On 13 April 1936, Luton Town crushed Bristol Rovers 12-0 in a Division Three (South) match. 10 of the goals were scored by one player, Joe Payne, whose tally remains the record number of goals scored by one individual in a League match.Payne (pictured, on the left in the white shirt) joined the Hatters the previous season at the age of 20. By the time of the match against Rovers, he was primarily a reserve team player, but was forced into starting at center forward on 13 April due to injuries among his teammates. His 10 goals, however, secured his place in the first team and he led Luton Town to promotion the next season, scoring 55 goals.
In addition to Payne's record haul, the match remains Luton Town's greatest victory and Bristol Rovers' worst loss.
On the 14th of December 1933, Ted Drake scored 7 goals for Arsenal in a 7-1 victory over Aston Villa. On Boxing Day, Robert "Bunny" Bell scored 9 goals for Tranmere in a 13-4 win over Stockport. Then in April Payne breaks Bell's record with the 10 goals against Bristol Rovers. To have three players score 7 or more goals in a game in the space of 120-odd days will probably never happen again.
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