Skip to content Skip to sidebar Skip to footer

Season 1890/91

F = Friendly   FAC Q1 = F.A. Cup Qualifying Round 1      KCC R1 = Kettering Charity Cup Round 1   LCC R1 = Luton Charity Cup Round 1.

Bold is a home game.  Dallow Lane was closed from the start of the season until the 22nd November as it was being redeveloped (flattening of the pitch and the building of a pavilion) to accomodate football, cricket, athletics and cycling.   The club played on at least two other pitches but mainly the Bury Farm meadow.

DateOpponentsCompResultScorers
20/9/1890Grove HouseF - played on "field adjoining ordinary groundW 6 0J. C. Lomax
27/9City RamblersF - "Dallow Lane"L 0 3
4/1093rd HighlandersFAC Q1 "Field attached to Bury FarmL 0 7
11/10Great MarlowF - "Bury Farm Meadow"L 0 1
18/10Tottenham HotspurF - Bury MeadowW 4 1Humphrey x 2, Moore, Stanley
25/10Luton MontroseLCC R1 - Bury MeadowW 5 0Moore x 3, F. Whitby, Miller
1/11Old St. Mark'sF - Bury MeadowW 5 4
8/11Wolverton L & NWRKCC R1D 2 2J.C. Lomax
15/11Crouch EndFL 3 5
22/11Old St. Mark'sF - Re-opening of Dallow LaneD 1 1F. Whitby
29/11Wolverton L & NWRKCC R1 RD 1 1F. Whitby
13/12Park Terriers (Luton)LCC R2W 9 0
1891
15/1/1891Wolverton L & NWRKCC R1 2nd replay at KetteringL 1 2
31/1London CaledoniansFW 4 1H. Whitby x 2, A. Whitby, G, Deacon
7/2Great MarlowFD 1 1
14/2Guy's HospitalFW 4 1
28/2BedfordLCC R3L 1 6Stanley
7/3Millwall AthleticFW 5 2
14/3Wolverton L & NWRFW 4 0H. Whitby, Hills, A. Whitby, F. Whitby
21/3St. John's StratfordFW 15 1
27/31st Scots GuardsFL 1 3
30/3Upton RoversFW 5 1
4/4City RamblersFW 4 3
Reserves
15/10/1890Dunstable Grammar SchoolFW 7 1
11/11St. George's School (Harpenden)FL 0 3
15/11Grove ParkF- Bury Park GroundD 2 2
6/12MountaineersF - Bury Park GroundW 3 0
7/2/1891Dunstable Grammar SchoolFW 5 4
18/2St. George's School (Harpenden)FD 2 2
27/3AnchorFW 4 2
30/3West Ham Athletic (Dreadnought)FL 1 4

The newspapers hostility towards football slackened somewhat as the Luton Reporter introduced a sports editorial.  However, coverage of games was still very patchy.  The expectations following the Kettering Charity Cup Final appearance did not materialise.  The club, at first, continued to use Harpenden players (teachers from St. George’s School) but they became very unreliable so the club turned to local men.  However, the local men could also be unreliable as they worked on Saturday morning so could not always be ready for kick off.  For the supporters this could mean a long wait in winter weather and games ending before 90 minutes due to darkness.  This obviously did not go down well with the supporters who had paid their hard earned pennies to watch a full game.  The club therefore offered lost wages to the players so they could leave work early – thereby making the club the first in the South of England to become professional.
The winter was terrible with snow lying on the ground for weeks.  At least 13 games were postponed including the lucrative Christmas Football Festival which meant the loss of much revenue.  With progression in the Charity Cup games it meant a very busy time for the Club Secretary, Isaac Smith.

At the AGM the club secretary announced that the club had –

Played 31,  W17,  L8,  D6,  Goals For 110,  Goals Against 61

Known first team scorers – H. Whitby 5;  F. Whitby, S.F.P. Moore 4;  J.C. Lomax, Stanley, A. Whitby 2;  G. Deacon, H. Hills, W. Miller 1.