established 1885 - Betrayed 1894, 1895 and 1896
By Brian Webb
A book published in 1906 described Luton Town as an unlucky club. How did the club get that tag after just
21 years in existence?
THE RISE
On the 11th April 1885 a committee was formed to run the club. These unpaid committee members, working alongside the Secretary, were expected to attend a weekly meeting, manage the finances, pick the team, sort out poor form and injuries, act as referee and umpire/linesman, take admission money and steward games. They also to look to the way forward as regards its standing in the region and country as a whole. By the Sumer of 1894, the club had kept its nose clean as far as the football authorities were concerned.
There had been a minor clash in 1892 when the club cleared snow from the pitch for an
F.A. Cup tie with Middlesbrough. They took the cost of that work out of the takings then divided the takings between the two clubs. Middlesbrough protested and the Football Association changed the rules in record time – the game was on the 16th January and by the 20th the F.A. said,
“It was decided that in Cup ties expenses from clearing the ground from snow, and other preparation be borne by the home club.”
The ruling had little impact as it was a well run club and had made a profit every year while at the same time improving the ground and the playing staff. The switch to professionalism, a Beechers Brook to many clubs, was a smooth one. The fanbase was a loyal and enthusiastic one.
On the pitch, by the Spring of 1894 the team had risen to be the third best in the south behind Woolwich Arsenal and Millwall and all the talk was about the soon to arrive Southern League. Arsenal chose not to enter the newly formed Southern League. The Town’s main rivals for the league would therefore be Millwall whose defeat in a friendly at Dallow Lane in early 1894 made newspaper headlines. However, Millwall were still the favourites to win the Southern League due to begin in October. The tension built when it was announced that the first game of the season would see the Straw Plaiters versus the Dockers at Dallow Lane - a game which would go a long way to deciding the Champions.
BETRAYED BY THE SOUTHERN LEAGUE 1894
The formation of the Southern League was not all plain sailing. Many neutral voices in the press were concerned that Millwall and the Morning Leader newspaper, were controlling operations. The concerns were further enhanced by the fact that the second strongest club in the new Southern League, Luton Town, had no place on the controlling committee. Perhaps in an attempt to redress the balance, Mr Henderson of Millwall Athletic, stood aside as Secretary of the Southern League in the Summer of 1894.
However, he was replaced by Mr Nat Whittaker. Let me introduce Mr Whittaker – he is photographed below with the Millwall Athletic team in the Summer of 1894.
Below: Ned Whittaker, back row, second left with Millwall in the summer of 1894
With only 18 games in a season, everyone knew that the games between the two clubs would be vital. After the above photo was published in the Summer of 1894, Mr Whittaker was appointed to officiate in the Luton v Millwall game on the 6th October 1894. He would go into that game having refereed seven out of the last ten Millwall games. The Straw Plaiters formal objections to the Southern League committee about his appointment were rejected.
The first game of the season arrived, and when referee Nat Whittaker entered the pitch, Luton fans jeered and shouts of “here come’s Millwall’s ref” were heard. Millwall won 4 3 with Whittaker’s decisions reported as greatly favouring the Dockers including bizarrely giving a free kick to Millwall when their player had handled and blowing the final whistle several minutes before the allotted time. Mr Whittaker was “mobbed” by Luton fans at the end, but not touched. The club formally objected against Whittaker but the Southern League were not going to find against their own Secretary. They mobilised the Morning Leader newspaper and conducted a smear campaign against the club and Chairman Harry Arnold, which other newspapers copied and pasted.
Sour grapes from the Straw Plaiters? A Millwall fan wrote to the Luton News to put on record his disgust at the refereeing. Other neutral fans did the same. The Royal Ordnance club, who were also in the Southern League, wrote to Luton after they played Millwall to say that they understood why an objection was made about Whittaker. To rub salt into the wound, in the return match Millwall equalised with the last kick of the game thus ensuring the title for the Dockers.
The Luton football public lost interest in a League that appeared corrupt. The quality of the teams in the league did not help and crowds at Dallow Lane remained low. But worse was to come.
A chill must have ran down the spine of every supporter of the club in March 1895 when the Council announced that it wanted the Dallow Lane ground to build a school upon.
The club would be homeless unless it could locate a new ground very quickly.
At the 1895 Annual General Meeting, the club Secretary Isaac Smith, above left, announced that the club had a healthy balance of £144 18s 8d. The club Committee meeting on the 17th May 1895 revealed –
“our estimate for clearing out of the ground would be £865 [made up as follows] re-erection of stand and dressing rooms £235,
Stiles £25 Shifting posts £5,
levelling new ground £100
loss on gate at £250 per year, £500.
Also that [we make] an offer of £400 per acre for a square piece of 5 acres or offer to lease the ground at the expiration of present lease for 3, 5 or 7 years at £80 per year.”
The club’s estimate would be very near to the final amount. The search for a new ground was a long one with various pieces of land being offered and considered. Unrelenting pressure was placed upon the club by the Council and landlord until the move to Dunstable Road was completed.
The sheer complexity of the issues and number of meetings only draws admiration for the unpaid committee men. The final choice, the Bury Meadow, Dunstable Road, was secured on a 7 year lease at a rent of £150 per year and came into the club’s hands in September 1896. Only then could the club start work on moving and began levelling the land at a cost of £230. They therefore had to keep the Dallow Lane ground until the Bury had been levelled so paid double rent. Only then could they move the Grandstand from Dallow Lane to the new site which cost a further £15. The 1897 AGM held in June reveals that the double rent cost the club a huge total of £198 1s.
