The 1988 Littlewoods Cup Final,took place at Wembley Stadium on 24 April 1988, and was contested 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 Arsenal

Arsenal F.C.

Arsenal Football Club is a professional English Premier League football club based in North London. One of the most successful clubs in English football, it has won 13 First Division and Premier League titles and 10 FA Cups...

. Luton won the match, thanks to goals from Danny Wilson and 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....

 (2). Goals from Alan Smith

Alan M. Smith

Alan Martin Smith is an English former football striker. He played for Leicester City and Arsenal at professional level, and won thirteen caps for England.-Leicester City:...

 and Martin Hayes

Martin Hayes (footballer)

Martin Hayes is an English former footballer.-Career:Born in Walthamstow, London, Hayes played youth football for Essex schoolboys before joining Arsenal as an apprentice in June 1982...

 had seen Arsenal lead 2-1 before a late comeback from Luton. This was the first major trophy that Luton Town won in their history.

Match summary

Luton had stunned defending champions and competition favourites Arsenal by taking an early lead thanks to a goal scored by 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....

. However, Arsenal overhauled them with goals by Alan Smith

Alan M. Smith

Alan Martin Smith is an English former football striker. He played for Leicester City and Arsenal at professional level, and won thirteen caps for England.-Leicester City:...

 and Martin Hayes

Martin Hayes (footballer)

Martin Hayes is an English former footballer.-Career:Born in Walthamstow, London, Hayes played youth football for Essex schoolboys before joining Arsenal as an apprentice in June 1982...

 within three second half minutes. The turning point of the match came with ten minutes left. After a period of fluent attacking football by the Arsenal forwards which saw Smith hit the woodwork and Hayes, Michael Thomas and David Rocastle

David Rocastle

David Carlyle Rocastle, nicknamed Rocky, was an English football player, who spent the majority of his career at Arsenal...

 all had shots saved by Luton goalkeeper Andy Dibble

Andy Dibble

Andrew Gerald "Andy" Dibble is a Welsh former professional football player who played as a goalkeeper.A journeyman who played for many different teams, Dibble won three caps for the Wales national football team....

, Arsenal were awarded a penalty after Rocastle was fouled in the box. Andy Dibble saved Nigel Winterburn

Nigel Winterburn

Nigel Winterburn is a retired English footballer who played at left-back for Arsenal. He is best known for his role alongside Tony Adams, Martin Keown and Lee Dixon, forming a celebrated defensive line in the Premier League and European football during the 1990s.-Early career:Winterburn was born...

's spot-kick by turning the ball round the post. A newly-inspired Luton equalised with seven minutes remaining when Arsenal defender Gus Caesar

Gus Caesar

Pogus Cassius "Gus" Caesar is an English former football player.-Youth and career at Arsenal:Born in Tottenham, London, Caesar joined Arsenal in August 1982, turning professional in February 1984...

 mis-kicked a clearance on the edge of his penalty area, enabling Luton's Danny Wilson to head the ball into the Arsenal goal from a Brian Stein cross. With less than a minute to go, Tony Adams

Tony Adams (footballer)

Tony Alexander Adams, MBE is an English football manager and former player.Adams spent his entire playing career of 22 years as a defender at Arsenal. He is considered one of the greatest Arsenal players of all time by the club's own fans and was included in the Football League 100 Legends...

 fouled Mark Stein, and from the resulting free kick, Brian Stein scored his second goal of the match to put the game beyond the reach of the defending champions.

