Kirk Stephens: Luton team-mates would have swapped their international caps for Watford winner

Former Luton defender Kirk Stephens believes that the star players within Town’s squad during his time at Kenilworth Road would have swapped their international caps to have scored his winner at arch rivals Watford.

Back in the 1979-80 season, the Hatters travelled to Vicarage Road on Boxing Day and returned as 1-0 winners.

It was Stephens, then in second season at the club, who popped up with the only goal of the game in the closing stages, sending the visiting fans in attendance delirious, as he netted his maiden strike in Town colours.

Speaking about the goal, Stephens said: “Every time I come down to Luton, I inevitably get asked the question, 'Basher, Basher what about your goal against Watford?'

“I always say, the only thing I remember about the actual goal itself is, 'I remember (Jake) Findlay got the ball, he rolled it to (Mark) Aizlewood.

“'Aizlewood played a little one two with Ricky Hill, Ricky Hill knocked it into Alan West’s feet, he’s had a terrific turn and knocked it into Brian Stein’s feet, who popped the ball back to Rick Hill.

“'Ricky Hill has played it into David Moss who has cut inside the full back, he’s looked out to the left wing and seen Bob Hatton out there.

“'I’ve seen there's a big massive gap at the far post, I've raced 35 yards, I've got in the box, Bob Hatton smashes the ball to the far post, I run in and I head the ball into the back of the net and we beat Watford 1-0, but other than that I don't remember too much about it!'

“The rivalry with Watford was huge then.

“As I say to everybody, you've got the likes of Brian Stein, Ricky Hill, Paul Walsh, England caps, Mark Aizlewood 50 Welsh caps, Tony Grealish, 50 Irish caps, Mal Donaghy, 70 caps, but I tell you what, they'd swap it all for that goal against Watford, so that's a great memory.”

Stephens was fondly known as ‘Basher’ by the Luton supporters during his 248 games for the Hatters over the spell of six years.

On just why that was, he continued: “I just did things in a bit of a robust way, whether it was playing football, tennis, I was a bit of a 'get in there, you’re having it.'

“I think it was Brian Stein who originally came out with it, he said 'look at him, he's got to bash everything.'

"I said 'what do you mean?' He said 'you've smashed into the full back, if you're playing snooker, you smash the balls, if you're playing tennis, you smash everything, look at you bashing everything,' and of course it stuck then didn't it.

“The fans loved it as well, they were fantastic.

“Every time I go down there, they always make a fuss of me, I’m welcome, every door is open to me.

“I've got a great relationship with the supporters as at the end of the day, I think they appreciated I hadn't got the skills of Ricky Hill or the goalscoring ability of Brian Stein, or Paul Walsh, but I gave everything, my heart and soul.

“If you do that for supporters, they’ll get right behind you.”

Stephens did manage one other goal during his time at Kenilworth Road, that coming in the final match of the 1980-81 campaign, in a 3-0 victory at Bolton Wanderers.

He said: “I just remember, we had a very, very slim outside chance of getting promotion, we had to win by three goals or more, and Swansea had to lose.

"I scored the third goal at Bolton, so I was thinking 'lets hope this is the one,' but unfortunately for us I Swansea may have won their game, they went up and we stayed down.”

Stephens had joined Town in the summer of 1978 as he followed his former Nuneaton boss David Pleat to Kenilworth Road.

It was to start a superb period for the club, winning promotion to the top flight in 1982 and staying there in the following two seasons that Stephens was at Kenilworth Road.

On his move and time with the club, Stephens continued: "When I was at Nuneaton, I was only there for six months with David and the night he was leaving the ground, I bumped into him and he said 'Kirk, I think you’re a terrific little player, if I become manager of a Football League club I’m going to come back and sign you.

"Six months to the day, he got the manager's job and that week he sold Steve Buckley to Derby County, sold the Futcher twins to Man City, and he signed the likes of Bob Hatton, Mark Aizlewood, David Moss, (Steve) Sherlock, Chris Turner and myself.

“It was fantastic for me, at the age of 23 to go and fulfill a kids dream, play professional football, so that’s a great memory for me.

“I only played about four games as I got injured in training, a fellow called David Carr who was the right back at Luton before I arrived, we clashed in a tackle and unfortunately I snapped my cruciate ligaments which put me out of the game for a little while.

"But I was so determined, as those sorts of injuries in those days finished players, but I fought back and got myself fit and got myself back out there again within weeks.

“That was a bit of a poor start, but after that I think I was almost an ever-present.

“When you look, we literally had a new side going out there, we had Ricky Hill and Brian Stein, Paul Price, they were the longest players there, then us lot thrown in.

"Pleaty threw us in, but with his foresight that he's probably got some of the most skillful players you've ever seen in Ricky Hill and Brian Stein.

"He knew the strengths of other players, my strength wasn't my skill, but in determination, effort and energy, I think I was up with the best of them.

“We were was exciting, we would sooner draw 3-3 than be a 1-0, we were an exciting side to watch.

"The season we won promotion to what is now the Premiership, I believer Jimmy Hill loved having us on Match of the Day, and I think 21 or 22 of our games were on that season, so it was great times."

When in the top flight, Luton did superbly to stay up in their first season, beating Manchester City 1-0 on the final day of the season.

They then managed a 16th place the following term, as Stephens said: "We didn’t disgrace ourselves, it was hard, but we were there, the history books don’t lie.

"We played in the old First Division and I think we deserve great credit for the way we went about it.

“Everybody’s finding their feet, I’ve come out of non-league football, I’ve been playing at Woking and Halesowen, those sort of places, now we’re on the big stages, Old Trafford, Highbury and Stamford Bridge.

"We've all adapted, it doesn’t happen overnight, as you can't just change overnight."

The 83-84 season was to be Stephens' last with the Hatters, as he headed back to the Midlands to join Coventry City.

Now 65 and still running his family construction business, the ex-full back has nothing but happy memories of his time in Bedfordshire, especially working with Pleat.

He added: "He’s like a father figure to me, always has been.

"I can't speak highly enough of him for what he did for me personally, he had a great ability, his coaching techniques were great, all his sessions were interesting.

"It was brilliant, never laborious, and just a fantastic six years of my life."