Luton Town F.C.–Watford F.C. rivalry
Club rivalry in English football / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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South-eastern English football clubs Luton Town and Watford have been rivals since their respective formations in the late 19th century.[3] The clubs are respectively from Luton, Bedfordshire, and Watford, Hertfordshire, and for this reason a match between the two teams is sometimes called a "Beds–Herts Derby".[4] Another name occasionally used in the press is "M1 Derby", which comes from the M1 motorway, which passes both towns.[5][6]
Other names |
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Location | Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire |
Teams | |
First meeting |
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Latest meeting |
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Next meeting | TBD |
Statistics | |
Meetings total | 122 |
All-time series | 55–29–38 Luton Town |
Largest victory |
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Luton currently play at Kenilworth Road which has a capacity of 12,000. Watford currently play at Vicarage Road, an all-seater stadium which has a capacity of 22,200.
The clubs were both founded during the 1880s, with Watford having been founded in 1881, and Luton Town in 1885. The first recorded game between both teams took place on 5 December 1885, when Watford Rovers beat Luton Town 1–0 in a friendly match at Vicarage Meadow. The two clubs met competitively for the first time in the third round qualifying of the 1898–99 FA Cup on 29 October 1898 at Dunstable Road. This resulted in a 2–2 draw, with Luton winning the replay 1–0 at Cassio Road on 2 November 1898.
Since then, there have been 122 meetings between both teams. Luton Town hold the superior record in these matches, with 55 victories to Watford's 38, as well as 29 draws. The most decisive result in a Luton Town–Watford game was Luton Town's 5–0 victory at Kenilworth Road in January 1926. There have been three instances of a 4–0 score, with two won by Watford. In September 1929, Luton Town beat Watford 4–0 at Vicarage Road. In October 1997, Watford beat Luton Town 4–0 at Kenilworth Road, and again 25 years later, in October 2022 at Vicarage Road.
Luton and Watford played each other regularly in the Southern League and, following the formation of Third Division South in season 1920–21, played every season until 1936–37, when Luton won promotion to Division Two. This, and the Second World War separated the teams from league competition until 1963–64 when they met again, this time in Division Three. The animosity between the clubs, both players and fans, intensified during the late 1960s and the 1970s, and reached a peak during the 1980s, when both teams played in the top-flight First Division.[7] Watford were relegated at the end of the 1987–88 season, while Luton followed four years later. The clubs played against each other regularly for six seasons during the 1990s, in both the second and third tiers of English football. From the 1997–98 season, at the end of which Watford won promotion to the second tier, both teams rarely met, as Watford played in higher divisions than Luton during this time. In the last sixteen seasons there have been only six league meetings between the two teams, played during the 2005–06, the 2020–21 and the 2022-23 seasons. As of the 2023–24 season, Luton currently play in the Premier League for the first time in their history, and Watford currently play in the Championship.