2002–03 Luton Town F.C. season
Encyclopedia
The 2002–03 season was the 117th season in the history of Luton Town Football Club
. The club's promotion from Division Three
in the previous season meant they competed back in Division Two
, their 82nd consecutive year in the Football League. Luton finished in ninth place, a successful achievement considering the club's recent promotion, though a poor late run of games prevented the club from reaching the play-offs
.
The first signs of a new wave of financial cracks began to appear in Luton’s infrastructure during the season, triggering a long series of events which would eventually result in disastrous consequences for the club. John Gurney’s highly controversial takeover of the club in May, and subsequent sacking of popular managerial duo Joe Kinnear
and Mick Harford
, led to the establishment of a Supporters’ Trust
to protect the future of Luton Town Football Club. A bizarre and farcical phone-vote poll organised by Gurney proved to be the method of picking a new manager to replace Kinnear, with ex-Hartlepool United
boss Mike Newell
winning the most votes on 23 June.
This article covers the period from 1 July 2002 to 30 June 2003.
, appointed manager on 8 February 2001, had revived Luton's fortunes the previous season. A series of transfers had seen a complete turn-around in playing staff, making the squad unrecognisable from the one relegated from the Second Division
two seasons previously. The team comfortably won promotion from the Third Division
at the first attempt with the squad Kinnear had built, earning 97 points after a second-place finish, and ending the season as top scorers in the division. A key component of the squad, left-back Matthew Taylor
, had been sold to Portsmouth
for £400,000 at the end of the season.
In June 2002 Kinnear had signed Tony Thorpe
, who had scored 55 goals for Luton in a previous seven-year spell spanning 1992 to 1999, on a free transfer from Bristol City
, whilst Northern Ireland
international midfielder Steve Robinson
was bought from Preston North End
for £50,000.
, Richard Dryden
, Adam Locke, Daryl Murphy
and Scott Ward were all given free transfers, whilst four youth team players were given three-year scholar contracts, including Leon Barnett
and Dean Brill
.
Jean-Louis Valois
, a key player the previous season, refused the offer of a new contract and left the club on 2 August. Defender Alan Kimble
, released from Wimbledon
in the summer, signed a one-year contract with the club one week before the season started, and on August 10, the day of Luton's first game, striker Robbie Winters
signed a short-term deal from Scottish club Aberdeen
.
, though this still left the club near the bottom of the table.
Robbie Winters left the club after just one game - a 3–2 loss to Peterborough United
. Left-back Sol Davis
signed from Swindon Town
for a fee of £60,000 on 16 August, and goalkeeper Ben Roberts
, who had previously had a loan spell at Luton in 2000, signed on a one-month loan from Charlton Athletic
a week later.
September yielded an improvement in form, as Luton finished the month two points above the relegation zone with eleven games played. Steve Howard
continued his form from the previous season, netting seven goals in that time. On 10 September Luton faced archrivals Watford
, for the first time in four years, in the League Cup
. In a game marred by violence between both sets of fans, Luton ran out 2–1 winners over the Hornets with goals from Matthew Spring
, who scored a 25-yard strike which would later win Luton's Goal of the Season award, and Steve Howard. Luton were drawn to face Premier League side Aston Villa
in the second round.
keeper Cédric Berthelin
on a two-month contract from Ligue 1
side Lens
on 2 October. Berthelin was named in the squad on the same day in the League Cup game at Aston Villa, which Luton lost 3–0.
He played in nine league games throughout October and November as Luton recorded five victories and three draws, with a single loss coming against Northampton Town
. This left the Hatters just outside the play-off positions on goal difference
.
Luton eased past Guiseley
4–0 in the FA Cup
, and recorded victories over non-league sides Woking
and Stevenage Borough
in the Football League Trophy
to reach the quarter-finals.
The club were drawn against Cambridge United
in the quarter-final of the Football League Trophy, while Wigan Athletic
were to be Luton's opponents in the second round of the FA Cup.
, but made it clear that no players would be sold. This promise was affirmed later that day, with top scorer Steve Howard
signing a two-year contract extension. Berthelin signed for First Division
side Crystal Palace
later that month.
A severely depleted Luton side was knocked out of the FA Cup on 7 December by Wigan, then, three days later, Cambridge United beat Luton 2–1 in extra time in The Football League Trophy.
In the league, Luton recorded a loss, a draw and two wins to end December in sixth place in the table.
A loss to Chesterfield
on New Year's Day
turned out to be Luton's last game for the next three weeks due to poor weather. On 17 January, Kinnear revealed he had turned down the offer of an interview for the job of Irish national team
manager. The next day, Luton beat Barnsley
3–2, despite being a goal down and having goalkeeper Carl Emberson
sent off in the first half. A victory over Wycombe Wanderers
a week later left Luton just outside the play-offs, though with games in hand over the teams above them.
Defender Chris Willmott
, who started his career at Luton, joined the club on an initial month's loan from Wimbledon
to ease a defensive injury crisis.
Meanwhile, developments off the pitch regarding a new stadium continued. Chairman Mike Watson-Challis revealed the club had bought a 55 acres (222,577.3 m²) piece of land off of Junction 10 of the M1 motorway
. He estimated the cost of building the 15,000 seater stadium and complex to be £15 million, though admitted there "may be other costs". The meeting where Watson-Challis revealed these details also referenced potential hindrances to the developments – the removal of electricity pylon
s sitting on the land, the plans to widen the M1 at the same location as the stadium was to be built, and the key fact that the development was yet to receive support from either Luton Borough Council or the Highways Agency
.
, who had played for Luton all his career, was given a free transfer to divisional rivals Peterborough United
. This freed up the funds to allow Kinnear to add to the squad; however, the player he wanted to sign, Australia
n striker Danny Allsopp, was injured on 8 February. Canadian
goalkeeper Lars Hirschfeld
joined Luton on a one-month loan on 21 February from Tottenham Hotspur
. He was an unused substitute as Luton lost their sixth home game of the season to Brentford
a day later, severely denting their play-off hopes.
One week later, with regular right-back Emmerson Boyce
requiring surgery, Luton secured defender Duncan Jupp
on a free transfer from Notts County
on a contract until the end of the season.
Only one win in six games followed in March, making the probability of promotion almost impossible.
Chris Willmott's loan was extended to the end of the season in order to cover for various injuries on 13 March. Three days later, Kinnear released three youth players - Joe Deeney, Rob Gillman and James Osborn. Midfielder Lee Mansell
, who had been a regular player in the team during Luton's relegation season two years previously, joined Conference National
side Nuneaton Borough on loan until the end of the season on 23 March. Later on the same day, Luton signed Reading
midfielder Sammy Igoe
on loan for the rest of the season.
Luton picked up just three points from four matches in the first half of April, mathematically ruling them out of a play-off position.
On 21 April, Deputy Chairman Eric Hood released a statement signalling the board's intention to have the new stadium, which was still yet to receive planning permission, built for the start of the 2005–06
season.
Luton's next game saw them emphatically beat Colchester United
5–0 away from home, Steve Howard scoring a hat-trick. The game saw youth team goalkeeper Rob Beckwith
make his second appearance for the club, with Joe Kinnear having already made the decision to offload current goalkeepers Carl Emberson
and Mark Ovendale at the end of the season. Kinnear admitted that the lack of available funds would likely see "seven or eight" players leaving the club in May, though stressed his desire to sign Willmott and Igoe on permanent contracts.
A 1–1 draw with Stockport County
on 26 April left Luton in an upper-mid-table position with one game left to play.
on 3 May, leaving Luton in ninth place in the table and fourteen points behind a play-off position.
Young midfielder Michael Leary
signed a two-year contract extension on 5 May.
A summer of turmoil at the club began on 20 May, with Chairman Mike Watson-Challis retiring, and an unknown consortium taking over the ownership of the club. Three days later, the club announced that both Joe Kinner and assistant manager Mick Harford
had left the club, with no immediate reason for their departures given. An outpouring of anger from supporters forced a press conference from the new owners to reveal their identities. However, the proposed new Chairman, Roger Terrell, and Vice-Chairman Lee Power
admitted they had nothing to do with the investors, nor the takeover process, confusing the situation further. They both confessed that, seeing the reaction from the supporters of Luton, they were considering resigning after only one week. It was also during this press conference that some of Luton's financial difficulties were exposed, with a cut to the wage bill and other parts of the club necessary to fund the new stadium venture.
In the midst of this, it was announced that Luton would not be renewing the contracts of six players – on 22 May, goalkeepers Carl Emberson and Mark Ovendale, defenders Duncan Jupp, Alan Kimble
and Aaron Skelton
, and striker Carl Griffiths
were released.
The new owners, still yet to be fully revealed, announced on 30 May that the process of finding a new manager would be handled through a phone-vote process, with supporters choosing their preferred candidate from a shortlist – a first of its kind in sport.
On 3 June the club revealed that a Peter Miller, a staff member at Northampton Town
, had been responsible for the removal of Joe Kinnear and Mick Harford from the managerial staff. It would later come to light that Miller sacked Kinnear and Harford whilst still under employment at Northampton, and had no association with Luton. More bizarre still, it was revealed that the club had entered in negotiations to re-hire Kinnear and Harford. The Football Association
commenced an investigation into the situation surrounding Miller, as under the rules, no person can have "an interest" in more than one club.
By now, media reports had highlighted businessman and property developer John Gurney as the man behind the takeover bid. It was later picked up that Gurney had previous history with leaving sports teams in dire financial situations, including Bedford Blues
Rugby Club. Gurney made public his ownership on 8 June.
He then released two documents outlining his plans for the club. Amongst other details, Gurney expressed his desire to build a Formula 1 track around a 50,000 seater new stadium (his plans included supporting the stadium over the top of the M1 motorway on concrete rafters, and having a removable pitch), claimed the club could be making up to £100 million profit per year, and should change its name to 'London-Luton Football Club' to tie in with the local airport and make it more accessible to "customers" living in London. Gurney ended his statement with a plea for investors. Trust in Luton
chairman Liam Day would later state that "if [the situation] wasn't so serious it would have been hilarious."
The uncertainty and possibility of liquidation for the club (which was revealed to be losing £500,000 per month), and the proposed destruction of Luton Town's history, led to a group of supporters establishing a Supporters' Trust – Trust in Luton – to protect the future of the club and to give fans a unified voice to protest the takeover. The Trust urged supporters to vote with their feet and refuse to buy season tickets, provoking a series of enraged statements from Gurney that were published on the club's website. The situation even went as far as UK Parliament
, with local MP Margaret Moran
receiving support from Minister for Sport Richard Caborn
to find a solution to the circumstances at the club.
On 23 June, Gurney announced the results from the phone-vote to find the next manager. He delayed the announcement for a recount, as the results had been "so close". The eventual winner was revealed as former Hartlepool United
manager and Luton player Mike Newell
, who beat former manager Joe Kinnear
by a reported four votes. Newell expressed his desire to re-hire Mick Harford
, who he had played with during his time at Luton, as assistant manager.
On 26 June, it was revealed that none of the players or staff had been paid their wages for May and June, which would lead to The Football League
summoning Gurney for a meeting in July to explain the situation at the club.
}
|-
|-style="background: #ddffdd;"
|23 July 2002
|Burnley
|align="center"|Neutral
|align="center"|3–1
|align="center"|N/A
|align="center"|Howard
(2), Bayliss
|align="center"|
|-
|-style="background: #ddffdd;"
|26 July 2002
|Rochdale
|align="center"|Neutral
|align="center"|4–2
|align="center"|N/A
|align="center"|Crowe
, Nicholls
(2), Forbes
|align="center"|
|-
|-style="background: #ddffdd;"
|5 August 2002
|Southampton
|align="center"|Home
|align="center"|3–2
|align="center"|4,746
|align="center"|Thorpe
, Fotiadis
, Holmes
|align="center"|
|-
|}
Football League Second Division
FA Cup
Football League Cup
Football League Trophy
}
|}
Luton Town F.C.
Luton Town Football Club is an English professional football club based since 1905 at Kenilworth Road, Luton, Bedfordshire. The club currently competes in the fifth tier of English football, the Conference National, for the third consecutive season during the 2011–12 season.Formed in 1885, it was...
. The club's promotion from Division Three
Football League Third Division
The Football League Third Division was the 3 tier of English Football from 1920 until 1992 when after the formation of the Football Association Premier League saw the league renamed The Football League Division Two...
in the previous season meant they competed back in Division Two
Football League Third Division
The Football League Third Division was the 3 tier of English Football from 1920 until 1992 when after the formation of the Football Association Premier League saw the league renamed The Football League Division Two...
, their 82nd consecutive year in the Football League. Luton finished in ninth place, a successful achievement considering the club's recent promotion, though a poor late run of games prevented the club from reaching the play-offs
Football League Play-Offs
The Football League play-offs are an annual series of football matches to determine some of the promotion places within the Football League. Essentially, each division of the league offers a certain number of automatic promotion places to the top two or three clubs. A further promotion place is...
.
The first signs of a new wave of financial cracks began to appear in Luton’s infrastructure during the season, triggering a long series of events which would eventually result in disastrous consequences for the club. John Gurney’s highly controversial takeover of the club in May, and subsequent sacking of popular managerial duo Joe Kinnear
Joe Kinnear
Joseph Patrick "Joe" Kinnear is an Irish football manager and former player. He was most recently the manager of Newcastle United....
and Mick Harford
Mick Harford
Michael Gordon "Mick" Harford , is an English former football player turned manager. He is former manager of Rotherham and Luton Town and has also been caretaker manager of Nottingham Forest and QPR...
, led to the establishment of a Supporters’ Trust
Trust in Luton
Trust in Luton is a registered Industrial and provident society which acts as the "supporters' trust" for fans of the English football team Luton Town.-External links:* What is a supporters' trust?...
to protect the future of Luton Town Football Club. A bizarre and farcical phone-vote poll organised by Gurney proved to be the method of picking a new manager to replace Kinnear, with ex-Hartlepool United
Hartlepool United F.C.
Hartlepool United Football Club is an English professional football club based in Hartlepool that currently play in League One. The team won promotion to League One in the 2006–07 season...
boss Mike Newell
Mike Newell (footballer)
Michael Colin "Mike" Newell is an English football manager and former professional footballer. As a player he notably was a member of the Blackburn Rovers team which won the Premier League in 1995, as well also playing for Crewe Alexandra, Wigan Athletic, Luton Town, Leicester City, Everton,...
winning the most votes on 23 June.
