1985 Kenilworth Road riot
Encyclopedia
The 1985 Kenilworth Road riot occurred at Luton Town's Kenilworth Road
ground before, during and after an FA Cup sixth-round
match between Luton Town
and Millwall
on 13 March 1985. It was one of the worst incidents of football hooliganism
during the 1980s, and led to a ban on away supporters by Luton Town which lasted for four seasons. This itself led to Luton's expulsion from the Football League Cup
during the 1986–87 season. The club also began to enforce a membership card scheme, which Margaret Thatcher
's government attempted to have adopted at grounds across England
. Kenilworth Road was damaged, along with the surrounding area, and a year later was converted to an all-seater stadium
.
's unwanted association with football hooliganism
became strongly apparent with their rise in the English game during the 1980s. Millwall's Bushwackers
were already one of the most notorious hooligan firms in the country by 1985, while Luton Town
had their own fringe of hooligans in the MIGs
. The Den, home of Millwall, had been the scene of a full-scale riot
seven years earlier during another FA Cup sixth-round
match against Ipswich Town
in which Millwall-aligned hooligans had injured dozens of their own club's supporters. Following the incident, the opinion of Ipswich manager Bobby Robson
was that "[the police] should have turned the flamethrower
s on them".
When George Graham
had been appointed manager halfway through the 1982–83 season, Millwall had been bottom of the then third-tier Third Division
and battling relegation to the Fourth Division
; however, by the time of this FA Cup
sixth-round match at First Division
Luton Town's Kenilworth Road
ground on 13 March 1985, they were challenging for promotion to the second tier. Luton had beaten their arch-rivals
Watford
in the previous round without incident, while Millwall had upset the odds with a 2–0 home victory over top-flight Leicester City
. On the day of the match, Luton were second from bottom of the top division, while Millwall were third in the third tier.
Although Luton were asked by Millwall to make the Wednesday night match all-ticket, the warning was not heeded. A disproportionately large away following, twice the size of Millwall's average home gate, arrived on the day of the game, and by 5.00 pm pub
s and newsagent
s around the town were having windows smashed as the police struggled to cope. The Kenilworth Stand, at that time still a vast terrace, was reserved for the away supporters that night. It was overflowing by 7.00 pm – 45 minutes before kick-off – with spectators even perched on the scoreboard supports after the turnstiles had been broken down. Ten minutes later, the police were helpless as hundreds of the visitors scaled the fences in front of the stand to rush down the pitch towards Luton's supporters in the packed Oak Road End. A hail of bottles, cans, nails and coins saw the home supporters fleeing up the terraces, but their numbers, still growing as fans entered the stand, meant that there was little they could do to avoid the missiles.
The players came out to warm up, and almost immediately vanished back up the tunnel. The rioters then set upon the Bobbers Stand, ripping out seats and brandishing them as weapons. A message appeared on the stadium's electronic scoreboard, stating that the match would not start until they returned to their allocated area, but this was ignored; an appeal from Millwall manager George Graham over the ground's loudspeaker also had no effect. It was only when Graham appeared on the sideline that the spectators finally returned to the Kenilworth Stand. Even after this some managed to find their way into the Main Stand, where isolated fights broke out and more seats were removed. The arrival of police dog
s helped to clear the pitch; the match began on time, with many watching from atop the Bobbers Stand after climbing the floodlight
pylons.
style="font-size: 90%" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align=center>
MILLWALL (4–4–2):
|
GK
1
Paul Sansome
CB
2
Keith Stevens
LB
3
Lindsay Smith
CB
4
Dave Cusack
RB
5
Paul Hinshelwood
LM
6
Steve Lowndes
CM
7
Les Briley
(c)
CM
8
Nicky Chatterton
CF
9
Steve Lovell
CF
10
John Fashanu
RM
11
Anton Otulakowski
Substitutes:
CB
12
Kevin Bremner
Manager:
George Graham
MATCH RULES
90 minutes.
Replay if scores still level.
One named substitute.
Maximum of one substitution.
put Luton ahead on 31 minutes, and the home side led by this score at half-time
; when Luton continued to lead the match as it entered its final stages, the fear became that the pitch may be invaded once more in order to have the match abandoned and therefore prevent a Millwall defeat. Fans attempted to disrupt the match, but extra police managed to keep control. Some seats were removed, and one of these was thrown and hit a match steward in the head. Luton goalkeeper Les Sealey
, who had to stand in front of the Millwall fans during the second half, received a missile to the head, and a knife
was also found in the goalmouth after the game.
