Match Day Thread Luton Town v Preston North End Kenilworth Road 16/3/2022

The circle is now complete two years ago think it was 11 March 2020 the match was scheduled to take place at Kenilworth Road, tickets were bought when hey presto a present from the Chinese region of Wuhan stopped us from visiting one of the most unique grounds in the football league, luckily things are a lot more improved and the coach awaits on Wednesday afternoon

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Kenilworth Road is a association football stadium in Luton, Bedfordshire, England. It has been the home ground of Luton Town Football Club since 1905. The stadium has also hosted women's and youth international matches, including the second leg of the 1984 European Competition for Women's Football final.

The 10,356 all-seater stadium is situated in the district of Bury Park, one mile (1.6 km) west of the centre of Luton. It is named after the road which runs along one end of it, though its official address is 1 Maple Road. Kenilworth Road hosted football in the Southern League until 1920, then in the Football League until 2009, when Luton were relegated to the Conference Premier. It has hosted Football League matches once more since 2014.

Floodlights were fitted in 1953, and the ground became all-seated in 1991. The record attendance of 30,069 was set in 1959, in an FA Cup sixth round replay against Blackpool.

The ground is known for the artificial playing surface which was in place from 1985 until 1991, the unusual entrance to the Oak Road End, and the five-season ban on away supporters that Luton Town imposed following a riot by visiting fans in 1985.

Unofficial ground re development

The 1985 Luton riot occurred before, during and after a 1984–85 FA Cup sixth-round football match between Luton Town and Millwall on 13 March 1985 at Luton Town's Kenilworth Road ground in Luton, Bedfordshire, England, United Kingdom. It was one of the worst incidents of football hooliganism during the 1980s, and led to a ban on away supporters by Luton Town which lasted for four seasons. This itself led to Luton's expulsion from the Football League Cup during the 1986–87 season. The club also began to enforce a membership card scheme, which Margaret Thatcher's government attempted to have adopted at grounds across England. Kenilworth Road was damaged, along with the surrounding area, and a year later was converted to an all-seater stadium.
Background
Millwall's association with football hooliganism became strongly apparent with their rise in the English game during the 1980s. Millwall's Bushwackers were already one of the most notorious hooligan firms in the country by 1985,[1] while Luton Town had their own fringe of hooligans in the MIGs.[2][3] The Den, home of Millwall, had been the scene of a riot seven years earlier, when during another FA Cup sixth-round match against Ipswich Town, Millwall-aligned hooligans had injured dozens of their own club's supporters.[4] Following the incident, the opinion of Ipswich manager Bobby Robson was that "[the police] should have turned the flamethrowers on them".[5]

When George Graham had been appointed manager halfway through the 1982–83 season, Millwall had been bottom of the then third-tier Third Division and battling relegation to the Fourth Division; however, by the time of this FA Cup sixth-round match at First Division Luton Town's Kenilworth Road ground on 13 March 1985, they were challenging for promotion to the second tier. Luton had beaten their arch-rivals Watford in the previous round without incident, while Millwall had upset the odds with a 2–0 home victory over top-flight Leicester City.[6] On the day of the match, Luton were second from bottom of the top division,[7] while Millwall were third in the third tier.[8]


The Kenilworth Stand, pictured in 2006. An open terrace in 1985, it is estimated that 10,000 spectators gained entrance to the stand that night.[5]
Although Luton were asked by Millwall to make the Wednesday night match all-ticket, the warning was not heeded.[5] A disproportionately large away following, twice the size of Millwall's average home gate, arrived on the day of the game, and by 5.00 p.m. pubs and newsagents around the town were having windows smashed as the police struggled to cope. The Kenilworth Stand, at that time still a vast terrace, was reserved for the away supporters that night. It was overflowing by 7.00 p.m. – 45 minutes before kick-off – with spectators even perched on the scoreboard supports after the turnstiles had been broken down. Ten minutes later, officers of the Bedfordshire Police were helpless as hundreds of visitors scaled the fences in front of the stand to rush down the pitch towards Luton's supporters in the packed Oak Road End. A hail of bottles, cans, nails and coins saw the home supporters fleeing up the terraces, but their numbers, still growing as fans entered the stand, meant that there was little they could do to avoid the missiles.[9]