This article covers the period from 1 July 2002 to 30 June 2003.
Background
Joe KinnearJoe Kinnear
Joseph Patrick "Joe" Kinnear is an Irish football manager and former player. He was most recently the manager of Newcastle United....
, appointed manager on 8 February 2001, had revived Luton's fortunes the previous season. A series of transfers had seen a complete turn-around in playing staff, making the squad unrecognisable from the one relegated from the Second Division
Football League Second Division
From 1892 until 1992, the Football League Second Division was the second highest division overall in English football.This ended with the creation of the FA Premier League, prior to the start of the 1992–93 season, which caused an administrative split between The Football League and the teams...
two seasons previously. The team comfortably won promotion from the Third Division
Football League Third Division
The Football League Third Division was the 3 tier of English Football from 1920 until 1992 when after the formation of the Football Association Premier League saw the league renamed The Football League Division Two...
at the first attempt with the squad Kinnear had built, earning 97 points after a second-place finish, and ending the season as top scorers in the division. A key component of the squad, left-back Matthew Taylor
Matthew Taylor (footballer)
Matthew Simon "Matty" Taylor is an English footballer who plays for West Ham United. He is noted for his powerful long-range strikes.-Early career:...
, had been sold to Portsmouth
Portsmouth F.C.
Portsmouth Football Club is an English football club based in the city of Portsmouth. The club is nicknamed Pompey. Portsmouth's home matches have been played at Fratton Park since the club's formation in 1898. The team currently play in the Football League Championship after being relegated from...
for £400,000 at the end of the season.
In June 2002 Kinnear had signed Tony Thorpe
Tony Thorpe
Anthony "Tony" Thorpe is an English footballer who plays as a striker for Thurmaston Town. As a professional he notably played for Luton Town, Bristol City and Queens Park Rangers. He also played in the Football League for Reading, Rotherham United, Swindon Town, Colchester United and Grimsby Town...
, who had scored 55 goals for Luton in a previous seven-year spell spanning 1992 to 1999, on a free transfer from Bristol City
Bristol City F.C.
Bristol City Football Club is one of two football league clubs in Bristol, England . They play at Ashton Gate, located in the south-west of the City...
, whilst Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland national football team
The Northern Ireland national football team represents Northern Ireland in international association football. Before 1921 all of Ireland was represented by a single side, the Ireland national football team, organised by the Irish Football Association...
international midfielder Steve Robinson
Steve Robinson (Northern Irish footballer)
Stephen "Steve" Robinson is a Northern Ireland former footballer currently working for the Irish Football Association.-Club career:...
was bought from Preston North End
Preston North End F.C.
Preston North End Football Club is an English professional football club located in the Deepdale area of the city of Preston, Lancashire, currently playing in the third tier of English league football, League One...
for £50,000.
Pre-Season
Very few transfer dealings were completed during pre-season, with key players having already signed contract extensions at the end of the previous season. Stuart DouglasStuart Douglas
Stuart Douglas is an English football player.-Career:Douglas began his career with Luton Town as a youth player, going on to make 146 football league appearances for the club...
, Richard Dryden
Richard Dryden
Richard Dryden is an English former professional footballer.-Playing career:A very experienced defender, Richard started his career in 1986 as a trainee with Bristol Rovers, joining them as a professional in July 1987...
, Adam Locke, Daryl Murphy
Daryl Murphy
Daryl Murphy is an Irish footballer who currently plays as a striker for Ipswich Town on loan from Scottish Premier League club Celtic.-Waterford United:...
and Scott Ward were all given free transfers, whilst four youth team players were given three-year scholar contracts, including Leon Barnett
Leon Barnett
Leon Peter Barnett is an English professional footballer who currently plays for Norwich City. Although primarily a central defender, he has also played at left back, right back, central midfield and up front...
and Dean Brill
Dean Brill
Dean Michael Brill is an English professional footballer who currently plays for Football League Two side Barnet. He plays as a goalkeeper.-Luton Town:...
.
Jean-Louis Valois
Jean-Louis Valois
Jean-Louis Valois is a French retired professional footballer. A left-sided player capable of playing on either wing, his last senior club was Al-Nasr.-Career:...
, a key player the previous season, refused the offer of a new contract and left the club on 2 August. Defender Alan Kimble
Alan Kimble
Alan Kimble is a retired English professional footballer.-Youth:Left back Kimble started his career at Charlton Athletic alongside his twin brother, Garry Kimble...
, released from Wimbledon
Wimbledon F.C.
Wimbledon Football Club was an English professional association football club from Wimbledon, south-west London. Founded in 1889 as Wimbledon Old Central Football Club, the club spent most of its history in amateur and semi-professional non-League football before being elected to the Football...
in the summer, signed a one-year contract with the club one week before the season started, and on August 10, the day of Luton's first game, striker Robbie Winters
Robbie Winters
Robbie Winters is a Scottish footballer who currently plays for Alloa Athletic.-Career:Winters began his career at Dundee United in 1992 and played 99 league games for the Terrors, scoring 19 times. A move to Aberdeen beckoned, which saw Billy Dodds and cash come to Tannadice in exchange for Winters...
signed a short-term deal from Scottish club Aberdeen
Aberdeen F.C.
Aberdeen Football Club are a Scottish professional football club based in Aberdeen...
.
August and September
The opening games saw Luton fall to four losses and a draw, conceding 13 goals, before claiming a first victory in a 3–0 win over ChesterfieldChesterfield F.C.
Chesterfield Football Club is an English football club based in Chesterfield, Derbyshire. The club currently plays in Football League One, the third tier of English football. Despite being the fourth oldest Football League club in England, they have spent most of their existence in the lower...
, though this still left the club near the bottom of the table.
Robbie Winters left the club after just one game - a 3–2 loss to Peterborough United
Peterborough United F.C.
Peterborough United Football Club are a professional English football club based in Peterborough. Peterborough United formed in 1934 and played in the old Midland League, which they won six times; eventually being admitted to the Football League in 1960, replacing Gateshead. Their home ground is...
. Left-back Sol Davis
Sol Davis
Sol Sebastian Davis is an English footballer who plays for Kettering Town.-Career:Born in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, Davis is a left-back who played over 130 times for Swindon Town before being transferred to Luton Town in August 2002, bought by then manager Joe Kinnear.Davis was named Players'...
signed from Swindon Town
Swindon Town F.C.
Swindon Town Football Club are a team based in Swindon, Wiltshire. Currently in League Two, Swindon have been managed by Paolo Di Canio since 23 May 2011...
for a fee of £60,000 on 16 August, and goalkeeper Ben Roberts
Ben Roberts (footballer)
Ben James Roberts is a former English footballer who played as a goalkeeper. He is currently goalkeeper coach at Charlton Athletic....
, who had previously had a loan spell at Luton in 2000, signed on a one-month loan from Charlton Athletic
Charlton Athletic F.C.
Charlton Athletic Football Club is an English professional football club based in Charlton, in the London Borough of Greenwich. They compete in Football League One, the third tier of English football. The club was founded on 9 June 1905, when a number of youth clubs in the southeast London area,...
a week later.
September yielded an improvement in form, as Luton finished the month two points above the relegation zone with eleven games played. Steve Howard
Steve Howard
Steven John "Steve" Howard is a Scottish-English footballer currently playing for Championship side Leicester City.Howard is renowned for his aerial strength...
continued his form from the previous season, netting seven goals in that time. On 10 September Luton faced archrivals Watford
Watford F.C.
Watford Football Club is an English professional football club based in Watford, Hertfordshire. It is often referred to as Watford F.C., Watford, or by the team's nickname The Hornets . Watford Rovers, Founded in 1881, entered the FA Cup for the first time in 1886, and the Southern League a decade...
, for the first time in four years, in the League Cup
Football League Cup
The Football League Cup, commonly known as the League Cup or, from current sponsorship, the Carling Cup, is an English association football competition. Like the FA Cup, it is played on a knockout basis...
. In a game marred by violence between both sets of fans, Luton ran out 2–1 winners over the Hornets with goals from Matthew Spring
Matthew Spring
Matthew John Spring is an English central midfielder who plays for Leyton Orient.-Luton Town:Spring started his career at Luton, making his debut as a half-time substitute in a 3–0 loss to Bristol City on 27 September 1997...
, who scored a 25-yard strike which would later win Luton's Goal of the Season award, and Steve Howard. Luton were drawn to face Premier League side Aston Villa
Aston Villa F.C.
Aston Villa Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Witton, Birmingham. The club was founded in 1874 and have played at their current home ground, Villa Park, since 1897. Aston Villa were founder members of The Football League in 1888. They were also founder...
in the second round.
October and November
A goalkeeping injury crisis saw the arrival of FrenchFrance
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
keeper Cédric Berthelin
Cédric Berthelin
Cédric Berthelin is a French football player who presently plays with R.A.E.C. Mons.-Career:Berthelin started his professional career with RC Lens in 1999 and spent two seasons with the sang et or making only occasional first team appearances. During the 2001/2 season he played for ASOA Valence...
on a two-month contract from Ligue 1
Ligue 1
Ligue 1 , is the French professional league for association football clubs. It is the country's primary football competition and serves as the top division of the French football league system. Ligue 1 is one of two divisions making up the Ligue de Football Professionnel, the other being Ligue 2....
side Lens
RC Lens
Racing Club de Lens is a French association football club based in the northern city of Lens in the Pas-de-Calais department. Its nickname, sang et or , comes from its traditional colours of red and gold. Their primary rivals are their northern neighbors Lille OSC, whom they contest the Derby du...
on 2 October. Berthelin was named in the squad on the same day in the League Cup game at Aston Villa, which Luton lost 3–0.
He played in nine league games throughout October and November as Luton recorded five victories and three draws, with a single loss coming against Northampton Town
Northampton Town F.C.
Northampton Town Football Club are an English professional football club based in Northampton, Northamptonshire. They currently play in Football League Two, the lowest league division, after being relegated from League One on the last day of the 2008–09 season...
. This left the Hatters just outside the play-off positions on goal difference
Goal difference
In sports such as ice hockey and association football, goal difference is often the first tiebreaker used to rank teams which finish a league competition with an equal number of points....
.
Luton eased past Guiseley
Guiseley A.F.C.
Guiseley A.F.C. are an English football club from Guiseley, West Yorkshire, England.-History:Founded in 1909 by a local group of enthusiasts, the club’s first success came in 1913 when they won the local Wharfedale League...
4–0 in the FA Cup
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...
, and recorded victories over non-league sides Woking
Woking F.C.
Woking Football Club is a football club from in Woking, Surrey, England, formed in 1889. They are playing in the Conference South in the 2011–12 season. For the 2011/2012 season, Woking are sharing their ground with Conference National club Hayes & Yeading United.-Promotion to the...
and Stevenage Borough
Stevenage Borough F.C.
Stevenage Football Club is an English football club based in Stevenage, Hertfordshire. The club currently participate in League One, the third tier of English football, having won promotion from League Two in the 2010–11 season...
in the Football League Trophy
Football League Trophy
The Football League Trophy, currently known as the Johnstone's Paint Trophy for sponsorship reasons, is an annual English association football knock-out competition open to the 48 clubs in Football League One and Football League Two, the bottom two divisions in the four fully professional top...
to reach the quarter-finals.
The club were drawn against Cambridge United
Cambridge United F.C.
Cambridge United Football Club is a professional football club from Cambridge, England. They are currently playing the 2011-2012 season in the Conference National, the fifth tier of the English league system, where they have competed since 2005 following their relegation from the Football League...
in the quarter-final of the Football League Trophy, while Wigan Athletic
Wigan Athletic F.C.
Wigan Athletic Football Club is an English Premier League Association football club based in Wigan, Greater Manchester, having been promoted from the Championship in 2005. Wigan's current spell in the Premier League is the only top flight run in the club's history.They have played at the DW...
were to be Luton's opponents in the second round of the FA Cup.
December and January
Goalkeeper Berthelin was offered a contract until the end of the season in late November. However, Joe Kinnear was later informed that, unless he trimmed his squad down, there would be no funds available to sign him or any other players. Kinnear himself admitted he was shocked at the sudden lack of money, which had been facilitated by the collapse of ITV DigitalITV Digital
ITV Digital was a British digital terrestrial television broadcaster, which launched a pay-TV service on the world's first digital terrestrial television network as ONdigital in 1998 and briefly re-branded as ITV Digital in July 2001, before the service ceased in May 2002. Its main shareholders...
, but made it clear that no players would be sold. This promise was affirmed later that day, with top scorer Steve Howard
Steve Howard
Steven John "Steve" Howard is a Scottish-English footballer currently playing for Championship side Leicester City.Howard is renowned for his aerial strength...
signing a two-year contract extension. Berthelin signed for First Division
Football League First Division
The First Division was a division of The Football League between 1888 and 2004 and the highest division in English football until the creation of the Premier League in 1992. The secondary tier in English football has since become known as the Championship....
side Crystal Palace
Crystal Palace F.C.
Crystal Palace Football Club are an English Football league club based in South Norwood, London. The team plays its home matches at Selhurst Park, where they have been based since 1924. The club currently competes in the second tier of English Football, The Championship.Crystal Palace was formed in...
later that month.
A severely depleted Luton side was knocked out of the FA Cup on 7 December by Wigan, then, three days later, Cambridge United beat Luton 2–1 in extra time in The Football League Trophy.
In the league, Luton recorded a loss, a draw and two wins to end December in sixth place in the table.
A loss to Chesterfield
Chesterfield F.C.
Chesterfield Football Club is an English football club based in Chesterfield, Derbyshire. The club currently plays in Football League One, the third tier of English football. Despite being the fourth oldest Football League club in England, they have spent most of their existence in the lower...
on New Year's Day
New Year's Day
New Year's Day is observed on January 1, the first day of the year on the modern Gregorian calendar as well as the Julian calendar used in ancient Rome...
turned out to be Luton's last game for the next three weeks due to poor weather. On 17 January, Kinnear revealed he had turned down the offer of an interview for the job of Irish national team
Republic of Ireland national football team
The Republic of Ireland national football team represents Ireland in association football. It is run by the Football Association of Ireland and currently plays home fixtures at Aviva Stadium in Dublin, which opened in May 2010....
manager. The next day, Luton beat Barnsley
Barnsley F.C.
