# 1997–98 Luton Town F.C. season

The 1997–98 season was the 112th season in the history of Luton Town F.C. It was Luton Town's 77th consecutive season in the Football League, and their 80th overall. It was their second season back in the Football League Third Division following relegation in the 1995–96 season.
This article covers the period from 1 July 1997 to 30 June 1998.

## Season summary

During the 1997–98 English football season, Luton Town F.C. competed in the Football League Second Division. It was the second full season of Lennie Lawrences's spell as Luton Town manager. Hopes were high for promotion following Luton's 3rd place finish the previous season, however injuries to key players in September and October saw Luton Town fall into the relegation zone. They subsequently spent the season battling at the wrong end of the division. Luton were in the relegation zone as late as April and only secured their safety following a 2–2 draw with Brentford in the second last game of the season. Luton's survival was due in no small part to the arrival of Rory Allen on loan from Tottenham Hotspur F.C.. Allen arrived at the end of March with Luton Town sitting 23rd in the table with only 8 games remaining. Allen scored 6 goals in that time which resulted in 5 wins and 1 draw for Luton Town

## Final league table

| Pos | Team v t e | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
| 15 | Preston North End | 46 | 15 | 14 | 17 | 56 | 56 | 0 | 59 |
| 16 | York City | 46 | 14 | 17 | 15 | 52 | 58 | −6 | 59 |
| 17 | Luton Town | 46 | 14 | 15 | 17 | 60 | 64 | −4 | 57 |
| 18 | Millwall | 46 | 14 | 13 | 19 | 43 | 54 | −11 | 55 |
| 19 | Walsall | 46 | 14 | 12 | 20 | 43 | 52 | −9 | 54 |