The players came out to warm up, and almost immediately vanished back up the tunnel. The rioters then set upon the Bobbers Stand, ripping out seats and brandishing them as weapons. A message appeared on the stadium's electronic scoreboard, stating that the match would not start until they returned to their allocated area, but this was ignored; an appeal from Graham over the ground's loudspeaker also had no effect. It was only when Graham appeared on the sideline that the spectators finally returned to the Kenilworth Stand. Even after this some managed to find their way into the Main Stand, where isolated fights broke out and more seats were removed. The arrival of police dogs helped to clear the pitch; the match began on time, with many watching from atop the Bobbers Stand after climbing the floodlight pylons.[9]
uton started the match, kicking towards the Millwall supporters. After only fourteen minutes, the match was halted as the visiting fans began to riot again. The referee took both teams off for twenty-five minutes, before bringing them back on to complete the match. Brian Stein put Luton ahead on thirty-one minutes, and the home side led by this score at half-time; when Luton continued to lead the match as it entered its final stages, the fear became that the pitch might be invaded once more in order to have the match abandoned and therefore prevent a Millwall defeat. Fans attempted to disrupt the match, but extra police managed to keep control. Some seats were removed, and one of these was thrown and hit a match steward in the head. Luton goalkeeper Les Sealey, who had to stand in front of the Millwall fans during the second half, received a missile to the head, and a knife was also found in the goalmouth after the game.[9]

Following the final whistle, and a 1–0 victory for Luton, the visiting fans invaded the pitch. Both Luton and Millwall players sprinted for the dressing room as fast as they could – one hooligan rushed towards Luton coach Trevor Hartley, and tried to grab him, but Hartley managed to wriggle free and race towards the tunnel after the players. The hooligans made for the Bobbers Stand once more, and started to tear seats out as the fences at the front of the stand were forced down.[2][9] The seats ripped from the stand were hurled onto the pitch towards the police, who started to fall back, before regrouping and charging in waves, batons drawn. Gradually the police started to win the battle, at which point the hooligans started to take seats from the Main Stand and throw them like "makeshift plastic spears". The police were not without casualties – of the 81 people injured, almost half of them were policemen. Sergeant Colin Cooke was caught in the centre circle and struck on the head with a concrete block. He stopped breathing, but PC Phil Evans resuscitated him while being punched, kicked and hit himself by the concrete.[4]

As a life-long Millwall supporter I could stand in disbelief as I watched the riots and I felt like crying. Children around me clung to their parents in fear; women and pensioners vowed never to go to a football match again… The scenes before me were ones of open bloody warfare… I was reminded of the Brixton riots. As a true Millwall fan it was impossible not to feel shame, not to feel sorrow for the game of football. And not to despair at how low life had sunk; for these were not fans, they were not people, they were animals.

— Jim Murray reports to his London newspaper[4]
The carnage continued through the town, as a battle between the mob and the police developed, leaving smashed cars, shops and homes in its wake. When the situation was brought back under control, thirty-one men were arrested and taken to Luton Magistrates' Court the following morning. The majority of the thirty-one identified themselves as supporters of teams other than Millwall, most notably Chelsea and West Ham United.[4][5]

Aftermath

Wreckage in front of the Bobbers Stand, the following morning
Despite having reached an FA Cup semi-final, Luton manager David Pleat was left "feeling empty".[4] Luton were defeated by Everton 2–1 at Villa Park after extra-time following a 1–1 stalemate.[10] However, their league form improved so much that they finished 13th in the First Division.[11] Eventually finishing second in the third tier, Millwall won promotion to the Second Division only six weeks later.[4][12]

The Football Association (or The FA) commissioned an inquiry, which concluded that it was "not satisfied that Millwall F.C. took all reasonable precautions in accordance with the requirements of FA Rule 31(A)(II)." A £7,500 fine was levied against Millwall, though this was withdrawn on appeal.[4][13] The penalty that Millwall faced was perhaps that the club's name was now "synonymous with everything that was bad in football and society".[14] Luton Town were ordered to construct fences around their ground, a decision that was also reversed.[13] Chelsea chairman Ken Bates claimed that he intended to erect electric fences at Stamford Bridge to avert such an incident at his club.[15]