Barnsley Football Club are a professional English football club based in the town of Barnsley, South Yorkshire. Nicknamed the Tykes, they were founded in 1887 under the name Barnsley St. Peter's...
3–2, despite being a goal down and having goalkeeper Carl Emberson
Carl Emberson
Carl Wayne Emberson is a retired English football goalkeeper and coach at Bristol Rovers.-Career:He played in the 1990–91 Final of the FA Youth Cup with Millwall, but failed to make a first-team appearance for the club.He joined Colchester United for ₤25,000 in 1994, where he had previously been...
sent off in the first half. A victory over Wycombe Wanderers
Wycombe Wanderers F.C.
Wycombe Wanderers Football Club is an English professional football team from High Wycombe in Buckinghamshire, which has been promoted to Football League One after finishing third in Football League Two in the season 2010–11. The club's nicknames are "The Chairboys" and "The Blues", and they play...
a week later left Luton just outside the play-offs, though with games in hand over the teams above them.
Defender Chris Willmott
Chris Willmott (footballer)
Christopher Alan "Chris" Willmott is an English footballer, currently playing for Brackley Town. However, Chris is currently working at Bedford Modern School as a part time football coach....
, who started his career at Luton, joined the club on an initial month's loan from Wimbledon
Wimbledon F.C.
Wimbledon Football Club was an English professional association football club from Wimbledon, south-west London. Founded in 1889 as Wimbledon Old Central Football Club, the club spent most of its history in amateur and semi-professional non-League football before being elected to the Football...
to ease a defensive injury crisis.
Meanwhile, developments off the pitch regarding a new stadium continued. Chairman Mike Watson-Challis revealed the club had bought a 55 acres (222,577.3 m²) piece of land off of Junction 10 of the M1 motorway
M1 motorway
The M1 is a north–south motorway in England primarily connecting London to Leeds, where it joins the A1 near Aberford. While the M1 is considered to be the first inter-urban motorway to be completed in the United Kingdom, the first road to be built to motorway standard in the country was the...
. He estimated the cost of building the 15,000 seater stadium and complex to be £15 million, though admitted there "may be other costs". The meeting where Watson-Challis revealed these details also referenced potential hindrances to the developments – the removal of electricity pylon
Electricity pylon
A transmission tower is a tall structure, usually a steel lattice tower, used to support an overhead power line. They are used in high-voltage AC and DC systems, and come in a wide variety of shapes and sizes...
s sitting on the land, the plans to widen the M1 at the same location as the stadium was to be built, and the key fact that the development was yet to receive support from either Luton Borough Council or the Highways Agency
Highways Agency
The Highways Agency is an executive agency, part of the Department for Transport in England. It has responsibility for managing the core road network in England...
.
February, March and April
On 7 February, striker Andrew FotiadisAndrew Fotiadis
Panos Andrew "Andy" Fotiadis is a former English Cypriot footballer, best known for his time at Luton Town, who retired from the professional game after a succession of injuries.- Club career :...
, who had played for Luton all his career, was given a free transfer to divisional rivals Peterborough United
Peterborough United F.C.
Peterborough United Football Club are a professional English football club based in Peterborough. Peterborough United formed in 1934 and played in the old Midland League, which they won six times; eventually being admitted to the Football League in 1960, replacing Gateshead. Their home ground is...
. This freed up the funds to allow Kinnear to add to the squad; however, the player he wanted to sign, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n striker Danny Allsopp, was injured on 8 February. Canadian
Canada men's national soccer team
The Canada men's national soccer team represents Canada in international soccer competitions at the senior men's level. They are overseen by the Canadian Soccer Association and compete in the Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football .Their most significant...
goalkeeper Lars Hirschfeld
Lars Hirschfeld
Lars Justin Hirschfeld is a Canadian football goalkeeper currently playing for Vålerenga Fotball in Norway.-Club career:Hirschfeld started his career with the Edmonton Drillers, playing indoor soccer...
joined Luton on a one-month loan on 21 February from Tottenham Hotspur
Tottenham Hotspur F.C.
Tottenham Hotspur Football Club , commonly referred to as Spurs, is an English Premier League football club based in Tottenham, north London. The club's home stadium is White Hart Lane....
. He was an unused substitute as Luton lost their sixth home game of the season to Brentford
Brentford F.C.
Brentford Football Club are a professional English football club based in Brentford in the London Borough of Hounslow. They are currently playing in Football League One....
a day later, severely denting their play-off hopes.
One week later, with regular right-back Emmerson Boyce
Emmerson Boyce
Emmerson Orlando Boyce is an English-born professional footballer who has represented Barbados at international level. He is currently a player at Wigan Athletic, and usually plays as a right back, but can also play in the centre of defence.Boyce started his career at the age of sixteen as an...
requiring surgery, Luton secured defender Duncan Jupp
Duncan Jupp
Duncan Alan Jupp is a professional footballer currently playing for Bognor Regis Town.Jupp began his career as a trainee with Fulham where he made more than 100 appearances before he moved toWimbledon for £200,000...
on a free transfer from Notts County
Notts County F.C.
Notts County Football Club are an English professional football club based in Nottingham. They are the oldest of all the clubs in the world that are now professional, having been formed in 1862. They currently play in League One of The Football League, the third tier of the English football system...
on a contract until the end of the season.
Only one win in six games followed in March, making the probability of promotion almost impossible.
Chris Willmott's loan was extended to the end of the season in order to cover for various injuries on 13 March. Three days later, Kinnear released three youth players - Joe Deeney, Rob Gillman and James Osborn. Midfielder Lee Mansell
Lee Mansell
Lee Richard Samuel Mansell is an English footballer, who can play in midfield but is occupying the right back position for Torquay United and is the current captain....
, who had been a regular player in the team during Luton's relegation season two years previously, joined Conference National
Conference National
Conference National is the top division of the Football Conference in England. It is the highest level of the National League System and fifth highest of the overall English football league system...
side Nuneaton Borough on loan until the end of the season on 23 March. Later on the same day, Luton signed Reading
Reading F.C.
Reading Football Club is an English association football club based in the town of Reading, Berkshire who currently play in the Championship...
midfielder Sammy Igoe
Sammy Igoe
Samuel Gary "Sammy" Igoe is an English professional footballer who plays for Havant & Waterlooville.-Career:He started his career with Portsmouth, and after spells with Reading, Luton Town and Swindon Town...
on loan for the rest of the season.
Luton picked up just three points from four matches in the first half of April, mathematically ruling them out of a play-off position.
On 21 April, Deputy Chairman Eric Hood released a statement signalling the board's intention to have the new stadium, which was still yet to receive planning permission, built for the start of the 2005–06
2005-06 in English football
The 2005–06 season was the 126th season of competitive football in England.-Overview:*The rebuilt Wembley Stadium was due to open in time for the FA Cup final in May. However, in August 2005, The Football Association reserved the Millennium Stadium as a backup, as there was some doubt whether...
season.
Luton's next game saw them emphatically beat Colchester United
Colchester United F.C.
Colchester United Football Club is an English football club based in Colchester. The club was formed in 1937, and briefly shared their old Layer Road home with now defunct side Colchester Town who had previously used the ground from 1910....
5–0 away from home, Steve Howard scoring a hat-trick. The game saw youth team goalkeeper Rob Beckwith
Rob Beckwith
Robert "Rob" Beckwith is an English footballer, who plays as a goalkeeper for Hemel Hempstead Town.Beckwith made his debut for Luton Town, and produced a man of the match display in a 2–2 draw with Bristol City...
make his second appearance for the club, with Joe Kinnear having already made the decision to offload current goalkeepers Carl Emberson
Carl Emberson
Carl Wayne Emberson is a retired English football goalkeeper and coach at Bristol Rovers.-Career:He played in the 1990–91 Final of the FA Youth Cup with Millwall, but failed to make a first-team appearance for the club.He joined Colchester United for ₤25,000 in 1994, where he had previously been...
and Mark Ovendale at the end of the season. Kinnear admitted that the lack of available funds would likely see "seven or eight" players leaving the club in May, though stressed his desire to sign Willmott and Igoe on permanent contracts.
A 1–1 draw with Stockport County
Stockport County F.C.
Stockport County Football Club is an English football club based in Stockport, Greater Manchester. The club formed in 1883 as Heaton Norris Rovers, shortly afterwards merging with Heaton Norris F.C., and adopted the current name on 24 May 1890 on the creation of the County Borough of Stockport...
on 26 April left Luton in an upper-mid-table position with one game left to play.
May
The season ended with a defeat to Swindon TownSwindon Town F.C.
Swindon Town Football Club are a team based in Swindon, Wiltshire. Currently in League Two, Swindon have been managed by Paolo Di Canio since 23 May 2011...
on 3 May, leaving Luton in ninth place in the table and fourteen points behind a play-off position.
Young midfielder Michael Leary
Michael Leary
Michael Antonio Leary is an English professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Conference North side Gainsborough Trinity....
signed a two-year contract extension on 5 May.
A summer of turmoil at the club began on 20 May, with Chairman Mike Watson-Challis retiring, and an unknown consortium taking over the ownership of the club. Three days later, the club announced that both Joe Kinner and assistant manager Mick Harford
Mick Harford
Michael Gordon "Mick" Harford , is an English former football player turned manager. He is former manager of Rotherham and Luton Town and has also been caretaker manager of Nottingham Forest and QPR...
had left the club, with no immediate reason for their departures given. An outpouring of anger from supporters forced a press conference from the new owners to reveal their identities. However, the proposed new Chairman, Roger Terrell, and Vice-Chairman Lee Power
Lee Power
Lee Michael Power is a former professional footballer and a former chairman of Cambridge United. Despite being born in London, his Irish ancestry allowed him to be capped by Republic of Ireland at Youth, Under-21 and B level...
admitted they had nothing to do with the investors, nor the takeover process, confusing the situation further. They both confessed that, seeing the reaction from the supporters of Luton, they were considering resigning after only one week. It was also during this press conference that some of Luton's financial difficulties were exposed, with a cut to the wage bill and other parts of the club necessary to fund the new stadium venture.
In the midst of this, it was announced that Luton would not be renewing the contracts of six players – on 22 May, goalkeepers Carl Emberson and Mark Ovendale, defenders Duncan Jupp, Alan Kimble
Alan Kimble
Alan Kimble is a retired English professional footballer.-Youth:Left back Kimble started his career at Charlton Athletic alongside his twin brother, Garry Kimble...
and Aaron Skelton
Aaron Skelton
Aaron Skelton is a former professional footballer who played at right-back, right-wing, center-midfield and center-back during his time at Luton Town and Colchester....
, and striker Carl Griffiths
Carl Griffiths
Carl Brian Griffiths is an English-born Welsh footballer, now manager. He is currently manager of Aveley.He started his career with Shrewsbury Town in 1988, and after five years moved on to Manchester City. In 1995 he transferred to Portsmouth, moving on to Peterborough United a year later...
were released.
The new owners, still yet to be fully revealed, announced on 30 May that the process of finding a new manager would be handled through a phone-vote process, with supporters choosing their preferred candidate from a shortlist – a first of its kind in sport.
June
On 1 June Terrell and Power released a statement which specified that they were severing any association with Luton Town, and wanted no involvement with the consortium.On 3 June the club revealed that a Peter Miller, a staff member at Northampton Town
Northampton Town F.C.
Northampton Town Football Club are an English professional football club based in Northampton, Northamptonshire. They currently play in Football League Two, the lowest league division, after being relegated from League One on the last day of the 2008–09 season...
, had been responsible for the removal of Joe Kinnear and Mick Harford from the managerial staff. It would later come to light that Miller sacked Kinnear and Harford whilst still under employment at Northampton, and had no association with Luton. More bizarre still, it was revealed that the club had entered in negotiations to re-hire Kinnear and Harford. The Football Association
The Football Association
The Football Association, also known as simply The FA, is the governing body of football in England, and the Crown Dependencies of Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man. It was formed in 1863, and is the oldest national football association...
commenced an investigation into the situation surrounding Miller, as under the rules, no person can have "an interest" in more than one club.
By now, media reports had highlighted businessman and property developer John Gurney as the man behind the takeover bid. It was later picked up that Gurney had previous history with leaving sports teams in dire financial situations, including Bedford Blues
Bedford Blues
Bedford Blues is a rugby union club in the town of Bedford, England, currently playing in The RFU Championship. Bedford is one of the largest towns in England without a league football club, and one of the few towns in England where the rugby club is better supported than the football team. The...
Rugby Club. Gurney made public his ownership on 8 June.
He then released two documents outlining his plans for the club. Amongst other details, Gurney expressed his desire to build a Formula 1 track around a 50,000 seater new stadium (his plans included supporting the stadium over the top of the M1 motorway on concrete rafters, and having a removable pitch), claimed the club could be making up to £100 million profit per year, and should change its name to 'London-Luton Football Club' to tie in with the local airport and make it more accessible to "customers" living in London. Gurney ended his statement with a plea for investors. Trust in Luton
Trust in Luton
Trust in Luton is a registered Industrial and provident society which acts as the "supporters' trust" for fans of the English football team Luton Town.-External links:* What is a supporters' trust?...
chairman Liam Day would later state that "if [the situation] wasn't so serious it would have been hilarious."
The uncertainty and possibility of liquidation for the club (which was revealed to be losing £500,000 per month), and the proposed destruction of Luton Town's history, led to a group of supporters establishing a Supporters' Trust – Trust in Luton – to protect the future of the club and to give fans a unified voice to protest the takeover. The Trust urged supporters to vote with their feet and refuse to buy season tickets, provoking a series of enraged statements from Gurney that were published on the club's website. The situation even went as far as UK Parliament
Parliament of the United Kingdom
The Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the supreme legislative body in the United Kingdom, British Crown dependencies and British overseas territories, located in London...
, with local MP Margaret Moran
Margaret Moran
Margaret Moran is a former Labour Party politician in the United Kingdom. She was the Member of Parliament for Luton South from 1997 to 2010....
receiving support from Minister for Sport Richard Caborn
Richard Caborn
Richard George Caborn PC is a British Labour Party politician, who was the Member of Parliament for Sheffield Central from 1983 to 2010...
to find a solution to the circumstances at the club.
