the green game
By Roger Wash
Wednesday 4th September will mark the 119th birthday of Kenilworth Road. Roger tells the story of the ground's early days, and of the first match - the famed Green Game.
Part 1: A Home of Our Own
At last the Town had a ground they could call their own. Part of the agreement on purchase was that the land would only be used for football purposes and everyone connected with the club breathed a sigh of relief knowing that they would not be asked to move again - at least not in the short term.
The old ground at Dunstable Road was partly developed immediately, with Hazelbury Crescent and Avondale Road being built and Kenilworth Road itself further developed.
Strangely, the land fronting Dunstable Road, which would presumably be the most valuable, was not built on until the late 1930s when the Odeon cinema was erected and appeared to be used as a car park in the interim with the local football fans taking advantage of it when big matches were staged.
The new enclosure was smaller than the one left behind and was already hemmed in by new houses in Ivy, Beech and Oak Roads, as well as the railway line. Behind the Oak Road goal was wooden terracing with a high wooden fence behind, while at the Kenilworth Road end clinker banking had been built up to provide a reasonable vantage point.
Beech Hill Path was a natural boundary for the ground and along this side more wooden terracing was placed with a roof extending over the back few steps, taken from the old Dunstable Road ground. On the opposite side stood a new wooden main stand.
With a standing paddock in front, this side of the ground was reckoned to hold 1,500 out of a total capacity of 10,000.
To finish off, a 'stout wooden fence' enclosed the pitch which was something that had not been present at either of the other two grounds
Part 2: The Green Game
The new ground was formally opened on Monday 4th September 1905 at 5pm sharp. This would allow for a 5.15pm kick off, therefore enabling the visitors, Plymouth Argyle, enough time to catch their train home.
The game quickly became known as the 'Green Game'. The Pilgrims played in green, the referee was a Mr. A. Green, the formal opening was conducted by Mr. J. Green of local brewery fame and the whole event had been orchestrated by secretary Charles Green. Plus, of course, the Kenilworth Road pitch was green!
The match was played out on a warm late summer evening and attracted a healthy crowd of over 6,000, bringing in a gate revenue of £120.
Mr. J. Green formally opened proceedings by kicking off the contest, but before doing so announced that he would be donating 25 guineas (£26) to the club.
The contest itself was end to end from start to finish with both sides hitting the woodwork.
The Town had a point to prove having finished second bottom of the Southern League the previous season (fortunately they were re-elected with little fuss) and had recruited some heavyweight players to take the place of some lightweights who were 'not able to withstand the rigours of competitive football'. In other words the long ball and muscle were to be order of the day!
Although the match was end to end the referee had a huge task in preventing the contest from developing into a 'rough and tumble affair' and more than once had to separate brawling players. If the supporters were to learn anything from the display it was that the players were not going to roll over and die that season.
Luton Town: Platt, Blackett, McCurdy, Fred Hawkes, White, Bob Hawkes, Gallacher, Warner, Brown, Pickering, Barnes.
Plymouth Argyle: Sutcliffe, Saul, A Clark, Leech, C Clark, Mortimer, Briercliffe, Buck, Willcox, Buchanen, Corrin.
Kenilworth Road Fact File
Highest Attendances:
30,069: Blackpool, FA Cup Quarter Final Replay, March 4th 1959
28,433: Arsenal, FA Cup Quarter Final March 8th 1952
27,911: Wolverhampton Wanderers, Division 1, 5th November 1955
Most Appearances:
280: Bob Morton
259: Ricky Hill
255: Brian Stein
Most Goals:
171: Gordon Turner
112: Andy Rennie
95: Brian Stein
Most Games Managed:
307: David Pleat
260: Dally Duncan
157: Nathan Jones
Most Frequent Opponent:
63: Queens Park Rangers
57: Bristol Rovers
56: Watford
Biggest Wins:
14-1: Great Yarmouth, FA Cup 4th Qualifying, 21st November 1914
12-0: Bristol Rovers, Division 3(S), 3rd April 1936
9-0: Clapton, FA Cup 1st Round, 30th November 1927