Following the final whistle, and a 1–0 victory for Luton, the visiting fans invaded the pitch. Both Luton and Millwall players sprinted for the dressing room as fast as they could – one hooligan
rushed towards Luton coach Trevor Hartley
, and tried to grab him, but Hartley managed to wriggle free and race towards the tunnel after the players. The hooligans made for the Bobbers Stand once more, and started to tear seats out as the fences at the front of the stand were forced down. The seats ripped from the stand were hurled onto the pitch towards the police, who started to fall back, before regrouping and charging in waves, batons drawn. Gradually, the police started to win the battle – the hooligans then started to take seats from the Main Stand and throw them like "makeshift plastic spears". The police
were not without casualties – of the 81 people injured, 31 were policemen. Sergeant Colin Cooke was caught in the centre circle and stricken on the head with a concrete block. He stopped breathing, but PC Phil Evans resuscitated him while being punched, kicked and hit himself by the concrete.
The carnage continued through the town, as a three way battle between the mob, the MIGs
and the police developed, leaving smashed cars, shops and homes in its wake. When the situation was brought back under control, 31 men were arrested and taken to Luton Magistrates' Court
the following morning. The majority of the 31 identified themselves as supporters of teams other than Millwall, most notably Chelsea
and West Ham United
.
Despite having reached an FA Cup
semi-final
, Luton manager David Pleat
was left "feeling empty". Luton were defeated by Everton
2–1 at Villa Park
after extra-time following a 1–1 stalemate. However, their league form improved so much that they finished 13th in the First Division
. Eventually finishing second in the third tier, Millwall won promotion
to the Second Division
only six weeks later.
The Football Association
commissioned an enquiry, which concluded that it was "not satisfied that Millwall F.C. took all reasonable precautions in accordance with the requirements of FA Rule 31(A)(II)." A £7,500 fine was levied against Millwall, though this was withdrawn on appeal. The penalty that Millwall faced was perhaps that the club's name was now "synonymous with everything that was bad in football and society". Luton Town were ordered to construct fences around their ground, a decision that was also reversed. Chelsea
chairman Ken Bates
claimed that he intended to erect electric fence
s at Stamford Bridge
to avert such an incident at his club.
Luton Town announced a £1 million overhaul of Kenilworth Road soon after – the club would spend £350,000 on a new artificial pitch
that summer, and £650,000 on converting the ground to an all-seater
. Work on the stands began during the summer of 1986, but was not finished until 2005.
There have been many incidents of football hooliganism among Millwall fans since this incident. On 9 January 1988, 41 Millwall fans were arrested at Highbury
after a disturbance at an FA Cup
third-round game which was quickly labelled by the public and media as "The Battle of Highbury". There was another major disturbance on 31 March 1990 in a First Division fixture at home to Crystal Palace
; however, media and public attention to this disturbance was overshadowed by the Poll Tax Riots
in London
on the same day. Millwall relocated to The New Den
in 1993, and the end of their first season there was marred by a First Division play-off semi-final defeat, and a series of pitch invasions by Millwall fans, as well as alleged racial chanting at opposition Derby County's
two black players which led to them both being substituted. In May 2002, 50 police officers were injured when Millwall hooligans clashed with police in a Division One play-off semi-defeat by Birmingham City
. However, none of the incidents have gained the notoriety of the Kenilworth Road riot, and 25 years on, Millwall's hooliganism element has been largely eliminated.
Member of Parliament
David Evans, reacted by imposing a ban on all away supporters from Kenilworth Road
from the start of the 1986–87 season. A club membership scheme was also introduced: Luton Town supporters' personal details were taken by the club and all fans would be required to carry their membership cards to be admitted to matches. The football hooliganism
"War Cabinet", set up following the incident by Margaret Thatcher
's Conservative government, attempted to have such schemes adopted by clubs nationwide, without success.
The first match of the identity card scheme was the First Division match against Southampton
on 26 August 1986. The Football League
insisted that Luton relax the ban for League Cup
matches, but when Evans refused to allow Cardiff City
fans to visit Kenilworth Road for their second-round tie, the club was banned from the competition for that season. The Football Association
announced that Luton would be allowed to maintain their ban on visiting supporters in the FA Cup
, but also that they would allow other clubs to ban away support from Luton. In response, Luton eased the ban, slightly – 500 tickets would be given to certain clubs, with this number doubling should the match pass without incident. The suspension of away support continued for four seasons, and, from a policing standpoint, was a success – during its enforcement, not one arrest was made either inside or outside the ground. Despite this, and the support of Bedfordshire police
for the scheme, Luton Town repealed the ban before the start of the 1990–91 season.
