1988 Full Members' Cup final

January 2015 January 2015 1988 Simod Cup final 1987–88 Full Members' Cup Luton Town 1 Reading 4 27 March 1988 Wembley Stadium London 61,740 1987 1989 The 1988 Full Members' Cup final was the third Full Members' Cup final, contested by First Division side Luton Town and Second Division team Reading at Wembley Stadium on 27 March 1988. It was the first, and only, Full Members' Cup final for both teams. Reading were making their first appearance at the national stadium, while Luton had not played at the ground since 1959. Background English teams had been banned from Europe following the Heysel Stadium disaster at the 1985 European Cup final between Liverpool and Juventus. The Football League started a new tournament for sides in the top two leagues to increase revenues, particularly for sides who had lost revenue through the lack of European football.https://www.fourfourtwo.com/features/full-members-cup-anti-european-cup-nobody-wanted Full Members Cup: the anti-European Cup that nobody wanted fourfourtwo.com 23 March 2016 19 March 2018 The 1987–88 Full Members' Cup saw Reading start in the first round of the competition, while Luton were given a bye to the third round following their high league position in the previous season.http://fchd.info/cups/fullmemberscup1987-88.htm 1987-88 Football League Full Members Cup fchd.info 19 March 2018 Reading defeated a top division side in all rounds, excluding the quarter-finals.http://www.royalsrecord.co.uk/cups/giant.html Giant Killing Royals Record 19 March 2018 19 March 2018 https://web.archive.org/web/20180319151714/http://www.royalsrecord.co.uk/cups/giant.html dead Reading's semi-final victory against Coventry City became the latest finish to a football match in Britain at the time, finishing at 22:38. The record stood until 2002. Route to the final Luton Town Third round1st rnd results at Statto, with links to other rounds 10 February 1988 Everton (1) 1–2 Luton Town (1) Goodison Park, Liverpool Quarter-final 1 March 1988 Luton Town (1) 4–1 Stoke City (2) Shaw Kenilworth Road, Luton 4,480 Semi-final 8 March 1988 Luton Town (1) 2–1 yes Swindon Town (2) Kenilworth Road, Luton Reading First roundhttp://www.royalsrecord.co.uk/seasons/1987.html Reading 1987–88 Royalsrecord.co.uk 1 January 2014 21 December 1987 Queens Park Rangers (1) 1–3 Reading (2) Jones Tait Loftus Road, London Second round 1987/88 Reading season results at Royals Mad - note 1st round match against QPR is missing from list 13 January 1988 Reading (2) 1–0 Oxford United (1) Horrix Elm Park, Reading Third round 3 February 1988 Reading (2) 2–1 yes Nottingham Forest (1) Horrix Beavon Elm Park, Reading Quarter-final 10 February 1988 Reading (2) 2–1 yes Bradford City (2) Bailie Horrix Elm Park, Reading Semi-finalhttp://www.btinternet.com/~rfc1871/news/features/penalty.htm Penalty Shoot-outs 19 March 2018 https://web.archive.org/web/20121011233314/http://www.btinternet.com/~rfc1871/news/features/penalty.htm 11 October 2012 2 March 1988 Reading (2) 1–1 yes Coventry City (1) Smillie 57 Speedie 79 4–3 Curle Beavon Horrix Williams Gilkes Kilcline Downs Sedgley Smith Bennett Elm Park, Reading ~15,000 Match summary England international Mick Harford put Luton 1–0 up after fourteen minutes, although he admitted after the game that he handled the ball into the net.https://www.getreading.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/reading-fc-memories-wembley-simod-8943612 Memories of the Wembley Simod Cup win Get Reading 9 April 2015 19 March 2018 On twenty minutes, Michael Gilkes levelled the game for Reading. Gilkes was fouled five minutes later and Reading were awarded a penalty. Stuart Beavon dispatched it, despite Les Sealey, in the Luton goal, guessing the right direction. Mick Tait doubled Reading's lead on 55 minutes, while Neil Smillie finished the game off with the Royals' fourth. Aftermath Reading became the second non-top flight side in a row to win the competition, after Blackburn Rovers, but were unable to defend the trophy due to relegation to the Third Division later on in the season. The club never played a Full Members' Cup match again, before the competition was abolished at the end of the 1991–92 season.http://www.royalsrecord.co.uk/cups/fmc.html Full Members' Cup Records Royals Record 23 March 2018 The victory remains the only major trophy that the club has won, with two semi-final appearances in the FA Cup being the next best cup results for Reading. Victory for Luton would've been their first major trophy, as well, but they only had to wait a month after the Full Members' Cup final before they defeated Arsenal in the League Cup final to do so. They subsequently finished their First Division season in ninth position.http://fchd.info/lghist/fl1988.htm 1987-88 Football League fchd.info 23 March 2018 Luton didn't appear in another Full Members' Cup final; a southern semi-final appearance in the 1990–91 season being their best performance following their defeat. Match details 1988 03 27 y 15:00 BST Luton Town 1–4 Reading Harford 13 Gilkes 20Beavon 25 pTait 57Smillie 66 Wembley Stadium, London 61,740 _shoulder_stripes_white_shirt_alt _vneckonwhite _shoulder_stripes_white_shirt_alt _white stripes _orange_top 000066 000066 000066 000066 FFFFFF Luton Town _Reading_F.C._Away_1988 _2_navy_stripes FFFF00 FFFF00 FFFF00 FFFF00 FFFF00 Reading GK 1 ENG Les SealeyRB 2 ENG Tim BreackerCB 5 ENG Steve FosterCB 6 NIR Mal DonaghyLB 3 IRL Ashley GrimesRM 7 NIR Danny WilsonCM 4 ENG Darron McDonoughCM 8ENG Brian SteinLM 11ENG Ian AllinsonCF 9 ENG Mick HarfordCF 10 ENG Mark SteinSubstitutes:GK WAL Andy Dibble DF ENG Rob Johnson MF NIR Kingsley Black MF ENG David Oldfield FW NGA Emeka Nwajiobi Manager:ENG Ray Harford GK 1 ENG Steve FrancisRB 2 NIR Colin BailieCB 5 ENG Martin HicksCB 6 ENG Keith CurleLB 3 ENG Steve RichardsonRM 7 WAL Linden JonesCM 4NIR Stuart BeavonCM 8 ENG Les TaylorLM 11ENG Neil SmillieCF 9 ENG Mick TaitCF 10 ENG Michael GilkesSubstitutes:GK ENG Gary Westwood DF ENG Paul Franklin MF ENG Gary Peters MF ENG Jerry Williams FW ENG Francis Joseph Manager:ENG Ian Branfoot Match rules 90 minutes 30 minutes of extra-time if necessary Penalty shootout if scores still level Five named substitutes Maximum of two substitutions References External links Photos at Mirrorfootball Full Members' Cup 1988 Full Members' Cup 1988 1988 Category:1987–88 in English men's football cups Category:March 1988 sports events in the United Kingdom Category:1988 in sport in London