www.lutonfc.com - By Luton Fans, For Luton Fans

We ran a poll here on Lutonfc.com to find YOUR greatest-ever Luton Town XI and we had a great response from the fans who submitted their greatest-ever side to us. We counted up all of the votes and came up with the side that YOU chose.

So, let’s take a look at the side that YOU selected as the greatest-ever Luton Town XI!

In goal the competition was fierce and the late and great Les Sealey eventually ran out the winner, pipping Ron Baynham, who had represented England while with the Hatters, to the position between the sticks.

Sealey made 207 League appearances for Luton after joining the Hatters from Coventry City for £100,000 in August 1983. He was famously dropped by Ray Harford for the 1988 Littlewoods Cup final win over Arsenal, when his replacement Andy Dibble saved a penalty and the Hatters obviously went on to win 3-2 with late goals from Danny Wilson and Brian Stein. Sealey then went on to represent Manchester United and played in their FA Cup final win over Crystal Palace, and after spells with Blackpool, West Ham United, Leyton Orient and Bury, he retired from playing to become the goalkeeping coach with West Ham.

Baynham made 388 League appearances for Luton between 1952 and 1964, during which time he earned three England caps against Northern Ireland, Denmark and Spain in 1956. He joined Ampthill as a coach in 1964 and he was your second most-voted-for goalkeeper behind Sealey and he therefore makes it into the team as the substitute goalkeeper.

Other popular figures for the goalkeeping berth were Dibble, Milija Aleksic, Jake Findlay and the giant American Ian Feuer.

The right-back slot went to the popular and tough-tackling Kirk Stephens. Stephens spent 5 years with the Hatters after joining the club from Nuneaton Borough and he went on to make 277 League appearances for Luton, scoring 2 goals. In 1983, he left Kenilworth Road to join Coventry City. He fought off another popular Hatter for the right-back position, Tim Breacker. Breacker spent 7 years with Luton and scored a superb goal on the final day of the 1989-90 season in a 3-2 win at Derby County which kept Luton in the old Division One. However, as the Hatters have had to do so often in the past, Breacker was sold to balance the books, joining West Ham United for £600,000 in 1990.

There were many popular figures to choose from in the centre of defence. We were, of course, looking for two central defenders to play in our 4-4-2 formation, but, with so many great central defenders featuring for the Hatters over the years, it didn’t really make the selection process much easier! However, a certain player was selected by almost every Luton fan that submitted their team – in fact 60% of everyone that entered chose this player. Who was he? Of course it has to be the great Steve Foster, who captained the Hatters to their greatest-ever moment – a 3-2 Littlewoods Cup Final win over Arsenal at Wembley in 1988. Foster was an integral part of that great Luton side. A no-nonsense and loyal player, it was almost inevitable that he would make it into the greatest-ever Luton side. Foster joined Luton in November 1984 for £150,000 from Aston Villa, another of the superb signings made by David Pleat, who surely would have been the supporters’ choice had we been running a ‘Greatest-ever Luton Town Manager’ poll. Foster, renowned for wearing a headband during his time at Kenilworth Road, made 163 League appearances for the Hatters, scoring 11 goals during a 4-year spell with the club. In 1988, Foster joined Oxford United, but left Bedfordshire a hero and one of the greatest-ever Luton Town players – as his selection in this side proves.

Foster is partnered in the side – by YOUR votes – by a man who goes down as the most-ever capped Luton Town player – Northern Ireland international Mal Donaghy. Donaghy won 58 caps for Northern Ireland during his time at Kenilworth Road. He joined the Hatters in 1978 from Lane Town and went on to make a staggering 415 League appearances for Luton, scoring 16 goals. Always highly regarded by Luton supporters, Donaghy joined Alex Ferguson at Manchester United in 1988, but his time at Kenilworth Road wasn’t over as he returned on loan just a year later, making his ‘second’ Luton debut in a 2-3 loss at Arsenal in mid-December 1989. After a total of 5 appearances for the Hatters during his loan spell, Donaghy left Kenilworth Road, his last-ever appearance for Luton coming in a 2-2 draw at Liverpool in mid-January 1990. He went on to play for Chelsea, but will always be known for his 10 years with Luton, during which time he earned himself a reputation as one of the best and most loyal defenders in domestic football.

