as a result, Luton Town banned away supporters for nearly five seasons. An extremely heavy-handed and draconian approach, but not as much so as home fans who had to carry ID cards to buy tickets for their games. The initiative was nearly rolled out nationally by the hapless Tory government of the day but thankfully supporter groups intervened and the ludicrous idea was scrapped, never to see the light of day again. The club also had an artificial surface from 1985-1991, a period which saw much success for the side.  Controversial figure Tommy Robinson also supports the Hatters.

8:  THE BEDS-HERTS DERBY

Luton Town's hated rivals are Watford from across the border in Hertfordshire. Arought eighteen miles separate the two towns. In terms of head-to-head, Luton Town hold the upper hand with 55 victories whilst the teams have drawn 29 times. Watford have 38 wins and almost as many different managers in the last decade.

The 1968–69 season saw Watford promoted as champions of the Third Division, having led the division for almost the entire season. This led to the crowd violence associated with the fixture growing in prominence, and Watford won the first league clash with Luton that season 1–0 at Vicarage Road. The return match at Kenilworth Road was originally intended to take place on Boxing Day but was abandoned due to fog with the game tied at 1–1. The game was eventually played after several postponements on 30 April 1969, by which time Watford had already been promoted as champions. The match was a bloodbath, and three players were sent off – two from Luton, one from Watford – as Luton won 2–1. After the game came incidents between the fans in St Albans, a town between Luton and Watford home to fans of both sides.

A League Cup meeting at Vicarage Road on 10 September 2002 was marred by hooliganism and saw fighting in Watford town centre, railway station and approaches to the football ground before the match. Before the game, Luton fans invaded the pitch several times leading to the kick-off being delayed by 15 minutes. A minute's silence, intended to mark the first anniversary of the 11 September attacks, was also abandoned. When the match finally got underway, Luton went on to win 2–1. After the game, prosecutions were brought against 29 supporters; 25 from Luton – some of whom were banned from all football grounds for life – and four from Watford.

9:  SUPPORTERS

A character known as Happy Harry, a smiling man wearing a straw boater, serves as the team's mascot and appears on the Kenilworth Road pitch before matches. In December 2014, after the seafront statue of Eric Morecambe in his birthplace Morecambe was restored, Luton and Morecambe F.C. jointly announced that the winners of future Luton–Morecambe fixtures would be awarded the "Eric Morecambe Trophy". Famous Luton Town fans include TV presenter Nick Owen, broadcaster Faye Carruthers, cricketer Alastair Cook and singer Cerys Matthews.

10:  THE TOWN OF LUTON

Often cited as one of the worst places to live in England, Luton in Bedfordshire has a population of over 225,000. Known nowadays for the TV show '24 Hours In Police Custody' and some racial tensions thanks to various people stirring up things. Luton was once known for hatmaking and also had a large Vauxhall Motors factory. Car production at the plant began in 1905 and continued until its closure in 2002. Production of commercial vehicles continues and the head office of Vauxhall Motors is in the village of Chalton on the northern border of the borough. Famous people from Luton include footballer Kerry Dixon, prisoner Charles Bronson and actress Emily Atack.

VISIT 1: LUTON 1-1 WYCOMBE (D2 19/10/99)

My first visit was in 1999 when my Dad's mate Dave gave us a lift along with my brother. The resulting game was drawn 1-1 with Jason Cousins scoring the opener for Wycombe before Stuart Douglas equalised for Luton. My biggest memory of that game was Julian Watts playing for Luton and they must have chosen their squad numbers with a touch of humour as his shirt read '40 WATTS' earning him the nickname of 'lightbulb'

VISIT 2: LUTON 1-0 WYCOMBE (D2 25/01/03)

VISIT 3: LUTON 3-1 WYCOMBE (D2 11/10/03)

These two visits came during the time when I was watching every game home and away and yielded a win and a defeat. The first season was a disappointing low-placed finish while the second came during a woeful relegation season so it was no surprise that both games ended in defeat for the Wanderers.

VISIT 4: LUTON 1-1 WYCOMBE (RES 12/03/09)

As I was on a week off from work I travelled to Luton for a reserves game, sitting in the main stand. A young Wycombe side drew 1-1 with the Hatters and included trialist keeper Ashlee Jones in goal. The game was most notable however for a bus smashing into the back of my car on the way home, but luckily it was OK to drive and their insurance sorted the repair.

VISIT 5: LUTON 0-1 WYCOMBE (L2 21/04/09)

I went on the supporters coach for this one. This was the season where Luton were harshly docked 30 points for financial irregularities. As a result by the time we visited in late April, they were already relegated. Their league placing therefore was a pretty false one and it was a tough away game for us. John Akinde's goal gave us the win we needed as we edged towards promotion to League 1 in an unconvincing fashion under Peter Taylor.

VISIT 6: LUTON 0-0 WYCOMBE (PSF 25/07/12)

The dullest of my visits was for a pre-season friendly under Gary Waddock with Luton stuck in the Conference. I drove to this one with my mate Paul and we watched a dull 0-0 draw. The highlight of the day was the pre-match samosa and chips after I bottled having sheep brain off of the menu.

