Lincoln City and Luton Town have met 41 times in league and FA Cup competition, with City winning seven, 13 games drawn, and Luton holding the upper hand with 21 victories.
| Lincoln wins | Draws | Luton wins | |
|---|---|---|---|
| League | 7 | 11 | 19 |
| FA Cup | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Total | 7 | 13 | 21 |
Our most recent meeting came earlier this season, and it proved to be one of the most satisfying results in the modern history of this fixture. City ran out 3-1 winners against Luton Town at Sincil Bank in September 2025, a performance that combined control, patience, and late ruthlessness. Ben House opened the scoring early, and after Jordan Clark briefly gave the visitors hope midway through the second half, City struck twice in the final five minutes. Justin Obikwu’s finish on 85 minutes restored the lead before House added his second in stoppage time to round off an emphatic evening under the lights.
That victory was significant not only for the scoreline, but also because it marked our first league win over Luton since 1999. It also underlined how far City had come since our previous meetings with the Hatters earlier in the EFL era, when momentum and results tended to flow in the opposite direction.
The last trip to Kenilworth Road, however, remains a painful one. On New Year’s Day 2018, City were beaten 4-2 in an ill-tempered League Two encounter that swung decisively after a chaotic opening period. Michael Bostwick gave us an early lead before Matt Green cancelled out James Collins’ leveller. Red cards for Alan Sheehan and Harry Anderson left City defending a leadwith ten men each. Luton took full advantage in the second half, with Danny Hylton and Harry Cornick completing the turnaround after James Justin had already struck before half time.
That season also saw a goalless draw at Sincil Bank in September, a result that offered early warning of the gap that would open up between the two sides as Luton surged towards promotion. Those 2017–18 meetings followed a previous stalemate in the Conference in January 2014, another 0-0 draw at Sincil Bank in a campaign where both clubs were still finding their feet in non league football.
Earlier Conference meetings were far less forgiving. In September 2013, City were beaten 3-2 at Kenilworth Road despite leading 1-0 (Alan Power) at the break and going ahead 2-1 after Mark Cullen’s equaliser after half time. The 2012–13 season saw Luton complete a league double, including a 3-0 home win and a 2-1 success at Sincil Bank. The pattern of narrow defeats and missed opportunities became a familiar theme as the two clubs crossed paths.
The Football League meetings of the late 2000s followed a similar arc. A goalless draw at Sincil Bank in April 2009 was preceded by a dramatic 3-2 defeat at Kenilworth Road over Christmas, a game remembered for Lenell John Lewis and Adrian Patulea finding the net in vain. Earlier still, the early 2000s brought frustration, with a 1-0 home defeat in 2002 and a 1-1 draw in Bedfordshire the previous season.
The FA Cup ties at the end of the 1990s produced two tight contests, a 2-2 draw at Kenilworth Road followed by a narrow 1-0 defeat at Sincil Bank in the replay. Our most recent away league victory in this fixture came in April 1999, when Lee Thorpe scored the only goal in a 1-0 win in Division Two.
Pre-1970
Historically, meetings with Luton stretch back to the very foundations of league football. The clubs first met in 1897, with City winning 4-2 at home before suffering a chastening 9-3 defeat on our first ever visit to Kenilworth Road. That set the tone for a fixture that would often be high scoring and unpredictable.
The most famous result from this period came in December 1966, when City demolished Luton 8-1 at Sincil Bank in Division Four, one of the heaviest defeats the Hatters have ever suffered against us. Elsewhere, however, Luton largely had the upper hand, particularly during spells in the old Second Division in the 1950s, when narrow away defeats and hard-fought draws were common.
Across more than a century of meetings, the fixture has swung with the fortunes of both clubs. Recent seasons have finally begun to tip the balance back in City’s favour, and the latest chapter suggests this long-running rivalry still has plenty left to offer.