Other popular choices amongst the Hatters supporters for the central defensive berths were Paul Futcher, Steve Davis, Paul Elliott and, ahead of these three, Syd Owen. Owen joined Luton from Birmingham City in 1947 and he was an extremely loyal player for the Hatters, making 388 League appearances and scoring 3 goals. A classy and stylish central defender, who could also operate in a central midfield role, Owen was a pivotal member of the Hatters’ side that reached the 1959 FA Cup final against Nottingham Forest at Wembley, although 100,000 people saw Luton lose 1-2. In fact, he was so good that during the 1958-59 season, he earned the ‘Footballer of the Year’ award, no mean feat considering he played for ‘unfashionable’ Luton. He also gained 3 caps for England, playing against Hungary, Yugoslavia and Belgium in 1954.

Owen was such an inspirational figure that he went on to become the Hatters manager in April 1959, but he was in charge for only a year before being replaced by Sam Bartram. As the most-voted-for defender behind the 4 players that have made it into our rearguard, Owen therefore finds himself as one of our five substitutes alongside goalkeeper Ron Baynham.

To complete our defence we now need to find a left-back. Surprisingly, the player that YOU, the fans, selected only left Luton recently. However, he was quite a player – pacy, good at going forward, never afraid to take a player on and always liable to net a goal. Of course, we are talking about Matthew Taylor. With the club in receivership during the 1999-00 summer they were forced to sell players. After the departures of defenders Steve Davis, Mitchell Thomas, Graham Alexander and Chris Willmott, the Hatters were left short of defenders, and with no money to spend on replacements, they had to look at the youngsters coming through the ranks. Taylor burst onto the scene and never looked back. The 2001-02 season was arguably his best for Luton, as he netted 11 goals from left-back and made it into the PFA Third Division Team of the Season.

Out-of-contract at the end of that season, Taylor was offered a new three-year deal for the third time during the year - and he turned it down again, which led to Luton manager Joe Kinnear admitting that he was now "100 percent" certain that Taylor would leave. On June 6th 2002, the inevitable happened and Taylor left Kenilworth Road for pastures new after 3 years as a professional with the Hatters. Still only 20 years-old when he left Luton, he has a massive future ahead of him. He opted to join Harry Redknapp's First Division Portsmouth, deciding that a move to Fratton Park gave him a better chance of regular first-team football rather than joining a Premiership side, which would further his career. With the deal looking likely to go to a tribunal, Joe Kinnear and Harry Redknapp eventually agreed on an initial fee of £400,000, which could rise to £750,000 depending upon appearances. Luton will also receive further cash should Taylor go on to make appearances for England, which Luton manager Joe Kinnear believes he could. He has every chance of fulfilling that as well now that Portsmouth have been promoted to the Premiership, with Taylor once again in sensational form and earning a place in the PFA First Division Team of the Season and also gaining international honours with England at U-21 level.

Taylor ran out an easy winner for the left-back slot, the only other candidates coming within a glimpse of beating him being long-range shooting specialist Steve Buckley, Mitchell Thomas and then the loyal Marvin Johnson.

So now that we have completed our rearguard, it is time to concentrate on the four midfielders that YOU have chosen for your greatest-ever Luton Town XI. First off we start with the right-midfield position. The player that YOU chose was the eccentric but highly skilful Graham French. French joined Luton in 1965 from Non-League minnows Wellington Town, with the Hatters struggling in the Old Division Four. Playing in a side that boasted John Moore, David Pleat, Bruce Rioch and Freddie Jardine, it wasn’t going to be long before Luton got themselves out of the rut they found themselves in. And boy did they! The following season Luton were promoted as Champions, winning the division by 5 points, French netting 5 goals along the way. Also able to operate as a left-winger, French scored one of the most memorable individual goals in living memory in a 4-2 home win over Mansfield Town in mid-September 1968. Just 5 years after he joined the Hatters, French was enjoying his second promotion with the club as Luton finished the 1969-70 season by gaining promotion from the Old Division Three.

However, it turned sour for French when he was involved in a shooting incident and found himself in prison. Released from prison, he made his first appearance for the club for 2 years and scored in a 2-2 home draw with Millwall in mid-December 1972. However, it was to be his last goal for Luton, and after just 7 more League appearances, he joined Southport. Having made 182 League appearances for Luton and scored 21 goals, he remains a Hatters legend to this day.

Other popular choices for the right-midfield slot were Danny Wilson, Scott Oakes, Paul Telfer and Billy Bingham.

And so onto the two central midfield players – and the two players that YOU chose really were superb players in their day.

The first player was included as a central midfielder in a staggering 65% of every side submitted to us! Of course it has to be the magical Ricky Hill. An absolute Luton legend in his own right, Hill played for Luton during arguably their most successful-ever period, in which they won the Littlewoods Cup in 1988, reached the final the following season and got through to 2 FA Cup semi-finals and a Simod Cup final. Oh, and add to that the fact that Hill was an integral part of a Division Two Championship-winning side and a team that survived for 7 seasons in the Old Division One and included a highest-ever finish of 7^th in the 1986-87 season.

