Statistics 1885 – 1901
Honours
Kettering Charity Cup winners 1897. Runners up 1890
Luton Charity Cup winners 1894, 1896, 1897. Runners up 1893. Note 1.
Southern League Runners up 1895, 1896.
United League Champions 1898. Runners up 1897, 1901. Note 2.
Seasons
Season Played Won Drawn Lost For Against
1885/86 30 17 4 9 64 37
1886/87 34 19 6 9 70 48
1887/88 36 21 6 9 86 60
1888/89 41 26 5 10 131 53
1889/90 28 18 6 4 68 26
1890/91 31 16 6 9 107 61
1891/92 32 21 2 9 99 54
1892/93 34 20 4 10 106 59
1893/94 43 31 2 10 123 65
1894/95 56 33 7 16 171 87
1895/96 65 51 5 9 247 49
1896/97 67 50 7 10 230 64
1897/98 59 33 9 17 159 82
1898/99 60 14 9 37 84 175
1899/00 38 7 9 22 47 82
1900/01 44 21 6 17 89 71
Totals 698 398 93 207 1,881 1,073
I found the following clip in a local newspaper giving the club’s records. There are some discrepancies with the records I have been able to compile. I will investigate and correct where I can.
Win percentage 57%
Most wins in a season – 51
Most goals scored in a season – 247
Least goals conceded in a season – 26
Most defeats in a season – 37
Least goals scored in a season – 47
Most goals conceded in a season – 175
Most consecutive wins – 13 – 28th October 1893 to 20th January 1894.
Attendances, highest
Dallow Lane – 6,898 v West Bromwich Albion, F.A. Cup R1, 30th January 1897. Lost 0 – 1.
Dunstable Road – 7,500 – v Bolton Wanderers, F.A. Cup R1, 29th January 1898, Lost 0 – 1.
Gate Receipts, record
Dallow Lane – £185 v West Bromwich Albion, 30th January 1897.
Dunstable Road – £270 v Bolton Wanderers, 29th January 1898.
Record wins
Home – 11 0 v St. Mary’s Hospital 25th February 1893 – Friendly
11 0 v Rushden 16th April 1897 – United League
Away – 6 0 at Clapton 14th March 1896 – Southern League
6 1 at St. Albans 3rd November 1894 – 2nd F.A. Cup Qualifying round
Record defeats
Home – Luton Town 0 Wellingborough Grammar School 10 – 24th February 1886 – Friendly
Luton Town 1 Leicester Fosse 6 – 14th January 1899 – League Division 2
Away – Small Heath 9 Luton Town 0 – 12th November 1898 – League Division 2
Wellingborough Grammar School 9 Luton Town 1 – 29th September 1886 – Friendly
F.A. Cup Giant Killings
Wins Home – Luton Town 4 Old Etonians 2 – 29th October 1892
Luton Town 3 Tottenham Hotspur 0 – 16th January 1897
Away – Clifton 0 Luton Town 3 – 5th December 1891
Old Westminsters 0 Luton Town 1 – 4th November 1893
Defeat – Polytechnic 4 Luton Town 2 – 19th November 1892
Record Goal scorer
In one game – Hugh Galbraith – 7 against St. Mary’s Hospital 25th February 1893.
Season – Hugh Galbraith – 46 goals in the 1895/96 season.
Career – Hugh Galbraith – 177 goals, 1892 – 1899.
Appearances
305 – approximately by Arthur Holey Taylor between 1885 and 1894. Accurate figures are not available in the early years as team line ups were not always published.
Professionalism
8th January 1886 – A payment to Arthur H. Taylor for loss of time is the first professional payment to a player in the South of England.
17th September 1889 – The club purchase 18 shirts for the team thus technically becoming a professional team. Players in amateur teams paid for their own shirts.
December 1890 – First football club in the South of England to pay players on a contract.
Administration
October 1887 – J.C. Lomax elected to the Council of the F.A.
1894 – Founder members of the Southern League.
Notes
- The Luton Charity Cup exists today in another form – see the article in the Library
- It is unclear if a trophy was awarded for winning the United League. The medal shown was awarded to George Frederick Ekins and was donated to Wardown Park Museum where it now resides.