VISIT 7: LUTON 2-3 WYCOMBE (L2 24/03/15)

This visit was probably my most enjoyable one as it was the best game. Unusually for my week off I was not up north on one of my football jaunts but my mates Anwar & Lewis offered to get my ticket between them if I drove. As it would cost me less than a tenner in petrol I went for it as I'd not been to an away game for a while and I was pretty tired from a groundhop up in Scotland over the previous weekend.

The journey over there went nice and smoothly and we were there shortly after 6. Pre-match dinner was a very nice Chicken Vindaloo from a local restaurant for only £6 for a nice sit-down meal at a place called Al Bilal. The game itself was a cracker and live on Sky as well. In Wycombe's 1000th League game, they took the lead on 3 minutes through a deflected Sam Saunders shot though Elliott Lee soon equalised for the Hatters. Paul Hayes put us back ahead from a penalty before central defender Alfie Mawson gave us the lead with a cracking goal. Lee pulled one back for Luton but Wycombe held on for an important win that cemented our place in the automatic promotion spots. The only sour note was a now late Wycombe supporter, Lana, hurting herself in the stupidly close together rows of seats but after a bit of first aid she was back cheering her team onto a deserved win. 

VISIT 8: LUTON 0-2 WYCOMBE (L2 26/10/15)

Normally I'd be loathe to visit a ground I don't especially enjoy going to so soon after my last visit, but this one kind of made sense. I was going to be having a pretty heavy day on the sauce and a ground with not much chance of a drink around it made sense for my liver. The original plan was to do the same as last year with Anwar & Lewis but in the end, my parents offered to pay for the trip, lock stock and barrel (or to be more precise ticket, meal and coach) for a Christmas present and so I took that option. It would mean a pub stop, but sod it, I'll just have to leave my detox a little longer.

After finishing work at lunchtime on the 23rd I was looking forward to a few days off. A decent Christmas was had with the family, though it wasn’t the healthiest with me drinking and eating plenty of stuff that wasn’t good for me. Even though I had a few drinks, I didn’t suffer any ill effects and woke up bright and early at 6am on Boxing Day, nearly five hours before I needed to get the coach. I killed time by watching the Blu-ray I’d got for Christmas - I Believe in Miracles - the story of how Brian Clough led Nottingham Forest to European glory. It was very good and is well worth a watch, even though I wasn’t around at the time, neither do I support Forest. After I’d had a shower and got dressed I sat listening to the Grassroots Football Show podcast from East London Radio, while making plans for Hythe Town v Folkestone Invite, which will hopefully be my game tomorrow.

Before I'd left to get the coach I'd seen numerous games being called off in the North and was glad I'd not planned anything up there. I got the coach from the end of my road at 10.45 and soon we were on our way. By 12 were were at the Spotted Dog in Flamstead, the Independent Supporters Club's choice of pre-match venue. The people were nice and friendly towards dogs and humans and there were plenty of people with their canine companions there. Sadly the drink and food were not so good for me with only Stowford Press cider and a limited choice of small portions of food that was pretty average at best. After 3 pints I was still hungry so when I got to the ground I went to the local takeaway and got myself a Lamb Burger meal with chips and a drink, less than a quarter of what my Omelette cost on its own.

My brother did something similar and as it was nearing kick off, we decided to take it back and eat it in the ground. The game itself started fairly sedately with lots of neat play, but little end product. Most of what was created was from Wycombe and we looked firmly in control. Half time and it was still goalless but in the second period, Wycombe started to make inroads into the Luton defence. It didn't take us long to go 2-0 up through veteran strikers Garry Thompson and Paul Hayes and this forced Luton to gamble on a triple substitution. They bought on a couple of decent players in Jack Marriott and Luke Gutteridge in a bid to swing the game their way. The linesman falling over led to Jim being treated and lots of injury time being played, but in all that time the hosts couldn't even muster a shot of note.

It has been a decent day with the family, and most important of all a gratis one considering I'll be on my own for at least my next hop. The coach made reasonable time home after some drop offs and I was back home by 6.40. I spent the evening relaxing and listening to that day's 3 Counties Sport on the BBC 'Listen Again' facility. Amazingly before the game Wycombe had the worst record in the Football League on Boxing Day. Just four wins in 20 up until today, so today's victory was most welcome, even if only to balance the books.

VISIT 9: LUTON 0-2 SWINDON (FAYC3 15/12/23)

I had no intention of revisiting Kenilworth Road after my last visit, thinking I was happy with my blog entry and done with finishing Luton. However, absence makes the heart go fonder and I wanted to give the place another goal. This was after I saw in the Football Traveller that they had a Friday night FA Youth Cup game when there was little else on. It meant I could get fresh pictures and also tick off the town's Wetherspoons. Perhaps Luton's improbable rise to the Premier League made them a more interesting prospect. Just like Wycombe in the Championship, they were the proverbial elephant up a tree and like us, they were making a good fist of attempting to stay up. Knowing a few decent fans in the past and the infectious enthusiasm of young Luton 'Non-League Zac' also made the case more interesting. There had also been some changes to the ground and I'd not been happy with my photos when I checked. This extended to my blog when I checked it a couple of days before, so I spent a couple of hours tidying up and writing about the history of the club. My ticket had been secured a couple of days before, for the reasonable cost of £6 including the booking fee.