Hill burst onto the scene as a youngster in the 1975-76 season when he came on as a substitute and scored in a 3-1 home win over Bristol Rovers. Just 2 years later he was an established member of the first-team and it was to stay that way for the next 11 seasons. Always likely to score a goal and a superb passer of the ball with some real trickery, Hill earned 3 caps for England despite playing for an ‘unfashionable’ club. His first cap came in 1983 as a substitute against Denmark and he started against West Germany during the same year. Three years later he earned his third and final cap as a substitute against Egypt.

After a staggering 13 years as a first-team player with Luton and 436 League appearances (scoring 54 goals), Hill joined French side Le Havre in 1988, the club handing him a free transfer as a mark of respect for his fantastic dedication, loyalty and service to the Hatters.

However, his days at Kenilworth Road weren’t entirely finished. Having left Le Havre and had brief spells as a player with Leicester City and Chesham United, Hill became a coach with Sheffield Wednesday, and then had a spell in America before becoming a coach at Tottenham Hotspur. But, during the 2000-01 pre-season, new Luton chairman Mike Watson-Challis sacked Lennie Lawrence and immediately headhunted Hill for the manager job. Hill inevitably returned ‘home’ and came back to Bedfordshire to a hero’s welcome. Unfortunately the move never worked out and Hill was sacked just 4 months after becoming boss, Luton winning just 2 matches and losing 11 in the 21 games he was in charge. He is now the manager of Trinidad & Tobago side San Juan Jabloteh.

Hill is partnered in the centre of the Hatters midfield by another fans’ favourite – Bruce Rioch. A naturally gifted player and always likely to hit 10+ goals a season from midfield, Rioch had come through Luton’s youth ranks to make his first-team debut in a 0-1 home defeat to Southend United in late November 1964. He went on to make a total of 11 appearances during the course of that season, but it was a difficult time to come into the side as Luton finished 21^st and were relegated from the Old Division Three.

Rioch began to establish himself the following season, making 20 League appearances and scoring 3 goals, his first-ever Hatters goal coming in a 2-3 home defeat to Bradford City in mid-December 1965.

However, it was during the following campaign that Rioch really made his mark at Kenilworth Road as he bagged 10 League goals in 37 matches, despite playing in a side that was struggling in the Old Division Four – in fact, Luton finished 17^th. Next season things really turned around and the Hatters finished as Division Four champions, with Rioch absolutely shining. He scored an unbelievable 27 goals in all competitions, a staggering tally for a central midfielder.

He was to have just one more season with the club, though, where he scored another 10 League goals in 37 matches as Luton finished third in Division Three – but were promoted a year later. However, Rioch was not a part of that Hatters side. As has always been the case with Luton, Rioch was sold during the 1969-70 pre-season to Aston Villa for £100,000 to balance the books, his departure a huge blow to Luton supporters. He was such a fantastic young talent, but in hindsight it was inevitable that he would leave the Hatters for a bigger club. Rioch had made 149 League appearances for the Hatters, scoring 47 goals, and he went on to also captain Scotland and make the transition into a manager, taking control of Bolton Wanderers, Arsenal, Norwich City and Wigan Athletic.

Other popular choices for the central midfield roles were David Preece, Brian Horton, Peter Nicholas, Peter Anderson and Danny Wilson. Surprisingly, a current Luton player also received 4 votes – Matthew Spring! Its encouraging that we have a current player who 4 of you thought should be in the side!

And so to complete our midfield we needed a left-sided player. This was a tightly contested contest with skilful Frenchman Jean-Louis Valois, who possibly had the greatest debut ever of a Luton player and John Aston running the eventual winner close. However, YOUR choice for the left-midfield slot went to David Moss.

Moss joined Luton in 1978 from Swindon Town and he made a scintillating debut, netting twice in a 6-1 home win over Oldham Athletic. Despite Luton struggling in Division Two and eventually finishing 18^th, Moss scored a highly impressive 13 goals and also became the club’s penalty taker – and the following season he’d prove why.

Luton finished 6^th in Division Two and Moss scored a fantastic 24 League goals in 40 matches. His penalty success was phenomenal as well, as 8 of those 24 goals came from the penalty spot. It was a very good Luton midfield as well, with Moss lining up in a side that boasted Ricky Hill, Alan West and Peter Grealish as fellow midfielders.

After another close-to-promotion season that saw Luton finish 5^th and Moss net another 16 League goals (7 from the penalty spot), the Hatters finally gained promotion to Division One, winning the Championship in the 1981-82 season by 8 points from rivals Watford, Moss netting 15 League goals along the way, 10 of those goals being successes from 12-yards out.