BETRAYED BY THE F.A. 1895
The Football League clubs of the north had been encouraged by the F.A. and Football League to promote football in the south. Strong clubs such as Notts (description of the day) Forest, Derby County, Wolves and West Brom had all played at Dallow Lane thereby attracting large crowds and showing off the finer arts of the game. However, this changed in mid 1895 when the League clubs of the north began an illegal, unofficial boycott of non league clubs. This boycott prevented the transfer of a player to a non league club and any friendlies being played. A secret list of the boycotted clubs was distributed amongst the clubs and League referees and Luton were added to it.
Because the boycott was unofficial, nothing was published as to its origin, purpose or achievements. Newspapers published rumours but hard evidence seems to have evaded everyone. The rumours of a boycott must have reached the ears of F.A. – the Luton newspapers concluded that the F.A. were scared of the Football League so turned a blind eye.
This boycott would hit the Straw Plaiters’ finances hard. At the start of each season the experienced Secretary, Isaac Smith, and the Committee estimated the money required to be raised. Wages, travel costs and other expenses had to be met by the main source of revenue, gate money. Luton relied on League clubs coming to Dallow Lane to raise valuable revenue. Unaware of the boycott, the Luton committee asked Aston Villa to play at Dallow Lane as the showcase game of the season and they duly accepted to play on the 9th December.
By October, Villa must have realised their mistake and saw Luton Town on the boycott list. They wrote to Luton attempting to wriggle out of the fixture. Luton held their ground and said they must fulfil the fixture in the absence of a reasonable excuse not to come. A letter was sent saying that if they did not fulfil the fixture they would be reported to the F.A.
Villa did not come and the Luton committee pursued a claim with the F.A. for the resulting £40 loss of gate money. The claim was heard in January 1896 and, of course, Luton lost the case as Villa said they gave 2 months notice of the cancellation. The pointless boycott just happened to end at the same time as the town’s case was dismissed. The financial damage however, was done.
BETRAYED BY THE FOOTBALL LEAGUE 1896
From 1894 until 1896, the club made a loss on all Southern League games apart from Millwall. The travelling costs and any overnight stays were rarely met by the others clubs low attendances and therefore gate money. These unsatisfactory losses, and the committee’s ambition, resulted in an application to join the Football League. In addition, the Southern League was planning to add two more clubs to the First Division. For Luton, more clubs meant a bigger loss so the club so objected. Millwall also were not in favour of an expansion for the same reason. When the vote went against them, Luton resigned.
The Football League clubs voted on who should be admitted. The signs had been promising - a strong, ambitious well run club would fit the Football League nicely. The club lobbied as best it could but failed to get enough votes. What affect the boycott, and the aims behind it, had on the number of votes we will never know. It may be that the northern clubs voted against making the long journey south to play Luton. This view is supported by the fact that Blackpool, Walsall and Gainsborough were elected to the Football League ahead of Luton. With no Southern League or Football League, the Straw Plaiters had to quickly organise a new League to play in and fortunately it was achieved. The club only had the newly formed United League to compete in for the 1896/97 season plus the F.A. Cup and Charity Cup competitions.
THE FIRST FINANCIAL LOSS IN THE HISTORY OF LUTON TOWN F.C.
The 1896 AGM was a sombre one after the challenges and betrayals that had hit the club. The balance sheet revealed that receipts were £2,559 12s 9d but expenditure amounted to £2,633 6s 3d leaving a loss for the first time in the club’s history of £73 13s 6d. Club Secretary, Isaac Smith spoke –
“A number of causes can be traced to bring this about. First, our exit from the English Cup. Second the little interest manifest in the Southern League fixtures. Third, the wretched boycott and last the vile weather experienced during the latter part of the season.”
He went on -
“On starting the season we estimated we should want £3,000 but as shown, by the balance sheet this fell short by something like £300. The losses sustained by the Southern League (viz from £10 to £50 on each pair of matches excepting Millwall) have compelled us to withdraw from it, leaving us with the United League only with 9 clubs, but we venture to prophesy we shall be better off with the United 9 than the Southern 14.”
In September 1896 the committee looked at various ways to raise money. Bazaars and smoking concerts were organised and had some success in relieving the financial pressure.
After the move to the Dunstable Road ground, the 1897 AGM revealed the debt was a massive £815 3s 5d but there were some major assets. The new ground expenses were revealed at £711 2s 6d.
AFTERMATH
The club were finally elected to the Football League for the 1897/98 season and turned into a Limited Company. At the 1898 AGM a loss of £748 6s 4 1/2d was revealed on the season but adding loans made by Directors, the debt doubled.
By the 1899 AGM, the debt stood at well over £800, there was no money in hand, all assets of the club had been mortgaged and £450 would be due to players in the close season. The club continued with their money raising events and received help from wealthy supporters such as the brewer J.W. Green who donated £300 to his beloved football club.
Fortunes also slumped on the pitch as players had to be sold in order to survive. As a result, in 1900 the club did not seek re-election to the Football League and again joined the Southern League.
Below: Charles Green, Club Secretary
CONCLUSION
Those two years (1895-1897) changed the course of the club and set it back for decades. That the club survived is a tribute to the devotion to the cause by the Committee members and directors of the club.
Were the club unlucky? Certainly in that two year period the club could be tagged with that label. The tribulations that hit would have sunk many clubs. The tenacity of those in charge of the club deserves our respect and everlasting gratitude. Having said that, in the years that followed, it seems clear that the ambition of the directors also contributed. Luton was a football hotbed and chasing the dream was understandable. The directors who lived and worked locally must have faced daily pressure to build up, and keep, a good team to represent the town. Reducing the debt by lowering player wages would have meant lower quality players and a further slump down the soccer pyramid. Having said that, the survival of the club indicates that the directors got the balance right.