Kenilworth Road
Kenilworth Road Stadium is a football stadium in Luton, Bedfordshire, England. It has been home to Luton Town Football Club since 1905, when financial complications forced the club to leave its previous location at Dunstable Road...
ground before, during and after an FA Cup sixth-round
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...
match between Luton Town
Luton Town F.C.
Luton Town Football Club is an English professional football club based since 1905 at Kenilworth Road, Luton, Bedfordshire. The club currently competes in the fifth tier of English football, the Conference National, for the third consecutive season during the 2011–12 season.Formed in 1885, it was...
and Millwall
Millwall F.C.
Millwall Football Club is an English professional football club based in South Bermondsey, south east London, that plays in the Football League Championship, the second tier of English football. Founded as Millwall Rovers in 1885, the club has retained its name despite having last played in the...
on 13 March 1985. It was one of the worst incidents of football hooliganism
Football hooliganism
Football hooliganism, sometimes referred to by the British media as the English Disease, is unruly and destructive behaviour—such as brawls, vandalism and intimidation—by association football club fans...
during the 1980s, and led to a ban on away supporters by Luton Town which lasted for four seasons. This itself led to Luton's expulsion from the Football League Cup
Football League Cup
The Football League Cup, commonly known as the League Cup or, from current sponsorship, the Carling Cup, is an English association football competition. Like the FA Cup, it is played on a knockout basis...
during the 1986–87 season. The club also began to enforce a membership card scheme, which Margaret Thatcher
Margaret Thatcher
Margaret Hilda Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher, was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990...
's government attempted to have adopted at grounds across England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. Kenilworth Road was damaged, along with the surrounding area, and a year later was converted to an all-seater stadium
All-seater stadium
An all-seater stadium is a sports stadium in which every spectator has a seat. This is commonplace in football stadiums in nations such as the United Kingdom, Spain, and the Netherlands. Most soccer and American football stadiums in the United States and Canada are all-seaters, as are most baseball...
.
Background
MillwallMillwall F.C.
Millwall Football Club is an English professional football club based in South Bermondsey, south east London, that plays in the Football League Championship, the second tier of English football. Founded as Millwall Rovers in 1885, the club has retained its name despite having last played in the...
's unwanted association with football hooliganism
Football hooliganism
Football hooliganism, sometimes referred to by the British media as the English Disease, is unruly and destructive behaviour—such as brawls, vandalism and intimidation—by association football club fans...
became strongly apparent with their rise in the English game during the 1980s. Millwall's Bushwackers
Millwall Bushwackers
The Millwall Bushwackers are a hooligan firm associated with Millwall F.C..-Background:The original firm associated with Millwall was known as F-Troop....
were already one of the most notorious hooligan firms in the country by 1985, while Luton Town
Luton Town F.C.
Luton Town Football Club is an English professional football club based since 1905 at Kenilworth Road, Luton, Bedfordshire. The club currently competes in the fifth tier of English football, the Conference National, for the third consecutive season during the 2011–12 season.Formed in 1885, it was...
had their own fringe of hooligans in the MIGs
Luton Town MIGs
The MIGs are a football hooligan firm associated with English football club, Luton Town, originally formed in the 1970s.-Background:...
. The Den, home of Millwall, had been the scene of a full-scale riot
Riot
A riot is a form of civil disorder characterized often by what is thought of as disorganized groups lashing out in a sudden and intense rash of violence against authority, property or people. While individuals may attempt to lead or control a riot, riots are thought to be typically chaotic and...
seven years earlier during another FA Cup sixth-round
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...
match against Ipswich Town
Ipswich Town F.C.
Ipswich Town Football Club are an English professional football team based in Ipswich, Suffolk. As of 2011, they play in the Football League Championship, having last appeared in the Premier League in 2001–02....
in which Millwall-aligned hooligans had injured dozens of their own club's supporters. Following the incident, the opinion of Ipswich manager Bobby Robson
Bobby Robson
Sir Robert William "Bobby" Robson, CBE was an English footballer and manager, who coached seven European clubs and the England national team during his career....
was that "[the police] should have turned the flamethrower
Flamethrower
A flamethrower is a mechanical device designed to project a long controllable stream of fire.Some flamethrowers project a stream of ignited flammable liquid; some project a long gas flame. Most military flamethrowers use liquids, but commercial flamethrowers tend to use high-pressure propane and...
s on them".