Moss then enjoyed 3 seasons as a First Division player with the Hatters, where he scored fairly regularly, but after Luton finished the 1984-85 season in 13^th place, manager David Pleat decided to allow Moss to leave Kenilworth Road, as he returned to former club Swindon Town after making 221 League appearances and scoring 88 goals for the Hatters. He went on to coach Oxford United and he is now the manager of Third Division side Macclesfield Town, where in his first game as boss, his side beat Luton 4-1 during the 2001-02 season.

And so, as the most-voted-for runner-up midfielder, the substitute place goes to the long-serving David Preece. Preece was a hard-working and tenacious little midfield player, with a sweet left-foot and he was a superb passer of the ball. He was yet another great signing made by David Pleat during his first spell as Hatters boss when he signed in December 1984 for £150,000 from Walsall.

Brought straight into the side just 2 days after signing, he made his debut in a home match with Aston Villa – and he scored the only goal of the game as the Hatters ran out 1-0 winners. He was a virtual ever-present from that moment on as depicted by injury and suspension and he made 21 League appearances and netted once more during the season in a 4-0 home win over Leicester City.

Preece had joined Luton during arguably their most successful period as a club, and the next season the Hatters finished 9^th in the Old Division One, Preece missing only one League match and also scoring in a 7-0 home win over Southampton.

However, he struggled to make too many appearances during the next 2 seasons, making only 27 League appearances, although Pleat’s spell as boss had ended when he joined Tottenham Hotspur and John Moore and Ray Harford had been managers during the next 2 seasons respectively. However, Preece forced his way into the side for Luton’s greatest-ever moment, a 3-2 win at Wembley over Arsenal in the Littlewoods Cup final.

And during the 1988-89 campaign, Preece was yet again a regular and he also helped Luton reach their second consecutive Littlewoods Cup final, but Nottingham Forest ruined the party this time as they inflicted a 1-3 defeat on the Hatters.

Preece remained a constant figure in Luton’s midfield for the next 6 seasons, during which time the Hatters were relegated from the Old Division One (now the Premiership) and also reached an FA Cup semi-final, but lost 0-2 to Chelsea at Wembley.

However, after a testimonial against Manchester United at the end of the 1994-95 season, Preece’s contract ran out and he refused to sign a new deal, taking advantage of freedom of contract to join Derby County on a free transfer after 336 League appearances and 10 seasons with the Hatters. He went on to have loan spells with Birmingham City and Swindon Town, before joining Cambridge United and also having a spell as player-coach with Torquay United. After retiring from professional football, Preece played for Non-League Enfield, where he also did some coaching and during the 2002-03 season he had a spell as coach to another ex-Hatter, John Dreyer, with Stevenage Borough. He now also runs a feature on the Official Luton Town site called ‘Preece’s Punts’ where he gives gambling tips to Hatters fans!

And so onto the strikers – in my opinion, these were the hardest choices to make considering the Hatters have had so many great forwards over the years. However, one player in particular stood out as far as votes were concerned. In fact, he was selected by 68% of EVERYONE that voted – that is a greater percentage of votes than even Steve Foster and Ricky Hill received! The player represented England during his time at Kenilworth Road. He scored goals on a regular basis in the Old First Division. He had two spells with the Hatters as a player and he is now back with Luton in a coaching capacity. Of course, the striker is the great Mick Harford.

A strong, aggressive, no-nonsense and powerful centre forward, Harford joined Luton from Birmingham City for £250,000 in mid-December 1984 – just a week after boss David Pleat had signed David Preece! Before he joined the Brum, he had played for Lincoln City, Newcastle United and Bristol City.

Harford made his Luton debut just 2 days after joining in a match at Leicester City – and he scored in a 2-2 draw to earn the Hatters a point. On signing Harford, manager David Pleat had said he was worried about the fee he spent to secure Harford, the £250,000 being a lot of money to the club. But after his debut strike, Pleat then said that he knew it was money well spent. However, few people realised just what a Luton legend he would become – he made the number 9 shirt his own for the next few seasons and would also return to Luton for a second spell as a player. He went on to score an astonishing 15 League goals in just 22 matches that season, while he also helped Luton to an FA Cup semi-final against Everton at Villa Park, the run including a 1-0 5^th Round win over rivals Watford.

The following season Harford bagged 25 goals in all competitions for Luton, and he netted two hat-tricks during the campaign in a 3-1 win over Leicester City and a 3-2 victory over local rivals Watford at Kenilworth Road. A further 39 goals in all competitions followed over the next 4 seasons, and his form as a dominant centre forward who put fear into the oppositions defence had earned him international recognition with England as he earned 2 caps for his country, making his debut as a substitute against Israel in 1988 and earning his second cap against Denmark in 1989.