On 23 June, Gurney announced the results from the phone-vote to find the next manager. He delayed the announcement for a recount, as the results had been "so close". The eventual winner was revealed as former Hartlepool United
Hartlepool United F.C.
Hartlepool United Football Club is an English professional football club based in Hartlepool that currently play in League One. The team won promotion to League One in the 2006–07 season...
manager and Luton player Mike Newell
Mike Newell (footballer)
Michael Colin "Mike" Newell is an English football manager and former professional footballer. As a player he notably was a member of the Blackburn Rovers team which won the Premier League in 1995, as well also playing for Crewe Alexandra, Wigan Athletic, Luton Town, Leicester City, Everton,...
, who beat former manager Joe Kinnear
Joe Kinnear
Joseph Patrick "Joe" Kinnear is an Irish football manager and former player. He was most recently the manager of Newcastle United....
by a reported four votes. Newell expressed his desire to re-hire Mick Harford
Mick Harford
Michael Gordon "Mick" Harford , is an English former football player turned manager. He is former manager of Rotherham and Luton Town and has also been caretaker manager of Nottingham Forest and QPR...
, who he had played with during his time at Luton, as assistant manager.
On 26 June, it was revealed that none of the players or staff had been paid their wages for May and June, which would lead to The Football League
The Football League
The Football League, also known as the npower Football League for sponsorship reasons, is a league competition featuring professional association football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888, it is the oldest such competition in world football...
summoning Gurney for a meeting in July to explain the situation at the club.
Legend
| Win | Draw | Loss |
Friendlies
| Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Scorers | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 17 July 2002 | Barnet Barnet F.C. Barnet Football Club is an English football team from High Barnet, London, England, currently playing in Football League Two. The ground is in the town of Barnet within the London Borough of Barnet.... |
Away | 1–1 | 1,095 | Crowe Dean Crowe Dean Crowe is an English footballer currently unaffiliated with any club. A striker, Crowe was released by Witton Albion in November 2007.-Career:... |
|
| 22 July 2002 | Wrexham | Neutral | 2–3 | N/A | Kinet, Robinson Steve Robinson (Northern Irish footballer) Stephen "Steve" Robinson is a Northern Ireland former footballer currently working for the Irish Football Association.-Club career:... |
|-
|-style="background: #ddffdd;"
|23 July 2002
|Burnley
Burnley F.C.
Burnley Football Club are a professional English Football League club based in Burnley, Lancashire. Nicknamed the Clarets, due to the dominant colour of their home shirts, they were founder members of the Football League in 1888...
|align="center"|Neutral
|align="center"|3–1
|align="center"|N/A
|align="center"|Howard
Steve Howard
Steven John "Steve" Howard is a Scottish-English footballer currently playing for Championship side Leicester City.Howard is renowned for his aerial strength...
(2), Bayliss
David Bayliss
David Bayliss is a professional footballer, currently joint-manager of Barrow in the Conference National with Darren Sheridan...
|align="center"|
|-
|-style="background: #ddffdd;"
|26 July 2002
|Rochdale
Rochdale A.F.C.
Rochdale Association Football Club is an English professional football club based in Rochdale, Greater Manchester. They play their home matches at Spotland Stadium. Formed in 1907, they were accepted into the Football League in 1921...
|align="center"|Neutral
|align="center"|4–2
|align="center"|N/A
|align="center"|Crowe
Dean Crowe
Dean Crowe is an English footballer currently unaffiliated with any club. A striker, Crowe was released by Witton Albion in November 2007.-Career:...
, Nicholls
Kevin Nicholls
Kevin John Richard Nicholls is an English former footballer who played in midfield. He is currently a coach at Conference National side Rushden & Diamonds....
(2), Forbes
Adrian Forbes
Adrian Emmanuel Forbes is an English professional footballer who currently plays for Isthmian League Premier Division side Lowestoft Town. His primary position is as a right midfielder, but he also capable of playing as a forward...
|align="center"|
|-
|-style="background: #ddffdd;"
|5 August 2002
|Southampton
Southampton F.C.
Southampton Football Club is an English football team, nicknamed The Saints, based in the city of Southampton, Hampshire. The club gained promotion to the Championship from League One in the 2010–2011 season after being relegated in 2009. Their home ground is the St Mary's Stadium, where the club...
|align="center"|Home
|align="center"|3–2
|align="center"|4,746
|align="center"|Thorpe
Tony Thorpe
Anthony "Tony" Thorpe is an English footballer who plays as a striker for Thurmaston Town. As a professional he notably played for Luton Town, Bristol City and Queens Park Rangers. He also played in the Football League for Reading, Rotherham United, Swindon Town, Colchester United and Grimsby Town...
, Fotiadis
Andrew Fotiadis
Panos Andrew "Andy" Fotiadis is a former English Cypriot footballer, best known for his time at Luton Town, who retired from the professional game after a succession of injuries.- Club career :...
, Holmes
Peter Holmes
Peter James Holmes is an English footballer who plays for Dunstable Town as a midfielder.Holmes started his career with Sheffield Wednesday and after failing to make any first team appearances he joined Luton Town. He was released by the club due to financial reasons in the summer of 2003, but was...
|align="center"|
|-
|}
Football League Second DivisionFootball League Second DivisionFrom 1892 until 1992, the Football League Second Division was the second highest division overall in English football.This ended with the creation of the FA Premier League, prior to the start of the 1992–93 season, which caused an administrative split between The Football League and the teams...
- All results, goals, attendances etc. taken from Soccerbase and verified with official Luton Town match reports.
| Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Scorers | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 August 2002 | Peterborough United Peterborough United F.C. Peterborough United Football Club are a professional English football club based in Peterborough. Peterborough United formed in 1934 and played in the old Midland League, which they won six times; eventually being admitted to the Football League in 1960, replacing Gateshead. Their home ground is... |
Home | 2–3 | 7,860 | Crowe Dean Crowe Dean Crowe is an English footballer currently unaffiliated with any club. A striker, Crowe was released by Witton Albion in November 2007.-Career:... , Brkovic Ahmet Brkovic Ahmet Brković is a former Croatian footballer. His position is midfielder.Brković started off his career in 1999 for HNK Dubrovnik in Croatia. When he was made available for transfer, clubs from the Football League expressed an interest in taking him on trial. Lennie Lawrence, then manager of... |
|
| 13 August 2002 | Blackpool Blackpool F.C. Blackpool Football Club are an English football club founded in 1887 from the Lancashire seaside town of Blackpool. They are competing in the 2011–12 season of the The Championship, the second tier of professional football in England, having been relegated from the Premier League at the end of the... |
Away | 2–5 | 6,377 | Howard Steve Howard Steven John "Steve" Howard is a Scottish-English footballer currently playing for Championship side Leicester City.Howard is renowned for his aerial strength... , Thorpe Tony Thorpe Anthony "Tony" Thorpe is an English footballer who plays as a striker for Thurmaston Town. As a professional he notably played for Luton Town, Bristol City and Queens Park Rangers. He also played in the Football League for Reading, Rotherham United, Swindon Town, Colchester United and Grimsby Town... |
|
| 17 August 2002 | Plymouth Argyle Plymouth Argyle F.C. Plymouth Argyle Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Plymouth, Devon, that plays in Football League Two.Since becoming professional in 1903, the club has won five Football League titles, five Southern League titles and one Western League title. The 2009–10 season was the... |
Away | 1–2 | 10,978 | Howard Steve Howard Steven John "Steve" Howard is a Scottish-English footballer currently playing for Championship side Leicester City.Howard is renowned for his aerial strength... |
|
| 24 August 2002 | Barnsley Barnsley F.C. Barnsley Football Club are a professional English football club based in the town of Barnsley, South Yorkshire. Nicknamed the Tykes, they were founded in 1887 under the name Barnsley St. Peter's... |
Home | 2–3 | 6,230 | Nicholls Kevin Nicholls Kevin John Richard Nicholls is an English former footballer who played in midfield. He is currently a coach at Conference National side Rushden & Diamonds.... (pen Penalty kick A penalty kick is a type of direct free kick in association football, taken from twelve yards out from goal and with only the goalkeeper of the defending team between the penalty taker and the goal.Penalty kicks are performed during normal play... ), Spring Matthew Spring Matthew John Spring is an English central midfielder who plays for Leyton Orient.-Luton Town:Spring started his career at Luton, making his debut as a half-time substitute in a 3–0 loss to Bristol City on 27 September 1997... |
|
| 26 August 2002 | Cardiff City Cardiff City F.C. Cardiff City Football Club are a Welsh professional football club based in Cardiff, Wales. The club competes in the English football pyramid and is currently playing in the Football League Championship. Cardiff City is the best supported football club in Wales, averaging approximately 22,500 for... |
Away | 0–0 | 13,564 | – | |
| 31 August 2002 | Chesterfield Chesterfield F.C. Chesterfield Football Club is an English football club based in Chesterfield, Derbyshire. The club currently plays in Football League One, the third tier of English football. Despite being the fourth oldest Football League club in England, they have spent most of their existence in the lower... |
Home | 3–0 | 6,060 | Perrett Russell Perrett Russell Perrett is a former footballer who spent most of his career with Portsmouth and Luton Town.Perett joined Luton Town in the summer of 2001, after spells with [AFC Lymington], Portsmouth and Cardiff City... , Howard Steve Howard Steven John "Steve" Howard is a Scottish-English footballer currently playing for Championship side Leicester City.Howard is renowned for his aerial strength... , Crowe Dean Crowe Dean Crowe is an English footballer currently unaffiliated with any club. A striker, Crowe was released by Witton Albion in November 2007.-Career:... |
|
| 7 September 2002 | Brentford Brentford F.C. Brentford Football Club are a professional English football club based in Brentford in the London Borough of Hounslow. They are currently playing in Football League One.... |
Away | 0–0 | 7,145 | – | |
| 14 September 2002 | Notts County Notts County F.C. Notts County Football Club are an English professional football club based in Nottingham. They are the oldest of all the clubs in the world that are now professional, having been formed in 1862. They currently play in League One of The Football League, the third tier of the English football system... |
Home | 2–2 | 6,456 | Perrett Russell Perrett Russell Perrett is a former footballer who spent most of his career with Portsmouth and Luton Town.Perett joined Luton Town in the summer of 2001, after spells with [AFC Lymington], Portsmouth and Cardiff City... , Howard Steve Howard Steven John "Steve" Howard is a Scottish-English footballer currently playing for Championship side Leicester City.Howard is renowned for his aerial strength... |
|
| 17 September 2002 | Mansfield Town Mansfield Town F.C. Mansfield Town Football Club is an English football club from the former mining town of Mansfield, Nottinghamshire. The club was formed in 1897 as Mansfield Wesleyans and changed its name to Mansfield Wesley in 1906 before settling on Mansfield Town in 1910... |
Home | 2–3 | 6,004 | Howard Steve Howard Steven John "Steve" Howard is a Scottish-English footballer currently playing for Championship side Leicester City.Howard is renowned for his aerial strength... , Nicholls Kevin Nicholls Kevin John Richard Nicholls is an English former footballer who played in midfield. He is currently a coach at Conference National side Rushden & Diamonds.... |
|
| 21 September 2002 | Huddersfield Town Huddersfield Town F.C. Huddersfield Town Football Club is an English football club formed in 1908 and based in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire. They currently play in League One... |
Away | 1–0 | 9,249 | Howard Steve Howard Steven John "Steve" Howard is a Scottish-English footballer currently playing for Championship side Leicester City.Howard is renowned for his aerial strength... |
|
| 28 September 2002 | Swindon Town Swindon Town F.C. Swindon Town Football Club are a team based in Swindon, Wiltshire. Currently in League Two, Swindon have been managed by Paolo Di Canio since 23 May 2011... |
Home | 3–0 | 6,393 | Howard Steve Howard Steven John "Steve" Howard is a Scottish-English footballer currently playing for Championship side Leicester City.Howard is renowned for his aerial strength... , Fotiadis Andrew Fotiadis Panos Andrew "Andy" Fotiadis is a former English Cypriot footballer, best known for his time at Luton Town, who retired from the professional game after a succession of injuries.- Club career :... , Robinson Steve Robinson (Northern Irish footballer) Stephen "Steve" Robinson is a Northern Ireland former footballer currently working for the Irish Football Association.-Club career:... (pen Penalty kick A penalty kick is a type of direct free kick in association football, taken from twelve yards out from goal and with only the goalkeeper of the defending team between the penalty taker and the goal.Penalty kicks are performed during normal play... ) |
|
| 5 October 2002 | Stockport County Stockport County F.C. Stockport County Football Club is an English football club based in Stockport, Greater Manchester. The club formed in 1883 as Heaton Norris Rovers, shortly afterwards merging with Heaton Norris F.C., and adopted the current name on 24 May 1890 on the creation of the County Borough of Stockport... |
Away | 3–2 | 5,932 | Spring Matthew Spring Matthew John Spring is an English central midfielder who plays for Leyton Orient.-Luton Town:Spring started his career at Luton, making his debut as a half-time substitute in a 3–0 loss to Bristol City on 27 September 1997... (2), Fotiadis Andrew Fotiadis Panos Andrew "Andy" Fotiadis is a former English Cypriot footballer, best known for his time at Luton Town, who retired from the professional game after a succession of injuries.- Club career :... |
|
| 12 October 2002 | Cheltenham Town Cheltenham Town F.C. Cheltenham Town Football Club is an English football club playing in League Two, the fourth tier of English football. Founded in 1887, the team has played at four different grounds, namely Agg-Gardner's Recreation Ground, Carter's Field and now the Abbey Business Stadium, although it is more... |
Home | 2–1 | 6,447 | Coyne Chris Coyne Christopher "Chris" Coyne is an Australian professional football player who currently plays for Perth Glory FC and the Australian national football team as a centre back.-Club career:... , Fotiadis Andrew Fotiadis Panos Andrew "Andy" Fotiadis is a former English Cypriot footballer, best known for his time at Luton Town, who retired from the professional game after a succession of injuries.- Club career :... |
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| 19 October 2002 | Oldham Athletic | Away | 2–1 | 6,916 | Fotiadis Andrew Fotiadis Panos Andrew "Andy" Fotiadis is a former English Cypriot footballer, best known for his time at Luton Town, who retired from the professional game after a succession of injuries.- Club career :... , Thorpe Tony Thorpe Anthony "Tony" Thorpe is an English footballer who plays as a striker for Thurmaston Town. As a professional he notably played for Luton Town, Bristol City and Queens Park Rangers. He also played in the Football League for Reading, Rotherham United, Swindon Town, Colchester United and Grimsby Town... |
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| 26 October 2002 | Wigan Athletic Wigan Athletic F.C. Wigan Athletic Football Club is an English Premier League Association football club based in Wigan, Greater Manchester, having been promoted from the Championship in 2005. Wigan's current spell in the Premier League is the only top flight run in the club's history.They have played at the DW... |
Home | 1–1 | 7,364 | Skelton Aaron Skelton Aaron Skelton is a former professional footballer who played at right-back, right-wing, center-midfield and center-back during his time at Luton Town and Colchester.... |
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| 29 October 2002 | Crewe Alexandra Crewe Alexandra F.C. Crewe Alexandra Football Club is an English professional football club based in Crewe, Cheshire. Nicknamed The Railwaymen due to the town's links with the rail industry, they currently play in Football League Two, the fourth tier of English football, and are based at the Alexandra Stadium.The club... |
Away | 1–0 | 6,030 | Howard Steve Howard Steven John "Steve" Howard is a Scottish-English footballer currently playing for Championship side Leicester City.Howard is renowned for his aerial strength... |
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| 2 November 2002 | Northampton Town Northampton Town F.C. Northampton Town Football Club are an English professional football club based in Northampton, Northamptonshire. They currently play in Football League Two, the lowest league division, after being relegated from League One on the last day of the 2008–09 season... |
Away | 0–3 | 5,750 | – | |
| 9 November 2002 | Port Vale Port Vale F.C. Port Vale Football Club is an English football club currently playing in Football League Two. They are based in Burslem, Staffordshire — one of six towns that make up the city of Stoke-on-Trent. The club's traditional rivals in the city are Stoke City, and games between the two clubs are known as... |
Home | 0–0 | 6,112 | – | |
| 23 November 2002 | Queens Park Rangers Queens Park Rangers F.C. Queens Park Rangers Football Club is an English professional football club, based in White City, Hammersmith and Fulham, west London. As the 2010-11 Football League Championship champions, they now play in the top tier of English football the Premier League, for the first time in 15 years... |