When George Graham
George Graham (footballer)
George Graham is a Scottish former football player and manager. He is best remembered for his success at Arsenal, as a player in the 1970s and then as manager from 1986 until 1995.-Early life:...
had been appointed manager halfway through the 1982–83 season, Millwall had been bottom of the then third-tier Third Division
Football League Third Division
The Football League Third Division was the 3 tier of English Football from 1920 until 1992 when after the formation of the Football Association Premier League saw the league renamed The Football League Division Two...
and battling relegation to the Fourth Division
Football League Fourth Division
The Fourth Division of The Football League was the fourth-highest division in the English football league system from the 1958–59 season until the creation of the Premier League prior to the 1992–93 season...
; however, by the time of this FA Cup
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...
sixth-round match at First Division
Football League First Division
The First Division was a division of The Football League between 1888 and 2004 and the highest division in English football until the creation of the Premier League in 1992. The secondary tier in English football has since become known as the Championship....
Luton Town's Kenilworth Road
Kenilworth Road
Kenilworth Road Stadium is a football stadium in Luton, Bedfordshire, England. It has been home to Luton Town Football Club since 1905, when financial complications forced the club to leave its previous location at Dunstable Road...
ground on 13 March 1985, they were challenging for promotion to the second tier. Luton had beaten their arch-rivals
Luton Town F.C. and Watford F.C. rivalry
South-eastern English association football clubs Luton Town and Watford have been rivals since their respective formations in the late 19th century. Both clubs are based near to the M1 motorway, which has led to the match sometimes being referred to as the "M1 Derby" by the press. The clubs, which...
Watford
Watford F.C.
Watford Football Club is an English professional football club based in Watford, Hertfordshire. It is often referred to as Watford F.C., Watford, or by the team's nickname The Hornets . Watford Rovers, Founded in 1881, entered the FA Cup for the first time in 1886, and the Southern League a decade...
in the previous round without incident, while Millwall had upset the odds with a 2–0 home victory over top-flight Leicester City
Leicester City F.C.
Leicester City Football Club , also known as The Foxes, is an English professional football club based at the King Power Stadium in Leicester...
. On the day of the match, Luton were second from bottom of the top division, while Millwall were third in the third tier.
Public house
A public house, informally known as a pub, is a drinking establishment fundamental to the culture of Britain, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. There are approximately 53,500 public houses in the United Kingdom. This number has been declining every year, so that nearly half of the smaller...
s and newsagent
Newsagent
A newsagent's shop , newsagency or newsstand is a business that sells newspapers, magazines, cigarettes, snacks and often items of local interest. In Britain and Australia, these businesses are termed newsagents...
s around the town were having windows smashed as the police struggled to cope. The Kenilworth Stand, at that time still a vast terrace, was reserved for the away supporters that night. It was overflowing by 7.00 pm – 45 minutes before kick-off – with spectators even perched on the scoreboard supports after the turnstiles had been broken down. Ten minutes later, the police were helpless as hundreds of the visitors scaled the fences in front of the stand to rush down the pitch towards Luton's supporters in the packed Oak Road End. A hail of bottles, cans, nails and coins saw the home supporters fleeing up the terraces, but their numbers, still growing as fans entered the stand, meant that there was little they could do to avoid the missiles.
The players came out to warm up, and almost immediately vanished back up the tunnel. The rioters then set upon the Bobbers Stand, ripping out seats and brandishing them as weapons. A message appeared on the stadium's electronic scoreboard, stating that the match would not start until they returned to their allocated area, but this was ignored; an appeal from Millwall manager George Graham over the ground's loudspeaker also had no effect. It was only when Graham appeared on the sideline that the spectators finally returned to the Kenilworth Stand. Even after this some managed to find their way into the Main Stand, where isolated fights broke out and more seats were removed. The arrival of police dog
Police dog
A police dog, often referred to as a "K-9 dog" in some areas , is a dog that is trained specifically to assist police and other law-enforcement personnel in their work...
s helped to clear the pitch; the match began on time, with many watching from atop the Bobbers Stand after climbing the floodlight
Floodlights (sport)
Floodlights are broad-beamed, high-intensity artificial lights often used to illuminate outdoor playing fields while an outdoor sports event is being held during low-light conditions....
pylons.