During his first spell at Kenilworth Road, Harford also helped the Hatters to an FA Cup semi-final against Wimbledon (who went on to lift the cup with a win over Liverpool in the final) and to their greatest-ever moment, a 3-2 Littlewoods Cup final win over Arsenal at Wembley in 1988.

However, in mid-January 1990, the Luton legend Harford was sold to Derby County for £450,000, one of the reasons given that the artificial pitch that Luton were playing on was ‘doing his ankles in’. His departure was, though, still a cruel blow for the Hatters supporters. He still remained a Luton hero and in fact still helped the Hatters to escape relegation on the final day of the 1990-91 season as he headed an own goal to give Luton the lead in a 2-0 win over Derby.

With Luton struggling once more during the following season at the bottom of the Old Division One, Harford answered an SOS call for a striker and returned home, joining Luton for his second spell as a player for £325,000 in mid-September 1991. David Pleat had also returned to Luton for his second spell as a manager, and it was the second time that he had brought Harford to Kenilworth Road. Unfortunately, Luton couldn’t perform their annual relegation ‘great escape’ and the Hatters were relegated to the Old Division Two (now Division One) after a 1-2 loss at Notts County on the final day of the 1991-92 season.

The highlight of Harford’s second spell as a player with the Hatters was 2 goals on his ‘second debut’ as he bagged two late goals that saw Luton come from behind to beat Oldham Athletic 2-1 at Kenilworth Road, Harford’s second coming with a fantastic overhead kick. The chants of “One Micky Harford” were then heard once again from the Kenilworth Road end, and the great man had truly returned – and how it brought joy to so many Luton faces! He also had another memorable moment with a Boxing Day winner in a 1-0 home victory over Arsenal in front of just under 11,000 fans.

Harford netted 12 League goals in 29 matches during that season, but with Luton failing to win a single away League match during the entire campaign, it was always going to be difficult to win at Meadow Lane on the final day of the season. And so it proved as the home side came from behind to score two late goals through Rob Matthews (who went on to play for Luton) after the Hatters had led through a Julian James goal.

At the end of the campaign, it was always going to be difficult for Luton to hold on to Harford, and it was ultimately a task too great for David Pleat as Harford joined Chelsea for £300,000 in mid-August 1992, the second time that the Hatters’ fans hearts were broken by the departure of their hero.

Harford had scored 69 League goals in 168 matches during his two spells at Kenilworth Road, and he is truly a Luton legend. He did fairly well at Stamford Bridge, too, netting 9 League goals in 28 matches for a club that were rising in status and he helped them continue their climb up the ladder and edge towards being one of the biggest clubs in England. In March 1993, he joined his hometown club Sunderland for £250,000, but after 2 goals in 11 matches and just 4 months with the Black Cats, he was on the move again, this time to Coventry City for £200,000 in mid-July 1993. He had an injury-plagued season at Highfield Road, though, and he only made one substitute appearance for the Sky Blues (but of course scored!) before he was sold once more, his next destination being Wimbledon in a £50,000 transfer in August 1994.

Now deemed a ‘veteran’, Harford was still striking fear into the opposition’s defence, and he netted 9 League goals in 60 matches for The Dons during his 4 years as a player. However, in 1998, Harford retired from professional football and joined Wimbledon’s coaching staff, working alongside manager Joe Kinnear, and this was to have a significant impact on his future.

In February 2001, Kinnear became the new manager of Luton in succession to Lil Fuccillo and at the end of that season, with the Hatters having slumped to a new low and suffering relegation to Division Three, Harford was brought in as assistant manager. With the pair good friends from their days together at Wimbledon, Harford returned home and both he and Kinnear guided Luton to promotion straight back to Division Two at the first attempt during the 2001-02 season. However, at the end of the 2002-03 season, with Luton finishing 9th in Division Two at the end of that campaign, chairman Mike Watson-Challis sold the club to a new consortium and retired, earning a new title of "Life President". Just 2 days after the new owners had taken control of the club, and still yet to identify themselves, they amazingly sacked both Harford and manager Joe Kinnear, a decision which left the Hatters supporters fuming. It was a sad end to Harford's times with the club, but both he and the fans still enjoy a great relationship and the hope is that someday Harford will return to the club as either a coach or as manager.

And so onto the final player to make up our greatest-ever Luton Town XI – Harford’s strike partner. This was a closely fought contest between three players, but in the end it was a physical striker with a aerial ability, shooting power and pace who earned the right to partner the great Mick Harford in attack. The player is…Malcolm MacDonald.