Home | 0–0 | 9,477 | – | |
| 30 November 2002 | Tranmere Rovers Tranmere Rovers F.C. Tranmere Rovers Football Club are an English team based in Birkenhead, Wirral. The club currently compete in League One, the third tier of the English football league system... |
Away | 3–1 | 8,273 | Spring Matthew Spring Matthew John Spring is an English central midfielder who plays for Leyton Orient.-Luton Town:Spring started his career at Luton, making his debut as a half-time substitute in a 3–0 loss to Bristol City on 27 September 1997... , Brkovic Ahmet Brkovic Ahmet Brković is a former Croatian footballer. His position is midfielder.Brković started off his career in 1999 for HNK Dubrovnik in Croatia. When he was made available for transfer, clubs from the Football League expressed an interest in taking him on trial. Lennie Lawrence, then manager of... , Howard Steve Howard Steven John "Steve" Howard is a Scottish-English footballer currently playing for Championship side Leicester City.Howard is renowned for his aerial strength... |
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| 14 December 2002 | Colchester United Colchester United F.C. Colchester United Football Club is an English football club based in Colchester. The club was formed in 1937, and briefly shared their old Layer Road home with now defunct side Colchester Town who had previously used the ground from 1910.... |
Home | 1–2 | 5,890 | Fotiadis Andrew Fotiadis Panos Andrew "Andy" Fotiadis is a former English Cypriot footballer, best known for his time at Luton Town, who retired from the professional game after a succession of injuries.- Club career :... |
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| 21 December 2002 | Bristol City Bristol City F.C. Bristol City Football Club is one of two football league clubs in Bristol, England . They play at Ashton Gate, located in the south-west of the City... |
Away | 1–1 | 14,057 | Howard Steve Howard Steven John "Steve" Howard is a Scottish-English footballer currently playing for Championship side Leicester City.Howard is renowned for his aerial strength... |
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| 26 December 2002 | Cardiff City Cardiff City F.C. Cardiff City Football Club are a Welsh professional football club based in Cardiff, Wales. The club competes in the English football pyramid and is currently playing in the Football League Championship. Cardiff City is the best supported football club in Wales, averaging approximately 22,500 for... |
Home | 2–0 | 7,805 | Thorpe Tony Thorpe Anthony "Tony" Thorpe is an English footballer who plays as a striker for Thurmaston Town. As a professional he notably played for Luton Town, Bristol City and Queens Park Rangers. He also played in the Football League for Reading, Rotherham United, Swindon Town, Colchester United and Grimsby Town... , Howard Steve Howard Steven John "Steve" Howard is a Scottish-English footballer currently playing for Championship side Leicester City.Howard is renowned for his aerial strength... |
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| 28 December 2002 | Wycombe Wanderers Wycombe Wanderers F.C. Wycombe Wanderers Football Club is an English professional football team from High Wycombe in Buckinghamshire, which has been promoted to Football League One after finishing third in Football League Two in the season 2010–11. The club's nicknames are "The Chairboys" and "The Blues", and they play... |
Away | 2–1 | 7,740 | Howard Steve Howard Steven John "Steve" Howard is a Scottish-English footballer currently playing for Championship side Leicester City.Howard is renowned for his aerial strength... (2) |
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| 1 January 2003 | Chesterfield Chesterfield F.C. Chesterfield Football Club is an English football club based in Chesterfield, Derbyshire. The club currently plays in Football League One, the third tier of English football. Despite being the fourth oldest Football League club in England, they have spent most of their existence in the lower... |
Away | 1–2 | 4,638 | Brkovic Ahmet Brkovic Ahmet Brković is a former Croatian footballer. His position is midfielder.Brković started off his career in 1999 for HNK Dubrovnik in Croatia. When he was made available for transfer, clubs from the Football League expressed an interest in taking him on trial. Lennie Lawrence, then manager of... |
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| 18 January 2003 | Barnsley Barnsley F.C. Barnsley Football Club are a professional English football club based in the town of Barnsley, South Yorkshire. Nicknamed the Tykes, they were founded in 1887 under the name Barnsley St. Peter's... |
Away | 3–2 | 9,079 | Spring Matthew Spring Matthew John Spring is an English central midfielder who plays for Leyton Orient.-Luton Town:Spring started his career at Luton, making his debut as a half-time substitute in a 3–0 loss to Bristol City on 27 September 1997... , Thorpe Tony Thorpe Anthony "Tony" Thorpe is an English footballer who plays as a striker for Thurmaston Town. As a professional he notably played for Luton Town, Bristol City and Queens Park Rangers. He also played in the Football League for Reading, Rotherham United, Swindon Town, Colchester United and Grimsby Town... (2) |
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| 25 January 2003 | Wycombe Wanderers Wycombe Wanderers F.C. Wycombe Wanderers Football Club is an English professional football team from High Wycombe in Buckinghamshire, which has been promoted to Football League One after finishing third in Football League Two in the season 2010–11. The club's nicknames are "The Chairboys" and "The Blues", and they play... |
Home | 1–0 | 7,351 | Spring Matthew Spring Matthew John Spring is an English central midfielder who plays for Leyton Orient.-Luton Town:Spring started his career at Luton, making his debut as a half-time substitute in a 3–0 loss to Bristol City on 27 September 1997... |
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| 1 February 2003 | Peterborough United Peterborough United F.C. Peterborough United Football Club are a professional English football club based in Peterborough. Peterborough United formed in 1934 and played in the old Midland League, which they won six times; eventually being admitted to the Football League in 1960, replacing Gateshead. Their home ground is... |
Home | 1–1 | 6,760 | Howard Steve Howard Steven John "Steve" Howard is a Scottish-English footballer currently playing for Championship side Leicester City.Howard is renowned for his aerial strength... |
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| 8 February 2003 | Port Vale Port Vale F.C. Port Vale Football Club is an English football club currently playing in Football League Two. They are based in Burslem, Staffordshire — one of six towns that make up the city of Stoke-on-Trent. The club's traditional rivals in the city are Stoke City, and games between the two clubs are known as... |
Away | 2–1 | 4,714 | Thorpe Tony Thorpe Anthony "Tony" Thorpe is an English footballer who plays as a striker for Thurmaston Town. As a professional he notably played for Luton Town, Bristol City and Queens Park Rangers. He also played in the Football League for Reading, Rotherham United, Swindon Town, Colchester United and Grimsby Town... , Nicholls Kevin Nicholls Kevin John Richard Nicholls is an English former footballer who played in midfield. He is currently a coach at Conference National side Rushden & Diamonds.... (pen Penalty kick A penalty kick is a type of direct free kick in association football, taken from twelve yards out from goal and with only the goalkeeper of the defending team between the penalty taker and the goal.Penalty kicks are performed during normal play... ) |
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| 11 February 2003 | Blackpool Blackpool F.C. Blackpool Football Club are an English football club founded in 1887 from the Lancashire seaside town of Blackpool. They are competing in the 2011–12 season of the The Championship, the second tier of professional football in England, having been relegated from the Premier League at the end of the... |
Home | 1–3 | 6,563 | Thorpe Tony Thorpe Anthony "Tony" Thorpe is an English footballer who plays as a striker for Thurmaston Town. As a professional he notably played for Luton Town, Bristol City and Queens Park Rangers. He also played in the Football League for Reading, Rotherham United, Swindon Town, Colchester United and Grimsby Town... |
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| 15 February 2003 | Northampton Town Northampton Town F.C. Northampton Town Football Club are an English professional football club based in Northampton, Northamptonshire. They currently play in Football League Two, the lowest league division, after being relegated from League One on the last day of the 2008–09 season... |
Home | 3–2 | 7,048 | Hughes Paul Hughes Paul Hughes is a retired English footballer who played in midfield.Hughes began his career with his local side, Chelsea, and started well, scoring on his debut against Derby County with an impressive solo effort... (2), Nicholls Kevin Nicholls Kevin John Richard Nicholls is an English former footballer who played in midfield. He is currently a coach at Conference National side Rushden & Diamonds.... |
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| 22 February 2003 | Brentford Brentford F.C. Brentford Football Club are a professional English football club based in Brentford in the London Borough of Hounslow. They are currently playing in Football League One.... |
Home | 0–1 | 6,940 | – | |
| 25 February 2003 | Plymouth Argyle Plymouth Argyle F.C. Plymouth Argyle Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Plymouth, Devon, that plays in Football League Two.Since becoming professional in 1903, the club has won five Football League titles, five Southern League titles and one Western League title. The 2009–10 season was the... |
Home | 1–0 | 7,589 | Thorpe Tony Thorpe Anthony "Tony" Thorpe is an English footballer who plays as a striker for Thurmaston Town. As a professional he notably played for Luton Town, Bristol City and Queens Park Rangers. He also played in the Football League for Reading, Rotherham United, Swindon Town, Colchester United and Grimsby Town... |
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| 1 March 2003 | Notts County Notts County F.C. Notts County Football Club are an English professional football club based in Nottingham. They are the oldest of all the clubs in the world that are now professional, having been formed in 1862. They currently play in League One of The Football League, the third tier of the English football system... |
Away | 1–2 | 6,778 | Thorpe Tony Thorpe Anthony "Tony" Thorpe is an English footballer who plays as a striker for Thurmaston Town. As a professional he notably played for Luton Town, Bristol City and Queens Park Rangers. He also played in the Football League for Reading, Rotherham United, Swindon Town, Colchester United and Grimsby Town... |
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| 4 March 2003 | Mansfield Town Mansfield Town F.C. Mansfield Town Football Club is an English football club from the former mining town of Mansfield, Nottinghamshire. The club was formed in 1897 as Mansfield Wesleyans and changed its name to Mansfield Wesley in 1906 before settling on Mansfield Town in 1910... |
Away | 2–3 | 4,829 | Thorpe Tony Thorpe Anthony "Tony" Thorpe is an English footballer who plays as a striker for Thurmaston Town. As a professional he notably played for Luton Town, Bristol City and Queens Park Rangers. He also played in the Football League for Reading, Rotherham United, Swindon Town, Colchester United and Grimsby Town... (2) |
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| 8 March 2003 | Huddersfield Town Huddersfield Town F.C. Huddersfield Town Football Club is an English football club formed in 1908 and based in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire. They currently play in League One... |
Home | 3–0 | 6,122 | Thorpe Tony Thorpe Anthony "Tony" Thorpe is an English footballer who plays as a striker for Thurmaston Town. As a professional he notably played for Luton Town, Bristol City and Queens Park Rangers. He also played in the Football League for Reading, Rotherham United, Swindon Town, Colchester United and Grimsby Town... , Holmes Peter Holmes Peter James Holmes is an English footballer who plays for Dunstable Town as a midfielder.Holmes started his career with Sheffield Wednesday and after failing to make any first team appearances he joined Luton Town. He was released by the club due to financial reasons in the summer of 2003, but was... , Howard Steve Howard Steven John "Steve" Howard is a Scottish-English footballer currently playing for Championship side Leicester City.Howard is renowned for his aerial strength... |
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| 15 March 2003 | Wigan Athletic Wigan Athletic F.C. Wigan Athletic Football Club is an English Premier League Association football club based in Wigan, Greater Manchester, having been promoted from the Championship in 2005. Wigan's current spell in the Premier League is the only top flight run in the club's history.They have played at the DW... |
Away | 1–1 | 7,087 | Howard Steve Howard Steven John "Steve" Howard is a Scottish-English footballer currently playing for Championship side Leicester City.Howard is renowned for his aerial strength... |
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| 18 March 2003 | Oldham Athletic | Home | 0–0 | 6,142 | – | |
| 22 March 2003 | Crewe Alexandra Crewe Alexandra F.C. Crewe Alexandra Football Club is an English professional football club based in Crewe, Cheshire. Nicknamed The Railwaymen due to the town's links with the rail industry, they currently play in Football League Two, the fourth tier of English football, and are based at the Alexandra Stadium.The club... |
Home | 0–4 | 6,607 | – | |
| 5 April 2003 | Tranmere Rovers Tranmere Rovers F.C. Tranmere Rovers Football Club are an English team based in Birkenhead, Wirral. The club currently compete in League One, the third tier of the English football league system... |
Home | 0–0 | 6,326 | – | |
| 8 April 2003 | Cheltenham Town Cheltenham Town F.C. Cheltenham Town Football Club is an English football club playing in League Two, the fourth tier of English football. Founded in 1887, the team has played at four different grounds, namely Agg-Gardner's Recreation Ground, Carter's Field and now the Abbey Business Stadium, although it is more... |
Away | 2–2 | 3,762 | Hughes Paul Hughes Paul Hughes is a retired English footballer who played in midfield.Hughes began his career with his local side, Chelsea, and started well, scoring on his debut against Derby County with an impressive solo effort... , Forbes Adrian Forbes Adrian Emmanuel Forbes is an English professional footballer who currently plays for Isthmian League Premier Division side Lowestoft Town. His primary position is as a right midfielder, but he also capable of playing as a forward... |
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| 12 April 2003 | Queens Park Rangers Queens Park Rangers F.C. Queens Park Rangers Football Club is an English professional football club, based in White City, Hammersmith and Fulham, west London. As the 2010-11 Football League Championship champions, they now play in the top tier of English football the Premier League, for the first time in 15 years... |
Away | 0–2 | 15,786 | – | |
| 19 April 2003 | Bristol City Bristol City F.C. Bristol City Football Club is one of two football league clubs in Bristol, England . They play at Ashton Gate, located in the south-west of the City... |
Home | 2–2 | 6,381 | Howard Steve Howard Steven John "Steve" Howard is a Scottish-English footballer currently playing for Championship side Leicester City.Howard is renowned for his aerial strength... (2) |
|
| 21 April 2003 | Colchester United Colchester United F.C. Colchester United Football Club is an English football club based in Colchester. The club was formed in 1937, and briefly shared their old Layer Road home with now defunct side Colchester Town who had previously used the ground from 1910.... |
Away | 5–0 | 3,967 | Howard Steve Howard Steven John "Steve" Howard is a Scottish-English footballer currently playing for Championship side Leicester City.Howard is renowned for his aerial strength... (3), Griffiths Carl Griffiths Carl Brian Griffiths is an English-born Welsh footballer, now manager. He is currently manager of Aveley.He started his career with Shrewsbury Town in 1988, and after five years moved on to Manchester City. In 1995 he transferred to Portsmouth, moving on to Peterborough United a year later... , Nicholls Kevin Nicholls Kevin John Richard Nicholls is an English former footballer who played in midfield. He is currently a coach at Conference National side Rushden & Diamonds.... (pen Penalty kick A penalty kick is a type of direct free kick in association football, taken from twelve yards out from goal and with only the goalkeeper of the defending team between the penalty taker and the goal.Penalty kicks are performed during normal play... ) |
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| 26 April 2003 | Stockport County Stockport County F.C. Stockport County Football Club is an English football club based in Stockport, Greater Manchester. The club formed in 1883 as Heaton Norris Rovers, shortly afterwards merging with Heaton Norris F.C., and adopted the current name on 24 May 1890 on the creation of the County Borough of Stockport... |
Home | 1–1 | 6,010 | Howard Steve Howard Steven John "Steve" Howard is a Scottish-English footballer currently playing for Championship side Leicester City.Howard is renowned for his aerial strength... |
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| 3 May 2003 | Swindon Town Swindon Town F.C. Swindon Town Football Club are a team based in Swindon, Wiltshire. Currently in League Two, Swindon have been managed by Paolo Di Canio since 23 May 2011... |
Away | 1–2 | 6,455 | Thorpe Tony Thorpe Anthony "Tony" Thorpe is an English footballer who plays as a striker for Thurmaston Town. As a professional he notably played for Luton Town, Bristol City and Queens Park Rangers. He also played in the Football League for Reading, Rotherham United, Swindon Town, Colchester United and Grimsby Town... |
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FA CupFA CupThe Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...