Match details
| style="font-size: 90%" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"> | LUTON TOWN (4–4–2): | |||
| GK | 1 | Les Sealey Les Sealey Leslie Jesse "Les" Sealey was an English footballer who played as a goalkeeper for, among others, Coventry City, Luton Town, Manchester United, Aston Villa and West Ham United... |
||
| RB | 2 | Tim Breacker Tim Breacker Tim Breacker is an ex-footballer and now football coach with a UEFA Pro A licence.Tim started his career as an apprentice at Luton Town. He eventually graduated to the first team where he had a long and successful spell accumulating 210 appearances... |
||
| LB | 3 | Mitchell Thomas Mitchell Thomas Mitchell Thomas is a retired English football defender. Whilst at Tottenham Hotspur he started in the 1987 FA Cup Final.-Playing career:... |
||
| CM | 4 | Wayne Turner Wayne Turner (footballer) Wayne Leslie Turner is an English former professional footballer, best known as a player for his home-town club, Luton Town.-Career:... |
||
| CB | 5 | Steve Foster Steve Foster Stephen "Steve" Brian Foster is a former English football player, famed for wearing a headband and having one of the greatest beards in football.-Football career:... (c) |
||
| CB | 6 |  Mal DonaghyMal Donaghy Malachy Martin "Mal" Donaghy is a former Northern Ireland international footballer who played for Luton Town.-Club career:... |
||
| RM | 7 | Ricky Hill Ricky Hill Ricky Hill is a former English footballer and the current head coach for Tampa Bay in the second division North American Soccer League.He was born in Paddington.-Playing career:... |
||
| CF | 8 | Brian Stein Brian Stein Brian Stein is a South African born former English footballer. He is the older brother of former Luton Town, Chelsea and Stoke City striker Mark Stein; another brother, Ed Stein, played for Barnet.... |
||
| CF | 9 | Mick Harford Mick Harford Michael Gordon "Mick" Harford , is an English former football player turned manager. He is former manager of Rotherham and Luton Town and has also been caretaker manager of Nottingham Forest and QPR... |
||
| LM | 10 |  Emeka NwajiobiEmeka Nwajiobi Emeka Nwajiobi is a former professional footballer. Emeka had a short footballing career but became a firm favourite with the Luton Town fans in the mid-1980s.... |
||
| CM | 11 | Garry Parker Garry Parker Garry Parker is an English former footballer who played as a midfielder for Luton Town, Hull City, Nottingham Forest, Aston Villa and Leicester City, mostly in the top division of English football, in the 1980s and 1990s. He was capped by his country at under-21 and B international level... |
||
| Substitutes: | ||||
| RM | 12 | David Moss |
||
| Manager: | ||||
| David Pleat David Pleat David John Pleat is an English football player turned manager and sports commentator.He is remembered by his contemporaries primarily for his career as manager of Tottenham Hotspur and Luton Town football clubs, and for an oft-televised clip of him running onto the pitch in 1983 to celebrate after... |
||||
MATCH OFFICIALS
|
||||
Paul SansomePaul Sansome
Paul Eric Sansome is an English former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper. He made more than 150 appearances in the Football League for Millwall and more than 300 for Southend United.-Football career:...
Keith StevensKeith Stevens
Keith Henry "Rhino" Stevens is an English former professional footballer.He spent his entire first-class playing career with Millwall, making his debut in a Third Division fixture against Oxford United in April 1981, when still only 16 years old...
Lindsay SmithLindsay Smith (footballer)
Lindsay James Smith , is an English footballer who played as a central defender in the Football League.-External links:*...
Dave CusackDave Cusack
David Stephen "Dave" Cusack is an English former footballer and manager who is currently chairman of Essex Senior League side Basildon United...
Paul Hinshelwood Steve LowndesSteve Lowndes
Steve Lowndes is a former Wales international footballer. Lowndes started his career at Newport County during the most successful period in the club's long history...
Les BrileyLes Briley
Les Briley is an English former footballer who played as a midfielder in the Football League for Hereford United, Wimbledon, Aldershot, Millwall and Brighton & Hove Albion. He began his career as an apprentice with Chelsea, without playing for the first team...
(c)
Nicky Chatterton Steve LovellSteve Lovell (Welsh footballer)
Stephen "Steve" Lovell is a Welsh former professional footballer. He played professionally for Crystal Palace, Stockport County, Millwall, Swansea City, Gillingham and AFC Bournemouth and made over 450 Football League appearances....
John FashanuJohn Fashanu
John "Fash" Fashanu is a British television presenter and ex-footballer of Nigerian and Guyanese descent. In his former career, he was a centre-forward, who scored 134 league goals in a career lasting 17 years...
Anton OtulakowskiAnton Otulakowski
Anton Otulakowski is a former footballer who played in The Football League for Barnsley, Crystal Palace, Millwall, Southend United and West Ham United.-Personal life:...
Kevin BremnerKevin Bremner
Kevin Johnston Bremner is a Scottish former professional footballer who played as a striker. He made nearly 450 appearances in the English and Scottish Football Leagues, representing ten different clubs.-Football career:...