Born in Fulham on January 7th 1950, MacDonald started his career as a full-back with The Cottagers, but in 1969 he was persuaded to join the Hatters by manager Alec Stock. With Luton just missing out on promotion from Division Three during the previous season, Stock felt that he needed to bring in a new striker that could score the goals to fire Luton to promotion this time around - and boy did he get it right when he signed MacDonald!

In only his second game for the club, MacDonald scored the winner in a 1-0 victory at AFC Bournemouth, and he netted again in the following 4 matches, which included goals in home matches against Leyton Orient, Halifax Town and Bristol Rovers. In fact, he never really stopped scoring during the season, and he netted two hat-tricks during the campaign in a 5-0 home win over Bradford City and a 5-0 home victory over Reading. He also showed Fulham exactly why they shouldn’t have sold him when he netted the winner in both of the matches against the Cottagers.

His 25 goals in 46 League matches were a huge factor in Luton finishing second in Division Three and gaining promotion to Division Two – the Hatters’ first season back in Division Two for 7 years.

He took his fantastic form into the following season as Luton did extremely well in their first campaign in Division Two, finishing 6^th and just 7 points off of promotion to Division One. MacDonald was absolutely on fire again and he was consistently scoring goals, his strength in the box and deadly finishing and heading prowess striking fear into every defence he came up against.

He netted on the opening day of the season, in a 4-2 loss at Bolton Wanderers, and it spurred a rich run of goal scoring as he bagged 10 goals in the following 10 League matches, which included 2 goals in a 4-0 home win over Oxford United, another 2 goals in a 4-0 home win over Leyton Orient, 2 goals in a 3-0 home victory over Bristol City and a hat-trick in a 5-1 demolition of Sheffield Wednesday at Hillsborough.

He netted hat-tricks in 2 other matches during that season in a 3-4 home defeat to Nottingham Forest in an FA Cup 3^rd Round replay and in a 3-0 home win over Cardiff City on the final day of the season.

However, with clubs from higher divisions sniffing around MacDonald, it was always going to be hard for Luton to keep hold of their prize asset – and so it proved when in the summer of 1971, he was sold to Newcastle United for £180,000 as the Magpies’ manager Joe Harvey sought to revamp a Newcastle outfit, one that had failed to build on the 1969 Inter-Cities Fairs Cup triumph. MacDonald’s departure was a bitter pill to swallow for the Luton fans, his goal scoring record had spoke for itself – 49 goals in 88 League matches.

With "Supermac" set to lead the line, Geordie fans eagerly awaited the start of the 1971-72 season. However, with no goals from the opening 2 games, it wasn't until August 21st when Newcastle United's season ignited before a large St James Park crowd. 39,720 gathered to see Malcolm MacDonald make his home debut against unbeaten Liverpool, with a newcomer by the name of Kevin Keegan drawing rave reviews… Yet the day belonged to "Supermac", a magnificient hat-trick securing a rousing 3-2 win for the home side.

Inevitably, MacDonald continued to score goals in international football. During the space of 5 special weeks in the spring of 1975, the fast and powerful striker had his finest moments in an England shirt. Firstly, he scored one of the goals that helped his country to an excellent 2-0 Wembley win over reigning World Cup holders, West Germany. Then, in a home European Championship qualifier against Cyprus, MacDonald wrote his name into footballing history, equalling the England individual scoring record by notching all 5 goals in a 5-0 triumph.

MacDonald made a total of 187 appearances for Newcastle, scoring a phenomenal 95 goals, before he was sold to Arsenal for a then record transfer fee of £333,333.33p – exactly a third of a million pounds. He continued to blast the goals for the Gunners, bagging 42 goals in 84 matches before injury curtailed his time at Highbury. His England record also spoke for itself – 4 goals in 4 appearances at U-23 level and 6 goals in 14 matches at senior level.

But, of course, there are still two places in our squad that need to be chosen – two strikers on the substitutes bench. By YOUR votes those players were…Brian Stein and Gordon Turner.

Brian Stein was snapped-up from Non-League Edgeware Town and made his Hatters debut in a 2-3 defeat at Maine Road against Manchester City in an FA Cup 3^rd Round replay on November 9^th 1977. He went on to make 24 League appearances for Luton that season, netting 3 goals, his first strike at senior level coming in only his second home match when he netted a brace in a 4-0 win over Sheffield United.

With the Hatters finishing in a mid-table position in Division Two during Stein’s first season, the 1977-78 campaign, many people didn’t realise just what an impact he would make over the following 10 seasons as he initially earned the number 9 shirt, but then went on to make the number 8 shirt his own.