| Round | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Scorers | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| First Round | 16 November 2002 | Guiseley Guiseley A.F.C. Guiseley A.F.C. are an English football club from Guiseley, West Yorkshire, England.-History:Founded in 1909 by a local group of enthusiasts, the club’s first success came in 1913 when they won the local Wharfedale League... |
Home | 4–0 | 5,248 | Spring Matthew Spring Matthew John Spring is an English central midfielder who plays for Leyton Orient.-Luton Town:Spring started his career at Luton, making his debut as a half-time substitute in a 3–0 loss to Bristol City on 27 September 1997... , Brkovic Ahmet Brkovic Ahmet Brković is a former Croatian footballer. His position is midfielder.Brković started off his career in 1999 for HNK Dubrovnik in Croatia. When he was made available for transfer, clubs from the Football League expressed an interest in taking him on trial. Lennie Lawrence, then manager of... (2), Thorpe Tony Thorpe Anthony "Tony" Thorpe is an English footballer who plays as a striker for Thurmaston Town. As a professional he notably played for Luton Town, Bristol City and Queens Park Rangers. He also played in the Football League for Reading, Rotherham United, Swindon Town, Colchester United and Grimsby Town... |
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| Second Round | 7 December 2002 | Wigan Athletic Wigan Athletic F.C. Wigan Athletic Football Club is an English Premier League Association football club based in Wigan, Greater Manchester, having been promoted from the Championship in 2005. Wigan's current spell in the Premier League is the only top flight run in the club's history.They have played at the DW... |
Away | 0–3 | 4,544 | – | |
Football League CupFootball League CupThe Football League Cup, commonly known as the League Cup or, from current sponsorship, the Carling Cup, is an English association football competition. Like the FA Cup, it is played on a knockout basis...
| Round | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Scorers | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| First Round | 10 September 2002 | Watford Watford F.C. Watford Football Club is an English professional football club based in Watford, Hertfordshire. It is often referred to as Watford F.C., Watford, or by the team's nickname The Hornets . Watford Rovers, Founded in 1881, entered the FA Cup for the first time in 1886, and the Southern League a decade... |
Away | 2–1 | 14,171 | Spring Matthew Spring Matthew John Spring is an English central midfielder who plays for Leyton Orient.-Luton Town:Spring started his career at Luton, making his debut as a half-time substitute in a 3–0 loss to Bristol City on 27 September 1997... , Howard Steve Howard Steven John "Steve" Howard is a Scottish-English footballer currently playing for Championship side Leicester City.Howard is renowned for his aerial strength... |
|
| Second Round | 2 October 2002 | Aston Villa Aston Villa F.C. Aston Villa Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Witton, Birmingham. The club was founded in 1874 and have played at their current home ground, Villa Park, since 1897. Aston Villa were founder members of The Football League in 1888. They were also founder... |
Away | 0–3 | 20,833 | – | |
Football League TrophyFootball League TrophyThe Football League Trophy, currently known as the Johnstone's Paint Trophy for sponsorship reasons, is an annual English association football knock-out competition open to the 48 clubs in Football League One and Football League Two, the bottom two divisions in the four fully professional top...
| Round | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Scorers | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| First Round | 22 October 2002 | Woking Woking F.C. Woking Football Club is a football club from in Woking, Surrey, England, formed in 1889. They are playing in the Conference South in the 2011–12 season. For the 2011/2012 season, Woking are sharing their ground with Conference National club Hayes & Yeading United.-Promotion to the... |
Away | 2–0 | 1,216 | Holmes Peter Holmes Peter James Holmes is an English footballer who plays for Dunstable Town as a midfielder.Holmes started his career with Sheffield Wednesday and after failing to make any first team appearances he joined Luton Town. He was released by the club due to financial reasons in the summer of 2003, but was... , Deeney |
|
| Second Round | 12 November 2002 | Stevenage Borough Stevenage Borough F.C. Stevenage Football Club is an English football club based in Stevenage, Hertfordshire. The club currently participate in League One, the third tier of English football, having won promotion from League Two in the 2010–11 season... |
Away | 4–3 | 2,601 | Thorpe Tony Thorpe Anthony "Tony" Thorpe is an English footballer who plays as a striker for Thurmaston Town. As a professional he notably played for Luton Town, Bristol City and Queens Park Rangers. He also played in the Football League for Reading, Rotherham United, Swindon Town, Colchester United and Grimsby Town... , Brkovic Ahmet Brkovic Ahmet Brković is a former Croatian footballer. His position is midfielder.Brković started off his career in 1999 for HNK Dubrovnik in Croatia. When he was made available for transfer, clubs from the Football League expressed an interest in taking him on trial. Lennie Lawrence, then manager of... (3) |
|
| Quarter-Final | 10 December 2002 | Cambridge United Cambridge United F.C. Cambridge United Football Club is a professional football club from Cambridge, England. They are currently playing the 2011-2012 season in the Conference National, the fifth tier of the English league system, where they have competed since 2005 following their relegation from the Football League... |
Home | 1–2 (aet) | 2,578 | Thorpe Tony Thorpe Anthony "Tony" Thorpe is an English footballer who plays as a striker for Thurmaston Town. As a professional he notably played for Luton Town, Bristol City and Queens Park Rangers. He also played in the Football League for Reading, Rotherham United, Swindon Town, Colchester United and Grimsby Town... |
|
League table
| P |
Team |
Pld |
W |
D |
L |
GF |
GA |
GD |
Pts |
Promotion or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wigan Athletic Wigan Athletic F.C. Wigan Athletic Football Club is an English Premier League Association football club based in Wigan, Greater Manchester, having been promoted from the Championship in 2005. Wigan's current spell in the Premier League is the only top flight run in the club's history.They have played at the DW... (C) (P) |
46 | 29 | 13 | 4 | 68 | 25 | 100 | Automatic promotion Promotion and relegation In many sports leagues around the world, promotion and relegation is a process that takes place at the end of each season. Through it, teams are transferred between divisions based on their performance that season... to First Division Football League First Division The First Division was a division of The Football League between 1888 and 2004 and the highest division in English football until the creation of the Premier League in 1992. The secondary tier in English football has since become known as the Championship.... |
| 2 | Crewe Alexandra Crewe Alexandra F.C. Crewe Alexandra Football Club is an English professional football club based in Crewe, Cheshire. Nicknamed The Railwaymen due to the town's links with the rail industry, they currently play in Football League Two, the fourth tier of English football, and are based at the Alexandra Stadium.The club... (P) |
46 | 25 | 11 | 10 | 76 | 40 | 86 | |
| 3 | Bristol City Bristol City F.C. Bristol City Football Club is one of two football league clubs in Bristol, England . They play at Ashton Gate, located in the south-west of the City... |
46 | 24 | 11 | 11 | 79 | 48 | 83 | Qualification to Playoffs Football League Second Division From 1892 until 1992, the Football League Second Division was the second highest division overall in English football.This ended with the creation of the FA Premier League, prior to the start of the 1992–93 season, which caused an administrative split between The Football League and the teams... |
| 4 | Queens Park Rangers Queens Park Rangers F.C. Queens Park Rangers Football Club is an English professional football club, based in White City, Hammersmith and Fulham, west London. As the 2010-11 Football League Championship champions, they now play in the top tier of English football the Premier League, for the first time in 15 years... |
46 | 24 | 11 | 11 | 69 | 45 | 83 | |
| 5 | Oldham Athletic | 46 | 22 | 16 | 8 | 68 | 38 | 82 | |
| 6 | Cardiff City Cardiff City F.C. Cardiff City Football Club are a Welsh professional football club based in Cardiff, Wales. The club competes in the English football pyramid and is currently playing in the Football League Championship. Cardiff City is the best supported football club in Wales, averaging approximately 22,500 for... (P) |
46 | 23 | 12 | 11 | 68 | 43 | 81 | |
| 7 | Tranmere Rovers Tranmere Rovers F.C. Tranmere Rovers Football Club are an English team based in Birkenhead, Wirral. The club currently compete in League One, the third tier of the English football league system... |
46 | 23 | 11 | 12 | 66 | 57 | 80 | |
| 8 | Plymouth Argyle Plymouth Argyle F.C. Plymouth Argyle Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Plymouth, Devon, that plays in Football League Two.Since becoming professional in 1903, the club has won five Football League titles, five Southern League titles and one Western League title. The 2009–10 season was the... |
46 | 17 | 14 | 15 | 63 | 52 | 65 | |
| 9 | Luton Town Luton Town F.C. Luton Town Football Club is an English professional football club based since 1905 at Kenilworth Road, Luton, Bedfordshire. The club currently competes in the fifth tier of English football, the Conference National, for the third consecutive season during the 2011–12 season.Formed in 1885, it was... |
46 | 17 | 14 | 15 | 67 | 62 | 65 | |
| 10 | Swindon Town Swindon Town F.C. Swindon Town Football Club are a team based in Swindon, Wiltshire. Currently in League Two, Swindon have been managed by Paolo Di Canio since 23 May 2011... |
46 | 16 | 12 | 18 | 59 | 63 | ||
| 60 | |||||||||
| 11 | Peterborough United Peterborough United F.C. Peterborough United Football Club are a professional English football club based in Peterborough. Peterborough United formed in 1934 and played in the old Midland League, which they won six times; eventually being admitted to the Football League in 1960, replacing Gateshead. Their home ground is... |
46 | 14 | 16 | 16 | 51 | 54 | ||
| 58 | |||||||||
| 12 | Colchester United Colchester United F.C. Colchester United Football Club is an English football club based in Colchester. The club was formed in 1937, and briefly shared their old Layer Road home with now defunct side Colchester Town who had previously used the ground from 1910.... |
46 | 14 | 16 | 16 | 52 | 56 | ||
| 58 | |||||||||
| 13 | Blackpool Blackpool F.C. Blackpool Football Club are an English football club founded in 1887 from the Lancashire seaside town of Blackpool. They are competing in the 2011–12 season of the The Championship, the second tier of professional football in England, having been relegated from the Premier League at the end of the... |
46 | 15 | 13 | 18 | 56 | 64 | ||
| 58 | |||||||||
| 14 | Stockport County Stockport County F.C. Stockport County Football Club is an English football club based in Stockport, Greater Manchester. The club formed in 1883 as Heaton Norris Rovers, shortly afterwards merging with Heaton Norris F.C., and adopted the current name on 24 May 1890 on the creation of the County Borough of Stockport... |
46 | 15 | 10 | 21 | 65 | 70 | ||
| 55 | |||||||||
| 15 | Notts County Notts County F.C. Notts County Football Club are an English professional football club based in Nottingham. They are the oldest of all the clubs in the world that are now professional, having been formed in 1862. They currently play in League One of The Football League, the third tier of the English football system... |
46 | 13 | 16 | 17 | 62 | 70 | ||
| 55 | |||||||||
| 16 | Brentford Brentford F.C. Brentford Football Club are a professional English football club based in Brentford in the London Borough of Hounslow. They are currently playing in Football League One.... |
46 | 14 | 12 | 20 | 47 | 56 | ||
| 54 | |||||||||
| 17 | Port Vale Port Vale F.C. Port Vale Football Club is an English football club currently playing in Football League Two. They are based in Burslem, Staffordshire — one of six towns that make up the city of Stoke-on-Trent. The club's traditional rivals in the city are Stoke City, and games between the two clubs are known as... |
46 | 14 | 11 | 21 | 54 | 70 | ||
| 53 | |||||||||
| 18 | Wycombe Wanderers Wycombe Wanderers F.C. Wycombe Wanderers Football Club is an English professional football team from High Wycombe in Buckinghamshire, which has been promoted to Football League One after finishing third in Football League Two in the season 2010–11. The club's nicknames are "The Chairboys" and "The Blues", and they play... |
46 | 13 | 13 | 20 | 59 | 66 | ||
| 52 | |||||||||
| 19 | Barnsley Barnsley F.C. Barnsley Football Club are a professional English football club based in the town of Barnsley, South Yorkshire. Nicknamed the Tykes, they were founded in 1887 under the name Barnsley St. Peter's... |
46 | 13 | 13 | 20 | 51 | 64 | ||
| 52 | |||||||||
| 20 | Chesterfield Chesterfield F.C. Chesterfield Football Club is an English football club based in Chesterfield, Derbyshire. The club currently plays in Football League One, the third tier of English football. Despite being the fourth oldest Football League club in England, they have spent most of their existence in the lower... |
46 | 14 | 8 | 24 | 43 | 73 | ||
| 50 | |||||||||
| 21 | Cheltenham Town Cheltenham Town F.C. Cheltenham Town Football Club is an English football club playing in League Two, the fourth tier of English football. Founded in 1887, the team has played at four different grounds, namely Agg-Gardner's Recreation Ground, Carter's Field and now the Abbey Business Stadium, although it is more... (R) |
46 | 10 | 18 | 18 | 53 | 68 | ||
| 48 | Relegation Promotion and relegation In many sports leagues around the world, promotion and relegation is a process that takes place at the end of each season. Through it, teams are transferred between divisions based on their performance that season... to Third Division Football League Third Division The Football League Third Division was the 3 tier of English Football from 1920 until 1992 when after the formation of the Football Association Premier League saw the league renamed The Football League Division Two... |
||||||||
| 22 | Huddersfield Town Huddersfield Town F.C. Huddersfield Town Football Club is an English football club formed in 1908 and based in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire. They currently play in League One... (R) |
46 | 11 | 12 | 23 | 39 | 61 | ||
| 45 | |||||||||
| 23 | Mansfield Town Mansfield Town F.C. Mansfield Town Football Club is an English football club from the former mining town of Mansfield, Nottinghamshire. The club was formed in 1897 as Mansfield Wesleyans and changed its name to Mansfield Wesley in 1906 before settling on Mansfield Town in 1910... (R) |
46 | 12 | 8 | 26 | 66 | 97 | ||
| 44 | |||||||||
| 24 | Northampton Town Northampton Town F.C. Northampton Town Football Club are an English professional football club based in Northampton, Northamptonshire. They currently play in Football League Two, the lowest league division, after being relegated from League One on the last day of the 2008–09 season... (R) |
46 | 10 | 9 | 27 | 40 | 79 | ||
| 39 |
Player statistics
- Last match played on 3 May 2003. Players with a zero in every column only appeared as unused substitutes.