George GrahamGeorge Graham (footballer)
George Graham is a Scottish former football player and manager. He is best remembered for his success at Arsenal, as a player in the 1970s and then as manager from 1986 until 1995.-Early life:...
Match events
Luton started the match, kicking towards the Millwall supporters. After only 14 minutes, the match was halted as the visiting fans began to riot again. The referee took both teams off for 25 minutes, before bringing them back on to complete the match. Brian SteinBrian Stein
Brian Stein is a South African born former English footballer. He is the older brother of former Luton Town, Chelsea and Stoke City striker Mark Stein; another brother, Ed Stein, played for Barnet....
put Luton ahead on 31 minutes, and the home side led by this score at half-time
Half-time
In some team sports such as association football and rugby, matches are played in two halves. Half-time is the name given to the interval between the two halves of the match...
; when Luton continued to lead the match as it entered its final stages, the fear became that the pitch may be invaded once more in order to have the match abandoned and therefore prevent a Millwall defeat. Fans attempted to disrupt the match, but extra police managed to keep control. Some seats were removed, and one of these was thrown and hit a match steward in the head. Luton goalkeeper Les Sealey
Les Sealey
Leslie Jesse "Les" Sealey was an English footballer who played as a goalkeeper for, among others, Coventry City, Luton Town, Manchester United, Aston Villa and West Ham United...
, who had to stand in front of the Millwall fans during the second half, received a missile to the head, and a knife
Knife
A knife is a cutting tool with an exposed cutting edge or blade, hand-held or otherwise, with or without a handle. Knives were used at least two-and-a-half million years ago, as evidenced by the Oldowan tools...
was also found in the goalmouth after the game.
Following the final whistle, and a 1–0 victory for Luton, the visiting fans invaded the pitch. Both Luton and Millwall players sprinted for the dressing room as fast as they could – one hooligan
Football hooliganism
Football hooliganism, sometimes referred to by the British media as the English Disease, is unruly and destructive behaviour—such as brawls, vandalism and intimidation—by association football club fans...
rushed towards Luton coach Trevor Hartley
Trevor Hartley
Trevor Hartley was born on March 16, 1947 in Doncaster, South Yorkshire and is a former English footballer with West Ham United and A.F.C. Bournemouth and football manager with A.F.C. Bournemouth and Tottenham Hotspur.-Career as Footballer:...
, and tried to grab him, but Hartley managed to wriggle free and race towards the tunnel after the players. The hooligans made for the Bobbers Stand once more, and started to tear seats out as the fences at the front of the stand were forced down. The seats ripped from the stand were hurled onto the pitch towards the police, who started to fall back, before regrouping and charging in waves, batons drawn. Gradually, the police started to win the battle – the hooligans then started to take seats from the Main Stand and throw them like "makeshift plastic spears". The police
Bedfordshire Police
Bedfordshire Police, is the territorial police force responsible for policing the ceremonial county of Bedfordshire in England, which includes the unitary authorities of Bedford, Central Bedfordshire and Luton. Its headquarters are in Kempston. The county had an estimated population of 602,500 in...
were not without casualties – of the 81 people injured, 31 were policemen. Sergeant Colin Cooke was caught in the centre circle and stricken on the head with a concrete block. He stopped breathing, but PC Phil Evans resuscitated him while being punched, kicked and hit himself by the concrete.
The carnage continued through the town, as a three way battle between the mob, the MIGs
Luton Town MIGs
The MIGs are a football hooligan firm associated with English football club, Luton Town, originally formed in the 1970s.-Background:...
and the police developed, leaving smashed cars, shops and homes in its wake. When the situation was brought back under control, 31 men were arrested and taken to Luton Magistrates' Court
Magistrates' Court
A magistrates' court or court of petty sessions, formerly known as a police court, is the lowest level of court in England and Wales and many other common law jurisdictions...
the following morning. The majority of the 31 identified themselves as supporters of teams other than Millwall, most notably Chelsea
Chelsea F.C.
Chelsea Football Club are an English football club based in West London. Founded in 1905, they play in the Premier League and have spent most of their history in the top tier of English football. Chelsea have been English champions four times, FA Cup winners six times and League Cup winners four...
and West Ham United
West Ham United F.C.
West Ham United Football Club is an English professional football club based in Upton Park, Newham, East London. They play in The Football League Championship. The club was founded in 1895 as Thames Ironworks FC and reformed in 1900 as West Ham United. In 1904 the club relocated to their current...
.
Aftermath
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...
semi-final
FA Cup Semi-finals
The FA Cup Semi-finals are played to determine which teams will contest the FA Cup Final. They are the penultimate phase of the FA Cup, the oldest football tournament in the world.- Location :...