## Results

Luton Town's score comes first

### Legend

| Win | Draw | Loss |

### Football League Second Division

| Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Scorers |
| 09 August 1997 | Blackpool | Away | 0–1 | 6,547 | |
| 18 August 1997 | Southend United | Home | 1–0 | 5,140 | Stuart Douglas |
| 23 August 1997 | Fulham | Away | 0–0 | 8,142 | |
| 30 August 1997 | Oldham Athletic | Home | 1–1 | 5,404 | Tony Thorpe |
| 02 September 1997 | Millwall | Home | 0–2 | 5,781 | |
| 09 September 1997 | Northampton Town | Away | 0–1 | 7,246 | |
| 13 September 1997 | AFC Bournemouth | Away | 1–1 | 4,561 | Dwight Marshall |
| 20 September 1997 | Wrexham | Home | 2–5 | 5,241 | Steve Davis, Phil Gray |
| 27 September 1997 | Bristol City | Away | 0–3 | 8,509 | |
| 04 October 1997 | Watford | Home | 0–4 | 9,041 | |
| 11 October 1997 | Plymouth Argyle | Home | 3–0 | 4,931 | Tony Thorpe (2), Simon Davies |
| 18 October 1997 | Wigan Athletic | Away | 1–1 | 4,466 | David Oldfield |
| 21 October 1997 | Carlisle United | Away | 1–0 | 4,341 | Alan White |
| 25 October 1997 | Brentford | Home | 2–0 | 5,972 | Graham Alexander, Tony Thorpe |
| 01 November 1997 | Wycombe Wanderers | Away | 2–2 | 6,219 | David Oldfield, Tony Thorpe |
| 04 November 1997 | Burnley | Home | 2–3 | 5,315 | Graham Alexander (2) |
| 08 November 1997 | Preston North End | Home | 1–3 | 5,767 | Tony Thorpe |
| 22 November 1997 | Walsall | Home | 0–1 | 4,726 | |
| 29 November 1997 | York City | Away | 2–1 | 3,636 | Graham Alexander, Tony Thorpe |
| 02 December 1997 | Gillingham | Home | 2–2 | 4,408 | Steve Davis, Tony Thorpe |
| 13 December 1997 | Chesterfield | Away | 0–0 | 4,358 | |
| 20 December 1997 | Bristol Rovers | Home | 2–4 | 5,266 | Chris Allen, David Oldfield |
| 26 December 1997 | Northampton | Home | 2–2 | 8,035 | David Oldfield, Tony Thorpe |
| 28 December 1997 | Millwall | Away | 2–0 | 7,461 | Steve Davis, Tony Thorpe |
| 03 January 1998 | Southend United | Away | 2–1 | 5,056 | Graham Alexander (2) |
| 10 January 1998 | Blackpool | Home | 3–0 | 5,574 | Tony Thorpe (3) |
| 17 January 1998 | Oldham Athletic | Away | 1–2 | 6,057 | Graham Alexander |
| 24 January 1998 | Fulham | Home | 1–4 | 8,366 | Tony Thorpe |
| 31 January 1998 | AFC Bournemouth | Home | 1–2 | 5,466 | Marvin Johnson |
| 07 February 1998 | Wrexham | Away | 1–2 | 3,527 | Steve Davis |
| 14 February 1998 | Watford | Away | 1–1 | 15,182 | Marvin Johnson |
| 21 February 1998 | Bristol City | Home | 0–0 | 6,405 | |
| 24 February 1998 | Wigan Athletic | Home | 1–1 | 4,403 | David Oldfield |
| 28 February 1998 | Plymouth Argyle | Away | 2–0 | 4,846 | Andrew Fotiadis, Sean Evers |
| 03 March 1998 | Preston North End | Away | 0–1 | 6,992 | |
| 07 March 1998 | Wycombe Wanderers | Home | 0–0 | 6,114 | |
| 14 March 1998 | Burnley | Away | 1–1 | 9,656 | Mitchell Thomas |
| 21 March 1998 | Grimsby Town | Home | 2–2 | 5,722 | Sean Evers, Steve Davis |
| 28 March 1998 | Walsall | Away | 3–2 | 3,922 | David Oldfield, Rory Allen, Dwight Marshall |
| 04 April 1998 | York City | Home | 3–0 | 5,541 | Graham Alexander(pen), David Oldfield, Phil Gray |
| 07 April 1998 | Grimsby Town | Away | 1–0 | 4,455 | Rory Allen |
| 11 April 1998 | Gillingham | Away | 1–2 | 6,846 | Rory Allen |
| 14 April 1998 | Chesterfield | Home | 3–0 | 5,884 | Dwight Marshall, Rory Allen, David Oldfield |
| 18 April 1998 | Bristol Rovers | Away | 1–2 | 8,038 | David Oldfield |
| 25 April 1998 | Brentford | Away | 2–2 | 6,596 | Dwight Marshall, Rory Allen |
| 02 May 1998 | Carlisle United | Home | 3–2 | 6,729 | Sean Evers, (og), Rory Allen |

### FA Cup

| Round | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Goalscorers |
| R1 | 15 November 1997 | Torquay United | Home | 0–1 | 3,446 | |

### League Cup

| Round | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Goalscorers |
| R1 1st leg | 12 August 1997 | Colchester United | Away | 1–0 | 2,840 | Tony Thorpe |
| R1 2nd leg | 26 August 1997 | Colchester United | Home | 1–1 | 2,816 | Tony Thorpe |
| R2 1st leg | 16 September 1997 | West Bromwich Albion | Home | 1–1 | 3,437 | Stuart Douglas |
| R2 2nd leg | 23 September 1997 | West Bromwich Albion | Away | 2–4 | 7,227 | Steve Davis, Tony Thorpe |

### Football League Trophy

| Round | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Goalscorers |
| SR2 | 06 January 1998 | Brentford | Home | 2–1 | 3,106 | Tony Thorpe, David Oldfield |
| SQF | 27 January 1998 | Fulham | Away | 2–1 | 5,103 | Dwight Marshall, Tony Thorpe |
| SSF | 17 February 1998 | AFC Bournemouth | Away | 0–1 | 5,367 | |