| No. | Pos. | Name | League | FA Cup | League Cup | FL Trophy | Total | Discipline | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals |  |
 |
|||
| 1 | GK |  England Mark Ovendale |
5 (1) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 7 (1) | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2 | DF | England Aaron Skelton Aaron Skelton Aaron Skelton is a former professional footballer who played at right-back, right-wing, center-midfield and center-back during his time at Luton Town and Colchester.... |
5 (3) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 6 (3) | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 3 | DF |  Wales Alan NeilsonAlan Neilson Alan Neilson is a German born Welsh former professional footballer turned coach, currently with Conference National side Luton Town... |
21 (5) | 0 | 1 (1) | 0 | 0 (2) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 22 (8) | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 4 | MF | England Matthew Spring Matthew Spring Matthew John Spring is an English central midfielder who plays for Leyton Orient.-Luton Town:Spring started his career at Luton, making his debut as a half-time substitute in a 3–0 loss to Bristol City on 27 September 1997... |
41 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 47 | 8 | 10 | 0 |
| 5 | DF | England Russell Perrett Russell Perrett Russell Perrett is a former footballer who spent most of his career with Portsmouth and Luton Town.Perett joined Luton Town in the summer of 2001, after spells with [AFC Lymington], Portsmouth and Cardiff City... |
19 (1) | 2 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 22 (1) | 2 | 6 | 0 |
| 6 | DF | England Marvin Johnson Marvin Johnson (footballer) Marvin Anthony Johnson is an English former professional footballer who spent his entire career at Luton Town.-Playing career:... |
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 (1) | 0 | 1 (1) | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 7 | MF | England Adrian Forbes Adrian Forbes Adrian Emmanuel Forbes is an English professional footballer who currently plays for Isthmian League Premier Division side Lowestoft Town. His primary position is as a right midfielder, but he also capable of playing as a forward... |
3 (2) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 (2) | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 8 | MF | England Kevin Nicholls Kevin Nicholls Kevin John Richard Nicholls is an English former footballer who played in midfield. He is currently a coach at Conference National side Rushden & Diamonds.... |
35 (1) | 5 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 38 (1) | 5 | 10 | 1 |
| 9 | FW | England Tony Thorpe Tony Thorpe Anthony "Tony" Thorpe is an English footballer who plays as a striker for Thurmaston Town. As a professional he notably played for Luton Town, Bristol City and Queens Park Rangers. He also played in the Football League for Reading, Rotherham United, Swindon Town, Colchester United and Grimsby Town... |
28 (2) | 13 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 31 (2) | 16 | 5 | 0 |
| 10 | FW | Wales Carl Griffiths Carl Griffiths Carl Brian Griffiths is an English-born Welsh footballer, now manager. He is currently manager of Aveley.He started his career with Shrewsbury Town in 1988, and after five years moved on to Manchester City. In 1995 he transferred to Portsmouth, moving on to Peterborough United a year later... |
3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 11 | MF |  Northern Ireland Steve RobinsonSteve Robinson (Northern Irish footballer) Stephen "Steve" Robinson is a Northern Ireland former footballer currently working for the Irish Football Association.-Club career:... |
23 (6) | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 (1) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 27 (7) | 1 | 4 | 0 |
| 12 | DF |  Australia Chris CoyneChris Coyne Christopher "Chris" Coyne is an Australian professional football player who currently plays for Perth Glory FC and the Australian national football team as a centre back.-Club career:... |
38 (2) | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 42 (2) | 0 | 6 | 1 |
| 14 | FW | England Andrew Fotiadis Andrew Fotiadis Panos Andrew "Andy" Fotiadis is a former English Cypriot footballer, best known for his time at Luton Town, who retired from the professional game after a succession of injuries.- Club career :... |
8 (9) | 5 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 (1) | 0 | 10 (10) | 5 | 3 | 0 |
| 15 | FW | England Dean Crowe Dean Crowe Dean Crowe is an English footballer currently unaffiliated with any club. A striker, Crowe was released by Witton Albion in November 2007.-Career:... |
17 (10) | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 (1) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 19 (11) | 2 | 3 | 0 |
| 16 | GK | England Carl Emberson Carl Emberson Carl Wayne Emberson is a retired English football goalkeeper and coach at Bristol Rovers.-Career:He played in the 1990–91 Final of the FA Youth Cup with Millwall, but failed to make a first-team appearance for the club.He joined Colchester United for ₤25,000 in 1994, where he had previously been... |
18 (2) | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 23 (2) | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 17 | DF |  Barbados Emmerson BoyceEmmerson Boyce Emmerson Orlando Boyce is an English-born professional footballer who has represented Barbados at international level. He is currently a player at Wigan Athletic, and usually plays as a right back, but can also play in the centre of defence.Boyce started his career at the age of sixteen as an... |
33 (1) | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 38 (1) | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 18 | MF |  Croatia Ahmet BrkovicAhmet Brkovic Ahmet Brković is a former Croatian footballer. His position is midfielder.Brković started off his career in 1999 for HNK Dubrovnik in Croatia. When he was made available for transfer, clubs from the Football League expressed an interest in taking him on trial. Lennie Lawrence, then manager of... |
29 (7) | 3 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 35 (7) | 8 | 10 | 0 |
| 19 | FW |  Scotland Steve HowardSteve Howard Steven John "Steve" Howard is a Scottish-English footballer currently playing for Championship side Leicester City.Howard is renowned for his aerial strength... |
41 | 22 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 44 | 23 | 13 | 1 |
| 20 | MF | England Peter Holmes Peter Holmes Peter James Holmes is an English footballer who plays for Dunstable Town as a midfielder.Holmes started his career with Sheffield Wednesday and after failing to make any first team appearances he joined Luton Town. He was released by the club due to financial reasons in the summer of 2003, but was... |
8 (9) | 1 | 1 (1) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 (1) | 1 | 12 (11) | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| 21 | MF | England Paul Hughes Paul Hughes Paul Hughes is a retired English footballer who played in midfield.Hughes began his career with his local side, Chelsea, and started well, scoring on his debut against Derby County with an impressive solo effort... |
30 (5) | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 35 (5) | 3 | 6 | 0 |
| 23 | MF | Wales Ian Hillier Ian Hillier Ian Hillier is a Welsh footballer currently playing for Welsh Premier League side Neath.-Career:A Welsh under-21 international, Hillier began his professional career at Tottenham Hotspur before joining Luton Town on loan in August 2001... |
12 (10) | 0 | 0 (1) | 0 | 0 (1) | 0 | 2 | 0 | 14 (12) | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| 24 | DF | England Sol Davis Sol Davis Sol Sebastian Davis is an English footballer who plays for Kettering Town.-Career:Born in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, Davis is a left-back who played over 130 times for Swindon Town before being transferred to Luton Town in August 2002, bought by then manager Joe Kinnear.Davis was named Players'... |
34 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 38 | 0 | 8 | 1 |
| 25 | DF | Scotland Duncan Jupp Duncan Jupp Duncan Alan Jupp is a professional footballer currently playing for Bognor Regis Town.Jupp began his career as a trainee with Fulham where he made more than 100 appearances before he moved toWimbledon for £200,000... |
2 (3) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 (3) | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 26 | MF | England Sammy Igoe Sammy Igoe Samuel Gary "Sammy" Igoe is an English professional footballer who plays for Havant & Waterlooville.-Career:He started his career with Portsmouth, and after spells with Reading, Luton Town and Swindon Town... |
2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 27 | DF | England David Bayliss David Bayliss David Bayliss is a professional footballer, currently joint-manager of Barrow in the Conference National with Darren Sheridan... |
7 (6) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 (6) | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| 28 | GK |  Canada Lars HirschfeldLars Hirschfeld Lars Justin Hirschfeld is a Canadian football goalkeeper currently playing for Vålerenga Fotball in Norway.-Club career:Hirschfeld started his career with the Edmonton Drillers, playing indoor soccer... |
5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 30 | FW | Scotland Robbie Winters Robbie Winters Robbie Winters is a Scottish footballer who currently plays for Alloa Athletic.-Career:Winters began his career at Dundee United in 1992 and played 99 league games for the Terrors, scoring 19 times. A move to Aberdeen beckoned, which saw Billy Dodds and cash come to Tannadice in exchange for Winters... |
1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 31 | DF | England Alan Kimble Alan Kimble Alan Kimble is a retired English professional footballer.-Youth:Left back Kimble started his career at Charlton Athletic alongside his twin brother, Garry Kimble... |
8 (4) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 (1) | 0 | 11 (5) | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 32 | MF | England Lee Mansell Lee Mansell Lee Richard Samuel Mansell is an English footballer, who can play in midfield but is occupying the right back position for Torquay United and is the current captain.... |
0 (1) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 (1) | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 33 | GK | England Rob Beckwith Rob Beckwith Robert "Rob" Beckwith is an English footballer, who plays as a goalkeeper for Hemel Hempstead Town.Beckwith made his debut for Luton Town, and produced a man of the match display in a 2–2 draw with Bristol City... |
4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 34 | GK | England Ben Roberts Ben Roberts (footballer) Ben James Roberts is a former English footballer who played as a goalkeeper. He is currently goalkeeper coach at Charlton Athletic.... |
5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 35 | GK |  France Cedric BerthelinCédric Berthelin Cédric Berthelin is a French football player who presently plays with R.A.E.C. Mons.-Career:Berthelin started his professional career with RC Lens in 1999 and spent two seasons with the sang et or making only occasional first team appearances. During the 2001/2 season he played for ASOA Valence... |
9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 36 | DF | England Rob Gillman |
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 37 | DF | England Chris Willmott Chris Willmott (footballer) Christopher Alan "Chris" Willmott is an English footballer, currently playing for Brackley Town. However, Chris is currently working at Bedford Modern School as a part time football coach.... |
12 (1) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12 (1) | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 38 | MF | England Michael Leary Michael Leary Michael Antonio Leary is an English professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Conference North side Gainsborough Trinity.... |
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 (1) | 0 | 1 (1) | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 39 | MF |  Republic of Ireland Steven O'LearySteven O'Leary Stephen Michael O'Leary is an English-born Irish footballer . He previously played in the Football League for Luton Town, Tranmere Rovers, Hereford United and Bradford City.-Career:... |
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 40 | FW | England James Osborn |
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 41 | DF | Republic of Ireland Kevin Foley Kevin Foley Kevin Owen Foley , Australian politician, is the current Minister for Industry and Trade and Minister for Federal/State Relations in the Rann Labor government. He previously served as Treasurer of South Australia and Deputy Premier of South Australia from 2002 until his resignation in 2011... |
0 (2) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 (1) | 0 | 1 (3) | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 42 | DF | England Joe Deeney |
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 43 | FW | England Matthew Judge Matthew Judge Matthew Judge , is a footballer who plays for Thurrock in the Conference South as a striker.Judge was with Tottenham Hotpsur for five seasons before joining Luton Town... |
0 (1) | 0 | 0 (1) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 (1) | 0 | 1 (3) | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 44 | GK | England Dean Brill Dean Brill Dean Michael Brill is an English professional footballer who currently plays for Football League Two side Barnet. He plays as a goalkeeper.-Luton Town:... |
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 45 | DF | England Leon Barnett Leon Barnett Leon Peter Barnett is an English professional footballer who currently plays for Norwich City. Although primarily a central defender, he has also played at left back, right back, central midfield and up front... |
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 (1) | 0 | 0 (1) | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 46 | MF | England Parys Okai |
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 (1) | 0 | 0 (1) | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Managerial statistics
- Only competitive games from the 2002–03 season are included.