In only his second season as a first-team player he bagged 14 goals in 39 appearances in all competitions, as he helped the Hatters to the League Cup 5^th Round, despite Luton finishing a disappointing 18^th in Division Two. He also bagged a brace in three matches during the season as he began to earn rave reviews as a young striker with an eye for goal and a big future.

Over the course of the next two seasons, he scored 26 League goals in 84 matches as he was an ever-present for both campaigns. However, it was during the 1981-82 season that Stein really came into his own as he scored 21 League goals to fire Luton to the Second Division Championship, as the Hatters finished 8 points ahead of local rivals Watford who finished 2^nd. These 21 goals included 2 in a 4-1 home win over rivals Watford and a hat-trick in a 3-2 home victory over Newcastle United.

Now a First Division player and playing against England’s top clubs, Stein wasn’t fazed and he continued his fantastic goal scoring record by netting 14 League goals in just 21 matches during an injury-hit campaign for the pacy and energetic striker. He made a fantastic start to the season as he scored on the opening day of the campaign in a 2-2 draw at Tottenham Hotspur and then blasted 2 in a 3-3 home draw with Liverpool and then a hat-trick in a 5-0 home victory over Brighton & Hove Albion.

Having proved that he could score goals against the very best, Stein had helped Luton to a final position of 18^th in Division One, despite Luton being one of the bookies’ favourites to be relegated at the start of the season. And he once again helped the Hatters to stave off the threat of relegation the following season as Luton finished the 1983-84 campaign in 16^th position in Division One, Stein netting 9 League goals, which included one in a 2-1 win at rivals Watford. Stein also earned an England cap during this season, when playing the first-half against France – alongside another Luton striker, Paul Walsh!

With Luton now established as a First Division club, Stein was always a regular in the side as depicted by injury and suspension and it was during the 1984-85 season that manager David Pleat purchased a new striker to partner Stein in attack – a partnership that many Luton fans believe to have been the best in the club’s history. The new man that was brought in was none other than the great Mick Harford and the Hatters now had a little and large combination up front, the strength and determination of Harford coupled with the pace and trickery of Stein.

The Hatters finished 13^th in Division One that season and claimed League victories against the likes of Manchester United, Arsenal, Everton, Aston Villa and Sunderland. Pleat’s side also reached the FA Cup semi-final that season, beating Watford along the way, but, despite taking the lead through Ricky Hill, Everton came back to win 2-1, but Stein’s goal against Millwall in the Quarter-Final had taken the Hatters to Villa Park on a night when Millwall’s ‘fans’ made the headlines for all the wrong reasons.

Luton did better in the League than the previous season, finishing 9^th in Division One and also getting to the FA Cup Quarter-Final, where they were beaten by Everton once more, losing 0-1 at Goodison Park in a replay after a 2-2 draw at Kenilworth Road. Stein netted 14 League goals that season, including a hat-trick in a 7-0 demolition of Southampton at Kenilworth Road.

12 League goals followed the next season as Luton recorded their best-ever final League position of 7^th in Division One. By now, Pleat had departed and was replaced by John Moore, but despite guiding Luton to this best-ever finish, he resigned and was replaced by Ray Harford. Harford did even better than Pleat in the cup competitions as in the 1987-88 season Luton won the Littlewoods Cup with a 3-2 victory over Arsenal at Wembley, Stein netting 2 goals to give Luton arguably their greatest-ever moment.

The Hatters also reached the FA Cup semi-final, but lost 1-2 to eventual winners Wimbledon at White Hart Lane and also got to Wembley in the Simod Cup, but were shocked to be beaten 1-4 by Second Division Reading. Stein netted 18 goals in all competitions that season and his partnership with Harford was now regarded as one of the best in the business.

At the end of that season, Stein was allowed to leave Kenilworth Road as he joined French club Caen, the club deciding not to ask for a transfer fee as a mark of respect for his fantastic loyalty and dedication during his 11 seasons with the club.

After 4 years in France, Stein returned to England and, now a veteran striker, he was looking for a new club. With David Pleat back in the hot seat at Kenilworth Road, he decided to renew his acquaintance with Stein and brought him back to Bedfordshire, much to the delight of the Hatters’ supporters.

However, despite Pleat also bringing Mick Harford back to the club and therefore bringing back the Harford and Stein partnership, Luton were relegated from the Old Division One on the last day of the season following a 1-2 defeat at already relegated Notts County. Stein netted just 3 goals in 39 League matches that season, his first goal of his second spell with the club coming in a 2-1 home win over Sheffield United in mid-February 1992.