, Luton manager David Pleat
David Pleat
David John Pleat is an English football player turned manager and sports commentator.He is remembered by his contemporaries primarily for his career as manager of Tottenham Hotspur and Luton Town football clubs, and for an oft-televised clip of him running onto the pitch in 1983 to celebrate after...
was left "feeling empty". Luton were defeated by Everton
Everton F.C.
Everton Football Club are an English professional association football club from the city of Liverpool. The club competes in the Premier League, the highest level of English football...
2–1 at Villa Park
Villa Park
Villa Park may mean:United Kingdom* Villa Park, an association football stadium in Birmingham, EnglandUnited States* Villa Park, California, a small city in Orange County* Villa Park, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago in DuPage County...
after extra-time following a 1–1 stalemate. However, their league form improved so much that they finished 13th in the First Division
Football League First Division
The First Division was a division of The Football League between 1888 and 2004 and the highest division in English football until the creation of the Premier League in 1992. The secondary tier in English football has since become known as the Championship....
. Eventually finishing second in the third tier, Millwall won promotion
Promotion and relegation
In many sports leagues around the world, promotion and relegation is a process that takes place at the end of each season. Through it, teams are transferred between divisions based on their performance that season...
to the Second Division
Football League Second Division
From 1892 until 1992, the Football League Second Division was the second highest division overall in English football.This ended with the creation of the FA Premier League, prior to the start of the 1992–93 season, which caused an administrative split between The Football League and the teams...
only six weeks later.
The Football Association
The Football Association
The Football Association, also known as simply The FA, is the governing body of football in England, and the Crown Dependencies of Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man. It was formed in 1863, and is the oldest national football association...
commissioned an enquiry, which concluded that it was "not satisfied that Millwall F.C. took all reasonable precautions in accordance with the requirements of FA Rule 31(A)(II)." A £7,500 fine was levied against Millwall, though this was withdrawn on appeal. The penalty that Millwall faced was perhaps that the club's name was now "synonymous with everything that was bad in football and society". Luton Town were ordered to construct fences around their ground, a decision that was also reversed. Chelsea
Chelsea F.C.
Chelsea Football Club are an English football club based in West London. Founded in 1905, they play in the Premier League and have spent most of their history in the top tier of English football. Chelsea have been English champions four times, FA Cup winners six times and League Cup winners four...
chairman Ken Bates
Ken Bates
Kenneth William Bates is a British businessman and football executive. The current chairman and now owner of Leeds United AFC, Bates was previously chairman and majority shareholder of Chelsea FC from 1982 until 2003....
claimed that he intended to erect electric fence
Electric fence
An electric fence is a barrier that uses electric shocks to deter animals or people from crossing a boundary. The voltage of the shock may have effects ranging from uncomfortable, to painful or even lethal...
s at Stamford Bridge
Stamford Bridge (stadium)
Stamford Bridge is a football stadium in Fulham, in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, West London, and is the home of Chelsea Football Club. The stadium is located within the Moore Park Estate also known as Walham Green and is often referred to as simply The Bridge...
to avert such an incident at his club.
Luton Town announced a £1 million overhaul of Kenilworth Road soon after – the club would spend £350,000 on a new artificial pitch
Artificial turf
Artificial turf is a surface manufactured from synthetic fibers made to look like natural grass. It is most often used in arenas for sports that were originally or are normally played on grass. However, it is now being used on residential lawns and commercial applications as well...
that summer, and £650,000 on converting the ground to an all-seater
All-seater stadium
An all-seater stadium is a sports stadium in which every spectator has a seat. This is commonplace in football stadiums in nations such as the United Kingdom, Spain, and the Netherlands. Most soccer and American football stadiums in the United States and Canada are all-seaters, as are most baseball...
. Work on the stands began during the summer of 1986, but was not finished until 2005.
There have been many incidents of football hooliganism among Millwall fans since this incident. On 9 January 1988, 41 Millwall fans were arrested at Highbury
Arsenal Stadium
Arsenal Stadium was a football stadium in Highbury, North London, which was the home ground of Arsenal Football Club between 6 September 1913 and 7 May 2006...
after a disturbance at an FA Cup
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...
third-round game which was quickly labelled by the public and media as "The Battle of Highbury". There was another major disturbance on 31 March 1990 in a First Division fixture at home to Crystal Palace
Crystal Palace F.C.
Crystal Palace Football Club are an English Football league club based in South Norwood, London. The team plays its home matches at Selhurst Park, where they have been based since 1924. The club currently competes in the second tier of English Football, The Championship.Crystal Palace was formed in...
