page_title: History of Luton Town F.C. (1885–1970)
section_title: Decline and recovery (1960–1970)
hierarchical_section_title: History of Luton Town F.C. (1885–1970) / Decline and recovery (1960–1970)
caption_attribution_description: English: Former Aalborg BK coach, Bruce Rioch. Dansk: AaBs tidligere cheftræner Bruce Rioch.
context_page_description: Luton Town Football Club is an English professional football club based in the town of Luton, Bedfordshire. Founded in 1885, Luton Town were the first professional team in the south of England, fully professional by 1891. Luton were also one of the first southern Football League clubs, joining in 1897 before leaving again in 1900 due to financial instability. The club rejoined the League for the 1920–21 season. George Thompson became the club's first manager four years later, but only lasted eight months before leaving, and wasn't replaced until 1927. 1936–37 saw Luton promoted to the Second Division, and the first post-war seasons saw a strong Luton team begin to emerge. Record goalscorer Gordon Turner's arrival into the first team in 1950 helped Luton to promotion to the First Division for the first time in 1954–55, and the team remained there until relegation in the 1959–60 season. Luton also reached the 1959 FA Cup Final, where Turner's absence and the team's questionable preparation for the game meant that Luton lost 2–1 to Nottingham Forest. The club was subsequently relegated three times in six seasons, reaching the Fourth Division by 1965–66.
context_section_description: Sam Bartram, a former player, was appointed manager in July 1960. The club had a long list of injured or unsettled players on its books and many old favourites from the First Division years were sold. The abolition of the maximum wage in football hit the club's finances hard. Attendances dwindled, and the club finished 13th in 1960–61. The following season saw a remodelled team again finish 13th. Attendances had dropped to dangerous levels and the club was losing £400 a week. Bartram left at the end of the season; Jack Crompton was appointed manager on 29 June 1962 but resigned six days later citing his doctor's instructions. An increasingly desperate search for a manager ended with the appointment of Bill Harvey late in July. Harvey could do nothing to stop the club's decline – Luton finished with just 29 points as the team was relegated to the Third Division. Mitchell was subsequently replaced as chairman by Tom Hodgson. The club was already in serious relegation trouble in December 1963 when the signing of a young goalscorer, John O'Rourke, helped improve performances. O'Rourke scored both goals in the last home game of the season against rivals Watford, preventing the Hertfordshire club's promotion and guaranteeing Luton's survival.
  Poor results continued in the 1964–65 season. Harvey resigned as manager and was eventually replaced by George Martin, returning for his second spell as Luton manager. Luton finished 21st and were relegated to the Fourth Division for the first time in the club's history. 1965–66 saw Martin set out to improve discipline, and results improved dramatically – Luton finished sixth. The following season then marked the club's lowest ever league finish, but also the beginning of a recovery. Results were initially poor; Allan Brown took over as manager in November as Martin moved on for a second time. The club was second from bottom of the Football League when Luton lost 8–1 to Lincoln in December, but the team steadily improved in the new year. Luton finished 17th and attendances doubled in just a few months.
  By the end of 1967 Luton, led by ever-present captain Terry Branston, were a team transformed. Luton notched up 66 points during 1967–68 to equal the division record, and scored 87 goals. Average attendances jumped from 5,364 to 12,400, which helped the club's directors to turn down offers from bigger clubs for free-scoring Bruce Rioch, who scored the only goal at Halifax Town on 20 April 1968 to clinch promotion. Four days later Luton beat Crewe Alexandra in front of 19,000 at Kenilworth Road to seal the Fourth Division championship.
  The 1968–69 campaign was a frustrating season that saw Luton finish third, narrowly missing out on a second consecutive promotion. Brown resigned as manager in December 1968 under pressure from the board, and was replaced by Alec Stock, who brought Malcolm Macdonald to the club in the summer of 1969. Macdonald was moved from defence to centre-forward with marvellous success, scoring 25 goals as Luton stormed to a second-place finish in 1969–70. Comedian Eric Morecambe became a director of the club in 1970, and promotion back to the Second Division was clinched on the final day of the season with a tight 1–0 win over Southport.
caption: Bruce Rioch's goals helped Luton to the Division Four championship.
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