THE WAY WE WERE: LUTON TOWN AWAY

Danny Wilson's penalty sails past Andy Dibble at Kenilworth Road

It is the 1989-90 season and things, as was the custom in those days, are in a considerable state of flux.

Luton, with their away-fans ban and irretrievably bouncy artificial pitch are the most hated team in the league, while City, with 40 consecutive away games under the belt without a single win, are by far the league's most popular visitors. 

How times change.

Two weeks after handing Nottingham Forest a win in his infamous "loss of concentration" (The Gary Crosby Moment, as it would go down in history), occasionally lunatic 'keeper Andy Dibble was again up to his old tricks, giving away the penalty that put the hosts 1-up.

That City also scored from the spot evened things up neatly, Clive Allen slotting a late equaliser with his accustomed sangfroid.

Allen by this time was persona non grata at Maine Road, new manager Howard Kendall seemingly unprepared to put up with any players who did not have the word "Everton" stamped on their passports. The Merseyfication of the side (Megson, Heath, Ward, Reid, Pointon, Harper, Clarke would all, as ex-Toffees, ship up during Kendall's short reign) grated with many City supporters but saw the club clear of relegation that season.

Kendall's arrival had brought another parallel with Luton, who had Jim Ryan in fresh charge for this game. Both clubs had recently ditched the previous incumbents of the itchy managers' chairs with utterly ridiculous excuses.

The old axe-swinger Peter Swales had shown Mel Machin the door on the grounds of having no "repartee" (sic) with the fans, while Luton had got rid of Ray Harford on the premise that he "didn't smile enough". Within six years both sides would be languishing in lower leagues, perhaps as reward for such short-sighted management.