At the end of the season, Stein was released and he joined Barnet having made 427 League appearances during his time at Kenilworth Road, scoring 130 goals. He left the club with a tag as a Luton legend and went on to scored 10 League goals in 40 games for Barnet before spells with Stevenage Borough and as manager of Baldock Town.

However, when Mike Watson-Challis took over as chairman of Luton in the summer of 2000, he brought Stein back to Kenilworth Road in a coaching capacity, and Stein remains with the Hatters to this day as the reserve team manager.

The last place in our 15 goes to striker Gordon Turner. Turner holds the record as Luton’s all-time greatest-ever goal scorer having bagged an astonishing 276 goals in 450 appearances in all competitions during his 13 years at Kenilworth Road.

Turner came to Luton in 1950, having been signed by Dally Duncan from the navy, but few people realised just what a sensational player he would be in front of goal and that he would write himself into Luton’s record books.

Turner made his Hatters debut in a 1-4 defeat at Coventry City on December 9^th 1950, but he was initially a midfield player, wearing the number 4 shirt for this appearance, and for his only other outing during the campaign, which came in a 3-5 loss at Hull City on the final day of the 1950-51 season.

However, Turner began to establish himself in the side during the following season as he made 11 League appearances and netted 4 goals, his first ever goals for the Hatters coming courtesy of a sensational hat-trick in a 6-1 win over West Ham United on Boxing Day of 1951. Luton finished 8^th in Division Two that season, which was a vast improvement on their 19^th placed finish the previous season.

And things got a whole lot better in the next campaign as Dally Duncan led his side to a 3rd placed finish, but unfortunately, it just wasn’t enough to gain Luton promotion. Turner, however, was a key figure in the Hatters’ revival as he netted 13 goals in 21 League appearances, and he also blasted a hat-trick to knock Manchester City out of the FA Cup that season, Luton winning 5-1 at Kenilworth Road in front of 21,991 supporters.

Turner was now a hero with the Luton supporters and was earning rave reviews as a striker with a lethal goal scoring record and who was surely destined for great things. And he wasn’t going to let anyone down as 16 goals in 32 League matches followed in the 1953-54 season, but it was the 1954-55 campaign that was arguably Turner’s best for the club.

His fantastic tally of 37 goals in all competitions, 32 of them in the League, fired Luton to 2^nd place in Division Two and therefore promotion to Division One. He fired goals on a regular basis, including a brace in an amazing 4-4 draw at Liverpool and a hat-trick in a 7-3 home victory over Blackburn Rovers.

The Hatters more than held their own in Division One as well, Turner scoring 19 League goals to help Luton to a 10^th placed League finish during the 1955-56 season.

Over the course of the next 2 seasons, Turner hit sensational form as he bagged 63 League goals in 74 League appearances, helping Luton to 16^th and 8^th placed finishes in Division One respectively. This amazing goal scoring run included 4 goals against Sunderland on TWO occasions, as well as hat-tricks against Wolves, Charlton Athletic, Newcastle United, Chelsea and Nottingham Forest.

Another 14 League goals followed during the next season, in which Turner failed to make an appearance in the FA Cup as Luton reached the final, only to lose 1-2 to Nottingham Forest.

Turner only netted 6 League goals in the 1959-60 campaign and as his goals dried up during that campaign, the Hatters finished bottom of Division One and were relegated.

He scored a further 76 League goals over the course of the next 4 seasons, but by the time Turner had made his last appearance for the club in the 1963-64 season, the Hatters found themselves struggling at the bottom of Division Three. Turner departed for Wisbech Town, but left a Luton legend and earned himself a name in the record books as the greatest goal scorer in Luton Town Football Club’s history.

Other popular choices for the striking places were Joe Payne, Paul Walsh, Lars Elstrup, Roy Wegerle, John Hartson and, a player who is still currently representing the Hatters, Tony Thorpe.

So there we have it…the greatest-ever Luton Town XI as chosen by YOU, the Hatters supporters. I hope you enjoyed this feature and we’ll be looking to conduct similar features in the future.


	Goalkeeper: Les Sealey

Right-Back: Kirk Stephens	Centre-Back: Steve Foster	Centre-Back: Mal Donaghy	Left-Back: Matthew Taylor

Right Midfield: Graham French	Centre Midfield: Ricky Hill	Centre Midfield: Bruce Rioch	Left Midfield: David Moss

	Centre Forward: Mick Harford	Centre Forward: Malcolm MacDonald
	Substitutes:
		Defender: Syd Owen
		Midfielder: David Preece
		Forward: Brian Stein
		Forward: Gordon Turner
		Goalkeeper: Ron Baynham