Luton Town announced a £1 million overhaul of Kenilworth Road soon after – the club would spend £350,000 on a new artificial pitch that summer,[16] and £650,000 on converting the ground to an all-seater.[17] Work on the stands began during the summer of 1986, but was not finished until 2005.[18]

There have been many incidents of football hooliganism among Millwall fans since this incident. On 9 January 1988, forty-one Millwall fans were arrested at Highbury after a disturbance at an FA Cup third-round game which was quickly labelled by the public and media as "The Battle of Highbury".[19] Millwall relocated to The New Den in 1993, and the end of their first season there was marred by a First Division play-off semi-final defeat and a series of pitch invasions by Millwall fans, as well as alleged racial chanting at opposition Derby County's two black players which led to them both being substituted. In May 2002, fifty police officers were injured when Millwall hooligans clashed with police in a Division One play-off semi-defeat by Birmingham City.[20]

LAST TIME OUT

FORM GUIDE

TOWN 13 PNE 8

DEAD PERSON WHO WON'T BE AT THE GAME

Gerald Anthony Coles (1929–2004) was an English painter, printmaker, and stained glass designer.

Born in Luton, Bedfordshire, he was trained at the Luton School of Art (1943–45) before working for the Harper and Hendra Studios in Harpenden and then for Hugh Ray Easton (1945–47). He attended the Slade School of Fine Art in London (1951–54) during which time he won the Steer Painting Prize (1953).

From 1954 to 1958, he studied at the Ecole des Beaux Arts in Paris and travelled widely throughout Europe.

In 1959, he was awarded a French Government Travelling Scholarship to study stained glass design in France, and was awarded the Seguret Scholarship by the Cite Universitaire de Paris.

In 1960-61, he was awarded the Sir Arthur Evans Travelling Scholarship by the Worshipful Company of Glaziers and Painters of Glass to travel and study in Germany and Austria.

In 1975, he was elected Associate of the British Society of Master Glass Painters and in 1979 he was awarded a prize in The Steering Committee of Stained Glass Design, Tokyo.

During his career, Coles assisted Hugh Easton on many stained glass commissions, including the Battle of Britain memorial window in Westminster Abbey. Other commissions took him overseas to the United States, South Africa, India and Australia.

In addition to his skills as a stained glass designer, Coles produced numerous oil paintings, prints in the form of woodcuts and monotypes, watercolours and drawings.

He has exhibited at many places, including the Roland, Browse and Delbanco Gallery, the O’Hana Gallery, and, earlier, at the Maison Internationale, the Cité Université de Paris.

A number of his works are retained by the British Museum.

 

Manager Ryan Lowe confirmed in his pre-match press conference that midfielder Ryan Ledson will miss the remainder of the season as he is set to undergo an operation on a knee injury.

Skipper Alan Browne’s late substitution on Saturday was confirmed to be cramp so he will be available on Wednesday night, while Liam Lindsay, who went off with a knock to his ankle, is also expected to be available.

Josh Earl is back on the grass after missing the Cardiff game, whereas Greg Cunningham and Tom Barkhuizen will miss out.

The Opposition

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Having improved on previous league finishes in each of their last six seasons, Luton Town have continued their upwards curve so far this term, currently sat just outside the Play-Off places.

A run of nine victories in their 14 Championship games since the turn of the year has catapulted them towards the top six and, with ten games left of their season, they are well within the Play-Off picture.

Luton, managed by Nathan Jones, have also been buoyed recently by an FA Cup run, reaching the fifth round and giving Chelsea a tough evening at Kenilworth Road, but the European champions came out on top.

Key Stats

The Hatters have only lost once at Kenilworth Road in the league so far in 2022, with that defeat coming against QPR at the weekend.

North End’s last victory away against Luton Town came in November 1999, with a brace from David Eyres earning a 2-0 victory.

PNE have kept five clean sheets in their last six games away from home, whereas Luton Town have scored in each of their last seven games in all competitions.

Our Last Meeting





Emil Riis scored a brace to earn PNE a 2-0 victory over the Hatters when they came to Deepdale in late October.