| Name | Nat. | From | To | Record | Honours | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PLD | W | D | L | GF | GA | W% | |||||
| Joe Kinnear Joe Kinnear Joseph Patrick "Joe" Kinnear is an Irish football manager and former player. He was most recently the manager of Newcastle United.... |
Republic of Ireland |
8 February 2001 | 23 May 2003 | 53 | 21 | 14 | 18 | 80 | 74 | 39.6 | |
Awards
- Awarded on 4 May 2003.
| Award | Name | No. | Pos. | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Player of the Season | Australia Chris Coyne Chris Coyne Christopher "Chris" Coyne is an Australian professional football player who currently plays for Perth Glory FC and the Australian national football team as a centre back.-Club career:... |
12 | DF | |
| Players' Player of the Season | Scotland Steve Howard Steve Howard Steven John "Steve" Howard is a Scottish-English footballer currently playing for Championship side Leicester City.Howard is renowned for his aerial strength... |
19 | FW | |
| Young Player of the Season | Republic of Ireland Kevin Foley Kevin Foley (footballer) Kevin Patrick Foley is an English-born Irish footballer who plays as a defender for Premier League club Wolverhampton Wanderers and the Republic of Ireland national football team. Foley previously spent twelve years at Luton Town... |
41 | DF | |
| Young Members' Player of the Season | England Tony Thorpe Tony Thorpe Anthony "Tony" Thorpe is an English footballer who plays as a striker for Thurmaston Town. As a professional he notably played for Luton Town, Bristol City and Queens Park Rangers. He also played in the Football League for Reading, Rotherham United, Swindon Town, Colchester United and Grimsby Town... |
9 | FW | |
| Goal of the Season | England Matthew Spring Matthew Spring Matthew John Spring is an English central midfielder who plays for Leyton Orient.-Luton Town:Spring started his career at Luton, making his debut as a half-time substitute in a 3–0 loss to Bristol City on 27 September 1997... |
4 | MF |
|}
In
| Date | Player | From | Fee | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 August 2002 |  Kingdom of England Alan KimbleAlan Kimble Alan Kimble is a retired English professional footballer.-Youth:Left back Kimble started his career at Charlton Athletic alongside his twin brother, Garry Kimble... |
Wimbledon Wimbledon F.C. Wimbledon Football Club was an English professional association football club from Wimbledon, south-west London. Founded in 1889 as Wimbledon Old Central Football Club, the club spent most of its history in amateur and semi-professional non-League football before being elected to the Football... |
Free | |
| 10 August 2002 |  Kingdom of Scotland Robbie WintersRobbie Winters Robbie Winters is a Scottish footballer who currently plays for Alloa Athletic.-Career:Winters began his career at Dundee United in 1992 and played 99 league games for the Terrors, scoring 19 times. A move to Aberdeen beckoned, which saw Billy Dodds and cash come to Tannadice in exchange for Winters... |
Aberdeen Aberdeen F.C. Aberdeen Football Club are a Scottish professional football club based in Aberdeen... |
Free | |
| 16 August 2002 | Kingdom of England Sol Davis Sol Davis Sol Sebastian Davis is an English footballer who plays for Kettering Town.-Career:Born in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, Davis is a left-back who played over 130 times for Swindon Town before being transferred to Luton Town in August 2002, bought by then manager Joe Kinnear.Davis was named Players'... |
Swindon Town Swindon Town F.C. Swindon Town Football Club are a team based in Swindon, Wiltshire. Currently in League Two, Swindon have been managed by Paolo Di Canio since 23 May 2011... |
£60,000 | |
| 2 October 2002 |  Early Modern France Cédric BerthelinCédric Berthelin Cédric Berthelin is a French football player who presently plays with R.A.E.C. Mons.-Career:Berthelin started his professional career with RC Lens in 1999 and spent two seasons with the sang et or making only occasional first team appearances. During the 2001/2 season he played for ASOA Valence... |
Lens RC Lens Racing Club de Lens is a French association football club based in the northern city of Lens in the Pas-de-Calais department. Its nickname, sang et or , comes from its traditional colours of red and gold. Their primary rivals are their northern neighbors Lille OSC, whom they contest the Derby du... |
Free | |
| 28 February 2003 | Kingdom of Scotland Duncan Jupp Duncan Jupp Duncan Alan Jupp is a professional footballer currently playing for Bognor Regis Town.Jupp began his career as a trainee with Fulham where he made more than 100 appearances before he moved toWimbledon for £200,000... |
Notts County Notts County F.C. Notts County Football Club are an English professional football club based in Nottingham. They are the oldest of all the clubs in the world that are now professional, having been formed in 1862. They currently play in League One of The Football League, the third tier of the English football system... |
Free | |
Out
| Date | Player | To | Fee | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 25 July 2002 | Kingdom of England Stuart Douglas Stuart Douglas Stuart Douglas is an English football player.-Career:Douglas began his career with Luton Town as a youth player, going on to make 146 football league appearances for the club... |
Boston United Boston United F.C. Boston United Football Club are an association football club based in Boston, Lincolnshire, England. They currently play in the Conference North. The club is known as 'the Pilgrims' in reference to the Pilgrim Fathers, who fled from Boston to the USA and founded Boston, Massachusetts. The club's... |
Free | |
| 25 July 2002 | Kingdom of England Richard Dryden Richard Dryden Richard Dryden is an English former professional footballer.-Playing career:A very experienced defender, Richard started his career in 1986 as a trainee with Bristol Rovers, joining them as a professional in July 1987... |
Scarborough Scarborough F.C. Scarborough Football Club was an English football club based in the seaside resort of Scarborough, North Yorkshire. They were one of the oldest football clubs in England, formed in 1879, before they were wound up on 20 June 2007, with debts of £2.5 million.In the 2006–07 season... |
Free | |
| 25 July 2002 | Kingdom of England Adam Locke |
Hornchurch Hornchurch F.C. Hornchurch F.C. were an non-League football club based in east London. They played in the Conference South, after being promoted from the Isthmian League.... |
Free | |
| 25 July 2002 | Republic of Ireland Daryl Murphy Daryl Murphy Daryl Murphy is an Irish footballer who currently plays as a striker for Ipswich Town on loan from Scottish Premier League club Celtic.-Waterford United:... |
Waterford United | Free | |
| 25 July 2002 | Kingdom of England Scott Ward |
Chesham United Chesham United F.C. Chesham United is an English football club based in Chesham, Buckinghamshire, currently playing in the Southern League. They are nicknamed "The Generals" because they were once the football team of the General Baptist Church in Chesham. Chesham Generals merged with Chesham Town to form United... |
Free | |
| 2 August 2002 | Early Modern France Jean-Louis Valois Jean-Louis Valois Jean-Louis Valois is a French retired professional footballer. A left-sided player capable of playing on either wing, his last senior club was Al-Nasr.-Career:... |
Hearts Heart of Midlothian F.C. Heart of Midlothian Football Club are a Scottish professional football club based in Gorgie, in the west of Edinburgh. They currently play in the Scottish Premier League and are one of the two principal clubs in the city, the other being Hibernian... |
Free | |
| 12 August 2002 | Kingdom of Scotland Robbie Winters Robbie Winters Robbie Winters is a Scottish footballer who currently plays for Alloa Athletic.-Career:Winters began his career at Dundee United in 1992 and played 99 league games for the Terrors, scoring 19 times. A move to Aberdeen beckoned, which saw Billy Dodds and cash come to Tannadice in exchange for Winters... |
Brann | Free | |
| 2 December 2002 | Early Modern France Cédric Berthelin Cédric Berthelin Cédric Berthelin is a French football player who presently plays with R.A.E.C. Mons.-Career:Berthelin started his professional career with RC Lens in 1999 and spent two seasons with the sang et or making only occasional first team appearances. During the 2001/2 season he played for ASOA Valence... |
Crystal Palace Crystal Palace F.C. Crystal Palace Football Club are an English Football league club based in South Norwood, London. The team plays its home matches at Selhurst Park, where they have been based since 1924. The club currently competes in the second tier of English Football, The Championship.Crystal Palace was formed in... |
Free | |
| 7 February 2003 | Kingdom of England Andrew Fotiadis Andrew Fotiadis Panos Andrew "Andy" Fotiadis is a former English Cypriot footballer, best known for his time at Luton Town, who retired from the professional game after a succession of injuries.- Club career :... |
Peterborough United Peterborough United F.C. Peterborough United Football Club are a professional English football club based in Peterborough. Peterborough United formed in 1934 and played in the old Midland League, which they won six times; eventually being admitted to the Football League in 1960, replacing Gateshead. Their home ground is... |
Free | |
| 16 March 2003 | Kingdom of England Joe Deeney |
Enfield Enfield F.C. Enfield F.C. is a football club, formed in June 2007 after Enfield F.C. ceased to exist.... |
Free | |
| 16 March 2003 | Kingdom of England Rob Gillman |
Released | ||
| 16 March 2003 | Kingdom of England James Osborn |
Hitchin Town Hitchin Town F.C. Hitchin Town Football Club are an English semi-professional football club based in Hitchin, Hertfordshire. They will compete in the Southern Football League's Premier Division for the 2011–12 season... |
Free | |
| 22 May 2003 | Kingdom of England Carl Emberson Carl Emberson Carl Wayne Emberson is a retired English football goalkeeper and coach at Bristol Rovers.-Career:He played in the 1990–91 Final of the FA Youth Cup with Millwall, but failed to make a first-team appearance for the club.He joined Colchester United for ₤25,000 in 1994, where he had previously been... |
Released | ||
| 22 May 2003 | Wales Carl Griffiths Carl Griffiths Carl Brian Griffiths is an English-born Welsh footballer, now manager. He is currently manager of Aveley.He started his career with Shrewsbury Town in 1988, and after five years moved on to Manchester City. In 1995 he transferred to Portsmouth, moving on to Peterborough United a year later... |
Released | ||
| 22 May 2003 | Kingdom of Scotland Duncan Jupp Duncan Jupp Duncan Alan Jupp is a professional footballer currently playing for Bognor Regis Town.Jupp began his career as a trainee with Fulham where he made more than 100 appearances before he moved toWimbledon for £200,000... |
Southend United Southend United F.C. Southend United Football Club is an English football club based at Roots Hall Stadium, Prittlewell, Southend-on-Sea, Essex, who play in Football League Two. Their home ground is Roots Hall, and the club plan to move into a new 22,000-seater stadium located at Fossetts Farm.-Stadium:The club has had... |
Free | |
| 22 May 2003 | Kingdom of England Alan Kimble Alan Kimble Alan Kimble is a retired English professional footballer.-Youth:Left back Kimble started his career at Charlton Athletic alongside his twin brother, Garry Kimble... |
Released | ||
| 22 May 2003 | Kingdom of England Mark Ovendale |
Released | ||
| 22 May 2003 | Kingdom of England Aaron Skelton Aaron Skelton Aaron Skelton is a former professional footballer who played at right-back, right-wing, center-midfield and center-back during his time at Luton Town and Colchester.... |
Released | ||
Loans in
| Date | Player | From | End date | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 23 August 2002 | Kingdom of England Ben Roberts Ben Roberts (footballer) Ben James Roberts is a former English footballer who played as a goalkeeper. He is currently goalkeeper coach at Charlton Athletic.... |
Charlton Athletic Charlton Athletic F.C. Charlton Athletic Football Club is an English professional football club based in Charlton, in the London Borough of Greenwich. They compete in Football League One, the third tier of English football. The club was founded on 9 June 1905, when a number of youth clubs in the southeast London area,... |
20 September 2002 | |
| 31 January 2003 | Kingdom of England Chris Willmott Chris Willmott (footballer) Christopher Alan "Chris" Willmott is an English footballer, currently playing for Brackley Town. However, Chris is currently working at Bedford Modern School as a part time football coach.... |
Wimbledon Wimbledon F.C. Wimbledon Football Club was an English professional association football club from Wimbledon, south-west London. Founded in 1889 as Wimbledon Old Central Football Club, the club spent most of its history in amateur and semi-professional non-League football before being elected to the Football... |
3 May 2003 | |
| 21 February 2003 | Canada Lars Hirschfeld Lars Hirschfeld Lars Justin Hirschfeld is a Canadian football goalkeeper currently playing for Vålerenga Fotball in Norway.-Club career:Hirschfeld started his career with the Edmonton Drillers, playing indoor soccer... |
Tottenham Hotspur Tottenham Hotspur F.C. Tottenham Hotspur Football Club , commonly referred to as Spurs, is an English Premier League football club based in Tottenham, north London. The club's home stadium is White Hart Lane.... |
19 March 2003 | |
| 27 March 2003 | Kingdom of England Sammy Igoe Sammy Igoe Samuel Gary "Sammy" Igoe is an English professional footballer who plays for Havant & Waterlooville.-Career:He started his career with Portsmouth, and after spells with Reading, Luton Town and Swindon Town... |
Reading Reading F.C. Reading Football Club is an English association football club based in the town of Reading, Berkshire who currently play in the Championship... |
3 May 2003 |
Loans out
| Date | Player | To | End date | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 27 March 2003 | Kingdom of England Lee Mansell Lee Mansell Lee Richard Samuel Mansell is an English footballer, who can play in midfield but is occupying the right back position for Torquay United and is the current captain.... |
Nuneaton Borough | 4 May 2003 | |