Match details

|

EWLINE| LUTON TOWN: GK 1   Andy Dibble Andy Dibble Andrew Gerald "Andy" Dibble is a Welsh former professional football player who played as a goalkeeper.A journeyman who played for many different teams, Dibble won three caps for the Wales national football team.... 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   Rob Johnson Rob Johnson (footballer born 1962) Robert Simon "Rob" Johnson is a former English footballer, most noted as a player for Luton Town.-Playing career:... CM 4   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:... 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:... CB 6   Mal Donaghy Mal Donaghy Malachy Martin "Mal" Donaghy is a former Northern Ireland international footballer who played for Luton Town.-Club career:... RM 7   Danny Wilson CM 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...   CM 10   David Preece  LM 11   Kingsley Black Kingsley Black Kingsley Black is an English-born Northern Ireland former professional footballer. He notably played for Luton Town, Nottingham Forest and Grimsby Town... Substitutes: DF   Ashley Grimes Ashley Grimes (Irish footballer) Augustine Ashley Grimes is an Irish former footballer. He won 18 caps for the Republic of Ireland and scored one goal, a spectacular long-range strike against Spain in a Euro 84 qualifier at Lansdowne Road in November 1982....   FW   Mark Stein  Manager:   Ray Harford Ray Harford Raymond Thomas Harford was an English footballer, better known for his successes as a coach and manager than as a player. He is considered to have been one of the top coaches of his generation.-Playing career:...	style="font-size:90%" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align=center>	ARSENAL:
GK	1	John Lukic John Lukic Jovan "John" Lukic is an English former football goalkeeper who was a member of Football League championship sides with two different clubs and played at the highest level of English football in four separate decades.-Childhood and early life:Lukic was born in Chesterfield to Yugoslavian parents;...
RB	2	Nigel Winterburn Nigel Winterburn Nigel Winterburn is a retired English footballer who played at left-back for Arsenal. He is best known for his role alongside Tony Adams, Martin Keown and Lee Dixon, forming a celebrated defensive line in the Premier League and European football during the 1990s.-Early career:Winterburn was born...
LB	3	Kenny Sansom Kenny Sansom Kenneth Graham Sansom is an English former footballer. Until overtaken by Ashley Cole in February 2011, he held the record for the number of caps for an England national football team full back, having appeared 86 times for his country between 1979 and 1988.- Crystal Palace :Sansom started out...
CM	4	Michael Thomas
CB	5	Gus Caesar Gus Caesar Pogus Cassius "Gus" Caesar is an English former football player.-Youth and career at Arsenal:Born in Tottenham, London, Caesar joined Arsenal in August 1982, turning professional in February 1984...
CB	6	Tony Adams Tony Adams (footballer) Tony Alexander Adams, MBE is an English football manager and former player.Adams spent his entire playing career of 22 years as a defender at Arsenal. He is considered one of the greatest Arsenal players of all time by the club's own fans and was included in the Football League 100 Legends...
RM	7	David Rocastle David Rocastle David Carlyle Rocastle, nicknamed Rocky, was an English football player, who spent the majority of his career at Arsenal...
CM	8	Paul Davis Paul Davis (footballer) Paul Vincent Davis is an English former footballer.Born in Dulwich, London, Davis signed for Arsenal as an apprentice in 1977 and turned professional the following year...
CF	9	Alan Smith
CF	10	Perry Groves Perry Groves Perry Groves is a former English footballer, known chiefly for his time at Arsenal. He was a fast-paced player who usually played as winger, and occasionally as a striker...
LM	11	Kevin Richardson Kevin Richardson (footballer) Kevin Richardson is an English former footballer who made more than 500 appearances in the Football League and Premier League, playing for Everton, Watford, Arsenal, Aston Villa, Coventry City, Southampton, Barnsley and Blackpool, and also spent a season in La Liga with Real Sociedad. He was...
Substitutes:
MF		Martin Hayes Martin Hayes (footballer) Martin Hayes is an English former footballer.-Career:Born in Walthamstow, London, Hayes played youth football for Essex schoolboys before joining Arsenal as an apprentice in June 1982...
Manager:
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:...

Road to Wembley

Luton

Wigan 0-1 Luton 2nd Round 1st Leg.

Luton 4-2 Wigan 2nd Round 2nd Leg.

Luton 3-1 Coventry 3rd Round (played at Filbert Street, Leicester, due to ban on away fans).

Ipswich 0-1 Luton 4th Round.

Luton 2-0 Bradford 5th Round.

Oxford 1-1 Luton Semi Final 1st Leg.

Luton 2-0 Oxford 2nd Leg.