## Squad

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
| No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |
| — | GK | ENG | Nathan Abbey |
| — | GK | ENG | Kelvin Davis |
| — | GK | USA | Ian Feuer |
| — | GK | WAL | Andy Dibble |
| — | DF | SCO | Graham Alexander |
| — | DF | ENG | Steve Davis |
| — | DF | ENG | Richard Harvey |
| — | DF | ENG | Julian James |
| — | DF | ENG | Marvin Johnson |
| — | DF | ENG | Gavin McGowan |
| — | DF | NIR | Darren Patterson |
| — | DF | ENG | Trevor Peake |
| — | DF | ENG | Mitchell Thomas |
| — | DF | ENG | Alan White |
| — | DF | ENG | Bryan Small |
| — | DF | IRL | Gary Doherty |
| — | DF | SCO | Stuart Fraser |
| No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |
| — | DF | ENG | Chris Willmott |
| — | MF | ENG | Sean Evers |
| — | MF | ENG | Paul McLaren |
| — | MF | ENG | David Oldfield |
| — | MF | ENG | Paul Showler |
| — | MF | IRL | Gary Waddock |
| — | MF | ENG | Chris Allen |
| — | MF | ENG | Matthew Spring |
| — | MF | ENG | Robert Kean |
| — | MF | WAL | Simon Davies |
| — | FW | ENG | Stuart Douglas |
| — | FW | ENG | Andrew Fotiadis |
| — | FW | IRL | Liam George |
| — | FW | JAM | Dwight Marshall |
| — | FW | ENG | Tony Thorpe |
| — | FW | NIR | Phil Gray |
| — | FW | ENG | Rory Allen |

## Player statistics

| Pos. | Name | League | League | FA Cup | FA Cup | League Cup | League Cup | FL Trophy | FL Trophy | Total | Total |
| Pos. | Name | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals |
| MF | David Oldfield | 45 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 53 | 10 |
| MF | Paul McLaren | 41 (2) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 48 (2) | 0 |
| DF | Steve Davis | 39 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 45 | 5 |
| DF | Graham Alexander | 39 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 44 | 8 |
| MF | Gary Waddock | 34 (2) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 (2) | 0 | 39 (4) | 0 |
| DF | Mitchell Thomas | 28 (2) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 32 (2) | 1 |
| FW | Tony Thorpe | 27 (1) | 14 | 1 | 0 | 2 (1) | 2 | 1 (1) | 0 | 31 (3) | 16 |
| GK | Kelvin Davis | 32 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 33 | 0 |
| DF | Alan White | 26 (2) | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 31 (2) | 1 |
| FW | Dwight Marshall | 19 (10) | 4 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 23 (10) | 5 |
| DF | Darren Patterson | 23 | 0 | 0 (1) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 26 (1) | 0 |
| MF | Sean Evers | 14 (8) | 3 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 19 (8) | 3 |
| MF | Simon Davies | 8 (11) | 1 | 0 (1) | 0 | 3 (1) | 0 | 3 | 0 | 14 (13) | 1 |
| DF | Julian James | 23 (1) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 25 (1) | 0 |
| FW | Stuart Douglas | 5 (11) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 (1) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 (12) | 1 |
| FW | Phil Gray | 14 (3) | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 (1) | 0 | 15 (4) | 2 |
| MF | Chris Allen | 14 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 17 | 1 |
| GK | Ian Feuer | 13 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 17 | 0 |
| FW | Andrew Fotiadis | 5 (11) | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 (11) | 1 |
| DF | Bryan Small | 16 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 16 | 0 |
| DF | Marvin Johnson | 12 (1) | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 15 (1) | 2 |
| MF | Matthew Spring | 6 (6) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 (6) | 0 |
| DF | Richard Harvey | 6 (1) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 (1) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 10 (2) | 0 |
| DF | Gary Doherty | 1 (8) | 0 | 0 (1) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 (9) | 0 |
| FW | Rory Allen | 8 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 6 |
| DF | Gavin McGowan | 6 (2) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 (2) | 0 |
| FW | Liam George | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 (2) | 0 | 0 (1) | 0 | 1 (3) | 0 |
| GK | Andy Dibble | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| DF | Stuart Fraser | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| GK | Nathan Abbey | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| MF | Robert Kean | 0 (1) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 (1) | 0 |
| MF | Paul Showler | 0 (1) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 (1) | 0 |
| DF | Trevor Peake | 0 (1) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 (1) | 0 |
| — | own goal | — | 1 | — | 0 | — | 0 | — | 0 | — | 1 |