sold to Liverpool in the summer of 1984. 1983–1984 brought an excellent first half of the season for Luton, whose 3–0 win at Notts County on Boxing Day had seen them occupy third place in the league, putting them just five points behind leaders Liverpool and sparking hopes of a title challenge. However, their form during the second half of the season was less impressive, and by the time of a 5–0 home defeat against Manchester United on 12 February 1984 they were ninth in the league and looking increasing unlikely to qualify for the UEFA Cup, let alone win the league title. Luton's form continued to decline, and they finished the season in 16th place – just three points clear of the relegation zone. December 1984 saw the arrival of attacker Mick Harford from Birmingham City. 13 March 1985 saw an infamous riot by Millwall supporters before, during and after an FA Cup sixth-round tie, which caused noticeable damage to the ground and the surrounding area. The club reacted by imposing an unpopular ban on all away supporters from Kenilworth Road, as well as introducing a scheme that would require even home supporters to carry membership cards to be admitted to matches. Luton did manage to beat Millwall 1–0, to book a semi-final clash with Everton on 13 April at Villa Park. Everton were overwhelmingly expected to win the game, as they were in process of winning the league title by a comfortable margin and were also on their way to glory in the European Cup Winners' Cup, but Luton held their own against the Merseyside club, who needed extra time to edge them out with a 2–1 win. On the league scene, Luton finished 13th in the First Division and had never been in any real danger of relegation. Luton also decided to rip up the grass pitch at Kenilworth Road and install an artificial playing surface before the start of the 1985–1986 season. The new surface became exceedingly unpopular and was derided as "the plastic pitch". That season, they had the distinction of ending Manchester United's 10-match winning start to the league campaign, holding them to a 1–1 draw at Kenilworth Road in their 11th league game on 5 October 1985. The end of 1985–1986 saw Pleat leave Luton, as he moved on to Tottenham Hotspur, but his final season ended on a high with a ninth-place