# 1986–87 Luton Town F.C. season

During the 1986–87 English football season, Luton Town F.C. competed in the Football League First Division and finished seventh, the best league position in the club's history to date.

## Season summary

Manager David Pleat had left Luton at the end of the previous season to become manager of Tottenham Hotspur, and was replaced by former Luton defender John Moore. Under Moore, Luton enjoyed one of the best seasons in their history, finishing in seventh, their highest-ever placing in the top flight. However, Moore resigned at the end of the season, claiming he did not feel management was the right career for him. He was replaced by his assistant manager Ray Harford.
Perhaps the only negative of the season was Luton being banned from competing in the League Cup due to the club's controversial scheme, introduced by chairman David Evans, to only admit club members and refusal to admit away fans.

## Kit

Luton retained the kit worn by the club for the previous two seasons, manufactured by German apparel manufacturers Adidas and sponsored by Bedford.

## Squad

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
| No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |
| — | GK | ENG | Les Sealey |
| — | GK | WAL | Andy Dibble |
| — | DF | ENG | Tim Breacker |
| — | DF | ENG | Steve Foster |
| — | DF | ENG | Marvin Johnson |
| — | DF | ENG | Rob Johnson |
| — | DF | ENG | Stacey North |
| — | DF | NIR | Mal Donaghy |
| — | MF | ENG | Kingsley Black |
| — | MF | ENG | Gary Cobb |
| — | MF | ENG | Ricky Hill |
| No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |
| — | MF | ENG | Darron McDonough |
| — | MF | ENG | David Oldfield |
| — | MF | ENG | David Preece |
| — | MF | ENG | Robert Wilson |
| — | MF | IRL | Ashley Grimes |
| — | MF | NGA | Emeka Nwajiobi |
| — | FW | ENG | Mick Harford |
| — | FW | ENG | Mike Newell |
| — | FW | ENG | Brian Stein |
| — | FW | ENG | Mark Stein |

## League table

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
| 5 | Norwich City | 42 | 17 | 17 | 8 | 53 | 51 | +2 | 68 |
| 6 | Wimbledon | 42 | 19 | 9 | 14 | 57 | 50 | +7 | 66 |
| 7 | Luton Town | 42 | 18 | 12 | 12 | 47 | 45 | +2 | 66 |
| 8 | Nottingham Forest | 42 | 18 | 11 | 13 | 64 | 51 | +13 | 65 |
| 9 | Watford | 42 | 18 | 9 | 15 | 67 | 54 | +13 | 63 |

## Player details

    Players arranged in alphabetical order by surname.
| Pos. | Name | League | League | FA Cup | FA Cup | Total | Total |
| Pos. | Name | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals |
| DF | Tim Breacker | 29 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 33 | 1 |
| MF | Gary Cobb | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| GK | Andy Dibble | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| DF | Mal Donaghy | 42 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 47 | 0 |
| DF | Steve Foster | 28 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 33 | 2 |
| DF | Ashley Grimes | 31 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 36 | 2 |
| FW | Mick Harford | 18 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 23 | 7 |
| DF | Richard Harvey | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 |
| MF | Ricky Hill | 30 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 35 | 2 |
| DF | Rob Johnson | 34 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 39 | 0 |
| MF | Darron McDonough | 10 (7) | 1 | (1) | 0 | 10 (8) | 1 |
| MF | Ricky McEvoy | (1) | 0 | 0 | 0 | (1) | 0 |
| FW | Mike Newell | 42 | 12 | 5 | 1 | 47 | 13 |
| MF | Peter Nicholas | 42 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 47 | 1 |
| FW | Marc North | 2 (3) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 (3) | 0 |
| DF | Stacey North | 14 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 0 |
| FW | Emeka Nwajiobi | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 |
| MF | David Preece | 14 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 15 | 0 |
| FW | Brian Stein | 38 | 14 | 5 | 1 | 43 | 15 |
| FW | Mark Stein | 17 (4) | 8 | 0 | 0 | 17 (4) | 8 |
| GK | Les Sealey | 41 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 46 | 0 |
| MF | Robert Wilson | 16 (5) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 16 (5) | 1 |