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Luton – Stood In The Oak Road Stand

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Recently, via our poll facility, we asked what stand you frequented when you first started watching Luton Town.

Surprisingly, the results were even, although the Oak Road Stand just took the honour of polling the most votes with 32% of those cast.

As a youngster, the Oak Road had a magnetic effect on many, it was the stand where most of the vocal support came from, but it also had a uniqueness about it.

I doubt if there any others that have a similar stature whereby when you enter, you find yourselves climbing up staircases that overhang the residents of Oak Road’s back gardens.

Also, when you view it from the Maple Road stand, it appears a little sunken into the ground, a point illustrated by the fact that when, as a youngster, you go right down the front, your eyes are at pitch level.

But as a teenager, it was the place to be.

Many of us started on the edges of the masses before moving, as you got a little older, into the centre, where it was so tightly packed, I was often surprised the crash barriers did not give away.

On occasions though it could be fraught with danger.

At a time when football hooliganism was rife, the big London clubs always seemed to infiltrate that area of the ground with, more than often, a frantic melee breaking out as blows were exchanged.

I will always have fond memories of the old stand even though it long lost the magic it once had when the ground and the support evolved.

What are your memories of standing beneath its roof and cheering the Hatters on?

COYH’s

Birmingham City v Luton Town?

Birmingham City to Win!

Birmingham City to Win!

Luton Town to Win!

Luton Town to Win!

A Draw!

A Draw!

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8 comments

  • Chris winter says:

    Hi mh, I remember being on the oak road for an u 21 game against either Australia or Italy with my girlfriend Kathy (boot girl) mentioned in previous post about arsenal. An we were in the middle of the oak road against a crush bar. An our fans were rocking an tumbling into us. Threatening to crush us against the bar so I turned rounded and started to ruck with our own fans. Suddenly I I was plucked into the air by the scruff of the neck. It was only jock I think he was known as a police sergeant well known to luton fans of that era. An chucked out of the ground. Think I must hold a record of being the only fan ever ejected for fighting with his own fans lol

    • Mad Hatter says:

      Good ol Jock, was his surname Mackenzie?

    • Mad Hatter says:

      talking of being ejected, i took my younger brother to Fulham v Luton, at Craven Cottage, he brought his mate with him with me having promised to look after them. Luton scored, everyone celebrated, I turned round and both had been ejected, they were only 13! Boy did I get yelled at when I got home!

  • Alan says:

    We used to call jock mr mackay

  • Alan says:

    We used to call jock mr mackay from porridge….we used to hang round the fields near where he lived.on the occasion of Scotland wrecking Wembley, he returned that evening with his 2 sons carry Wembley turf….he received some awful stick, but funnily enough he left us alone in the oak after that evening….

  • Chris winter says:

    Hi m, I also remember standing on the oak road watching an English under 19 team playing Ireland and a boy named lou cantello? From wba standing out an I think a boy called Steve Perryman of spurs playing an lots of them from both sides having great careers. Sad we no longer get a chance to see those type of games would you agree

    • Mad Hatter says:

      It is a shame, I recall watching England B once, not sure what year and who against. Mind you, I’d be grateful just to be able to return to the ground to watch anyone at the moment! COVID-19 shielding is starting to get to me after 10 months!

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