The day of the game came and it was a busy one at work in the lead-up to Christmas. I was home just before 3 and had time for a freshen-up and change of clothes. After around 90 minutes at home, I left at 4.25. It was an atrocious journey over as you'd expect for a Friday night. I was taken down some horrible narrow lanes in the dark. I encountered a car on it's side down one of them and was glad when a private ambulance turned up at the same time as me. By the looks of it, it was just bruised pride but you never can be too sure and it was better to have someone who knew what they were doing. I was parked up in Crawley Road Car Park by 5.50, paying £2 for parking. It was then ten minutes to The White House Wetherspoons, my 290th Spoons. I ordered chicken, stuffing, bacon and Brie Panini with chips and a bottle of Aspalls for £8.50. It was a standard Wetherspoons, no bag in box ciders but nicely kept. Time was not my friend, so I made my way to the ground, walking along a strange busway to get there. I was in 15 minutes before kick-off, and everything was relaxed and friendly. Like with the town, my impression of the ground was better as a neutral. Not perfect but you appreciate the quirkiness in a world of bland identikit places.

Luton Town's U18 side were top of their area's Youth Alliance table whilst Swindon Town were 4th in theirs. It was Luton's first game in the competition this season. Fourth-tier Aldershot Town had 1-0 at Aldershot and beaten Wimborne Town 5-0 to reach this round. The game was end to end, with Luton having the better of the game. The first incident came on 5 minutes when the Luton #9 catapulted over the hoardings into the away end. Thankfully he was OK. Luton dominated proceedings but Swindon defended well. On 32 minutes, Swindon were awarded a penalty, a trip in the area after a rare foray forward. However, Fletcher Hubbard's spot kick was well saved by the home keeper. After his earlier heroics, Luton keeper Cai Hockey had a moment to forget when he palmed a right-sided Swindon corner into his own net in first-half injury time to give the visitors a half-time lead. The strike was credited to Sonny Hart. At the break, it was strange to hear Elton John's 'Step Into Christmas' over the tannoy given his Watford allegiance. But the break was a good opportunity to have a nosey around and see some bits of the ground you don't usually do as an away fan. Swindon started the second half brightly and Luton appeared to have lost confidence, going for more long balls. They had a chance on the break, the Swindon keeper making a good save with his feet. On 61 minutes, the visitors went 2-0 up. It was sloppy defending failing to clear their lines and Josh Keyes finished with a low shot into the bottom right from the edge of the area. It soon became apparent that there was only going to be one winner. Swindon even had time to hit the bar and blast the rebound over. 463 was the given attendance and it had been a decent contest. It could have been a different result if Luton had capitalised on their early dominance. Luton hit the bar in the 88th minute with a decent dipping shot from outside the area but it was not to be for them.

THE GROUND - UP TO 2015

KENILWORTH ROAD is great to look at with some really nice retro touches, and it's especially decent under floodlights. However actually sitting in it is not as good with the legroom poor, especially in the away end and even standing you are hemmed in in conditions that would probably be barely legal for cattle let alone humans. The food facilities are pretty poor within the ground and the club shop is pricey. You'll have to walk into town if you want a decent drink as well as it's in the middle of an Asian community. However, this last point does have its advantages as there are plenty of excellently priced restaurants serving nice curries and the like. I can especially recommend Al Bilal for a pre-match meal.

THE OAK ROAD STAND is the designated 'away end' and originally away fans got the lot. However, as of this season, it has been split and shared with Luton fans for a lot of games with the away fans getting 1100 seats. As mentioned before legroom is poor but the low roof means you can get a great atmosphere going. Entry to the ground is very strange as the turnstiles are where someone's living room should be and as you walk through you can see all their washing hanging up in the back garden!

THE KENILWORTH ROAD STAND is the biggest of all the stands and housed the bulk of the home sides' vocal support, at least until the away end was shared with home fans

The far side houses both the MAIN STAND which is around the same height as the away end and the imaginatively titled NEW STAND makes up the side to the right of the away end I sat in here for a reserves game once. The legroom here is just as bad as the away end, at least in the main stand. The fourth side has a row of executive boxes but it did originally have a seated stand that Millwall fans wrecked in a riot in 1985.

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2023 GROUND UPDATE

It was nice to revisit Kenilworth Road in the home area and see a lot of the retro signage and other bits. Three sides were unchanged since my last visit. However, the Bobbers Stand, a row of executive boxes from 1986 until 2023 had been converted back into a seated stand. This was mainly to comply with broadcasting regulations but as with the rest of the ground, it was not perfect with some seats with restricted view. That is what makes the ground so charming though. It is well-located for the town. The Crawley Road car park is the best place to park, 15 minutes away. A decent Wetherspoons, The White House is around 20 minutes walk away.