; however, media and public attention to this disturbance was overshadowed by the Poll Tax Riots
Poll Tax Riots
The UK Poll Tax Riots were a series of mass disturbances, or riots, in British towns and cities during protests against the Community Charge , introduced by the Conservative government led by Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher...
in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
on the same day. Millwall relocated to The New Den
The Den
*Football stadiums:**The Den, formerly known as The New Den and the current home of Millwall FC, located in Bermondsey, London, SE16**The Den , a football stadium once the home of Millwall FC, located in New Cross, London, SE14...
in 1993, and the end of their first season there was marred by a First Division play-off semi-final defeat, and a series of pitch invasions by Millwall fans, as well as alleged racial chanting at opposition Derby County's
Derby County F.C.
Derby County Football Club is an English football based in Derby. the club play in the Football League Championship and is notable as being one of the twelve founder members of the Football League in 1888 and is, therefore, one of only ten clubs to have competed in every season of the English...
two black players which led to them both being substituted. In May 2002, 50 police officers were injured when Millwall hooligans clashed with police in a Division One play-off semi-defeat by Birmingham City
Birmingham City F.C.
Birmingham City Football Club is a professional association football club based in the city of Birmingham, England. Formed in 1875 as Small Heath Alliance, they became Small Heath in 1888, then Birmingham in 1905, finally becoming Birmingham City in 1943.They were relegated at the end of the...
. However, none of the incidents have gained the notoriety of the Kenilworth Road riot, and 25 years on, Millwall's hooliganism element has been largely eliminated.
Membership scheme and ban on visiting supporters
The Luton Town chairman, ConservativeConservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
David Evans, reacted by imposing a ban on all away supporters from Kenilworth Road
Kenilworth Road
Kenilworth Road Stadium is a football stadium in Luton, Bedfordshire, England. It has been home to Luton Town Football Club since 1905, when financial complications forced the club to leave its previous location at Dunstable Road...
from the start of the 1986–87 season. A club membership scheme was also introduced: Luton Town supporters' personal details were taken by the club and all fans would be required to carry their membership cards to be admitted to matches. The football hooliganism
Football hooliganism
Football hooliganism, sometimes referred to by the British media as the English Disease, is unruly and destructive behaviour—such as brawls, vandalism and intimidation—by association football club fans...
"War Cabinet", set up following the incident by Margaret Thatcher
Margaret Thatcher
Margaret Hilda Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher, was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990...
's Conservative government, attempted to have such schemes adopted by clubs nationwide, without success.
The first match of the identity card scheme was the First Division match against Southampton
Southampton F.C.
Southampton Football Club is an English football team, nicknamed The Saints, based in the city of Southampton, Hampshire. The club gained promotion to the Championship from League One in the 2010–2011 season after being relegated in 2009. Their home ground is the St Mary's Stadium, where the club...
on 26 August 1986. The Football League
The Football League
The Football League, also known as the npower Football League for sponsorship reasons, is a league competition featuring professional association football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888, it is the oldest such competition in world football...
insisted that Luton relax the ban for League Cup
Football League Cup
The Football League Cup, commonly known as the League Cup or, from current sponsorship, the Carling Cup, is an English association football competition. Like the FA Cup, it is played on a knockout basis...
matches, but when Evans refused to allow Cardiff City
Cardiff City F.C.
Cardiff City Football Club are a Welsh professional football club based in Cardiff, Wales. The club competes in the English football pyramid and is currently playing in the Football League Championship. Cardiff City is the best supported football club in Wales, averaging approximately 22,500 for...
fans to visit Kenilworth Road for their second-round tie, the club was banned from the competition for that season. The Football Association
The Football Association
The Football Association, also known as simply The FA, is the governing body of football in England, and the Crown Dependencies of Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man. It was formed in 1863, and is the oldest national football association...
announced that Luton would be allowed to maintain their ban on visiting supporters in the FA Cup
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...
, but also that they would allow other clubs to ban away support from Luton. In response, Luton eased the ban, slightly – 500 tickets would be given to certain clubs, with this number doubling should the match pass without incident. The suspension of away support continued for four seasons, and, from a policing standpoint, was a success – during its enforcement, not one arrest was made either inside or outside the ground. Despite this, and the support of Bedfordshire police
Bedfordshire Police
Bedfordshire Police, is the territorial police force responsible for policing the ceremonial county of Bedfordshire in England, which includes the unitary authorities of Bedford, Central Bedfordshire and Luton. Its headquarters are in Kempston. The county had an estimated population of 602,500 in...
for the scheme, Luton Town repealed the ban before the start of the 1990–91 season.