A day after penning a new deal with the club, Emil opened the scoring with an unbelievable strike from an incredibly tight angle, before he doubled his tally for the day from the spot in first-half stoppage time.

Man In The Middle

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Steve Martin will take charge of his first PNE game of the season on Wednesday night.

He is certainly no stranger to North End, though, having previously refereed 20 of their fixtures, and the Lilywhites have only lost four of those.

Martin, who has shown 81 yellow cards and four reds in his 26 games this season, will be assisted by Nigel Lugg and Steven Meredith, while Charles Breakspear is on fourth official duty.

 

Luton Town 4 Berry 2 Kioso Diaby og Preston North End 0

Luton Town line-up: Shea; Kioso, Burke (Onyedinma, 23), Potts; Bree, Campbell, Clark, Berry (Mendes Gomes, 81), Bell; Adebayo, Cornick (Hylton, 77). Subs not used: Isted, Lansbury, Onyedinma, Muskwe, Thorpe.

PNE line-up: Iversen; van den Berg, Diaby, Hughes; Potts (Sinclair, 80), Whiteman, Browne, Johnson, McCann (Murphy, 45); Riis (Evans, 45), Archer. Subs not used: Ripley, Bauer, Rafferty, Maguire.

Attendance: 9.408 (614 PNE fans)

Referee: Mr S Martin.

Home at 3 am after this shocker of a performance, hard to think of any plus points apart from hearing the final whistle, goes along side performances at Brentford (5-0) and Hull (4-0) in the pantheon of away day horrors hammerings.
First visit to the ramshackle Kenilworth Road ground,have to feel for the resdidents on Oak Street on match days up the walkway to the away end get the joys of looking into people's bathrooms. Then the ground, a houch potch decent home end, executive boxes down one side, smallish away end and then there's the main stand different types of seasting including benches pitch side, put it this was won't be hosting a Champions League final any day soon.
One change for us McCann in for Lindsay,. McCann playing as a left wing back even though he is a right sided midfielder, needless to say the first three goals came down that side although not blaming McCann for any of them.
We actually started reasonably well for nine minutes, then the rot started to kick in, Town attacked down the right wing, a ball into the box should have been dealt with by either the two central dfenders or Iversen should have come for the ball neither happened, Berry 12 yards out no mistake, from then on in we were harried out of the game by Town's press, they never gave us time on the ball at all causing us to make mistake after mistake. The second came form another cross from teh right hand side, Iversen's punch was poor and Kiose at the back post made it two.
Iversen made a decent save to prevent it from being three but was only a matter of time, again the danger came down the right hand side although give Berry credit his back flick for teh goal was excellent.
Half time changes Riis and McCann, the latter had got a whack on the nose late on in the half. Evans and Murphy arrived to stem the flow, we survived for 15 minutes before the next calamity arrive, from our corner, the ball was cleared to Van Den Berg his poor cross into the box was intercepted and ended up with them having a shot, Iversen made a decnt save but the rebound hit Diably and comically for the home fans flew back into the net.
They also hit the bar although was offside and wouldn't have counted, a couple of efforts went narrowly wide.
We should have reduced the arrears when we got to the byline the ball to Murphy first time shot should have gone in didn't it went wide. Another Murphy effort was easily saved.
A night to forget but did highlight the need for a left wing back, the return of Cunningham cannot come too soon,.

Luton Town manager Nathan Jones told BBC Three Counties Radio:

"I'm so proud of the players. I told the players tonight to just stay in the hunt and do whatever it takes to get a result, but I thought we were outstanding.

"We lost so many players, but this group rolls with the punches. We've had about 14 weeks doubled up, and that's why we're picking up so many injuries as it's relentless and the Championship is a crazy league.

"But what a response. What a performance. It just shows this is a class group."

Preston North End boss Ryan Lowe told BBC Radio Lancashire:

"We weren't good enough from start to finish.

"I can only apologise and we'll reimburse the fans their money back, their hard-earned money as they have travelled down on a cold Wednesday night when they might have been better staying in with their feet up.

"The performance was nowhere near the levels of what I expect as a Preston North End manager."