1988 Full Members' Cup final

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.{{cite web|url=https://www.fourfourtwo.com/features/full-members-cup-anti-european-cup-nobody-wanted|title=Full Members Cup: the anti-European Cup that nobody wanted|work=fourfourtwo.com|date=23 March 2016|access-date=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.{{cite web|url=http://fchd.info/cups/fullmemberscup1987-88.htm|title=1987-88 Football League Full Members Cup|work=fchd.info|access-date=19 March 2018}} Reading defeated a top division side in all rounds, excluding the quarter-finals.{{cite web|url=http://www.royalsrecord.co.uk/cups/giant.html|title=Giant Killing|work=Royals Record|access-date=19 March 2018}}

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.

{{football box collapsible

|round = Third round[http://www.statto.com/football/stats/england/full-members-cup/1987-1988/results/r1 1st rnd results at Statto, with links to other rounds]{{Dead link|date=February 2019 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}

|date = 10 February 1988

|team1 = Everton (1)

|score = 1–2

|aet =

|team2 = Luton Town (1)

|goals1 =

|goals2 =

|location = Goodison Park, Liverpool

|attendance =

|referee =

|result =

}}{{football box collapsible

|round = Quarter-final

|date = 1 March 1988

|team1 = Luton Town (1)

|score = 4–1

|aet =

|team2 = Stoke City (2)

|goals1 =

|goals2 = Shaw

|location = Kenilworth Road, Luton

|attendance = 4,480

|referee =

|result =

}}{{football box collapsible

|round = Semi-final

|date = 8 March 1988

|team1 = Luton Town (1)

|score = 2–1

|aet = yes

|team2 = Swindon Town (2)

|goals1 =

|goals2 =

|location = Kenilworth Road, Luton

|attendance =

|referee =

|result =

}}

{{football box collapsible

|round = First round{{cite web|url=http://www.royalsrecord.co.uk/seasons/1987.html |title=Reading 1987–88 |publisher=Royalsrecord.co.uk |access-date=1 January 2014}}

|date = 21 December 1987

|team1 = Queens Park Rangers (1)

|score = 1–3

|aet =

|team2 = Reading (2)

|goals1 =

|goals2 = Jones {{goal}} {{goal}}
Tait {{goal}}

|location = Loftus Road, London

|attendance =

|referee =

|result =

}}{{football box collapsible

|round = Second round[http://www.reading-mad.co.uk/footydb/loadtmrs.asp?ssnno=117&teamno=437 1987/88 Reading season results at Royals Mad - note 1st round match against QPR is missing from list]

|date = 13 January 1988

|team1 = Reading (2)

|score = 1–0

|aet =

|team2 = Oxford United (1)

|goals1 = Horrix {{goal}}

|goals2 =

|location = Elm Park, Reading

|attendance =

|referee =

|result =

}}{{football box collapsible

|round = Third round

|date = 3 February 1988

|team1 = Reading (2)

|score = 2–1

|aet = yes

|team2 = Nottingham Forest (1)

|goals1 = Horrix {{goal}}
Beavon {{goal}}

|goals2 =

|location = Elm Park, Reading

|attendance =

|referee =

|result =

}}{{football box collapsible

|round = Quarter-final

|date = 10 February 1988

|team1 = Reading (2)

|score = 2–1

|aet = yes

|team2 = Bradford City (2)

|goals1 = Bailie {{goal}}
Horrix {{goal}}

|goals2 =

|location = Elm Park, Reading

|attendance =

|referee =

|result =

}}{{football box collapsible

|round = Semi-final{{cite web|url=http://www.btinternet.com/~rfc1871/news/features/penalty.htm|title=Penalty Shoot-outs|access-date=19 March 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121011233314/http://www.btinternet.com/~rfc1871/news/features/penalty.htm|archive-date=11 October 2012}}

|date = 2 March 1988

|team1 = Reading (2)

|score = 1–1

|aet = yes

|team2 = Coventry City (1)

|goals1 = Smillie {{goal|57}}

|goals2 = Speedie {{goal|79}}

|penaltyscore = 4–3

|penalties1 =

• Curle {{penmiss}}
• Beavon {{pengoal}}
• Horrix {{pengoal}}
• Williams {{pengoal}}
• Gilkes {{pengoal}}

|penalties2 =

• Kilcline {{pengoal}}
• Downs {{pengoal}}
• Sedgley {{penmiss}}
• Smith {{pengoal}}
• Bennett {{penmiss}}

|location = Elm Park, Reading

|attendance = ~15,000

|referee =

|result =

}}

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.{{cite web|url=https://www.getreading.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/reading-fc-memories-wembley-simod-8943612|title=Memories of the Wembley Simod Cup win|work=Get Reading|date=9 April 2015|access-date=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.

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.{{cite web|url=http://www.royalsrecord.co.uk/cups/fmc.html|title=Full Members' Cup Records|work=Royals Record|access-date=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.{{cite web|url=http://fchd.info/lghist/fl1988.htm|title=1987-88 Football League|work=fchd.info|access-date=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.

{{footballbox

|date={{Start date|1988|03|27|df=y}}

|time=15:00 BST

|team1=Luton Town

|score=1–4

|report=

|team2=Reading

|goals1=Harford {{goal|13}}

|goals2=Gilkes {{goal|20}}
Beavon {{goal|25|p}}
Tait {{goal|57}}
Smillie {{goal|66}}

|stadium=Wembley Stadium, London

|attendance=61,740

|referee= }}

|valign="top" width="50%"|

|}

{{reflist}}

• [http://www.mirrorfootball.co.uk/pictures/Luton-Town-1-4-Reading-Simod-Cup-Final-March-27-1988-article102043.html Photos at Mirrorfootball]

{{Full Members' Cup}}

{{Luton Town F.C. matches}}

{{Reading F.C. matches}}

Full Members' Cup 1988

Full Members' Cup 1988

1988

Category:1987–88 in English football

Category:March 1988 sports events in the United Kingdom

Category:1988 in sport in London