We celebrate Luton Town’s promotion to the Premier League and reflect on the rollercoaster ride that got them to his point.
We’ve been speaking to the Supporter Trust and a number of lifelong fans to reflect on the journey from being a Non League club just 9 years ago to playing in the Premier League.
We’ve been speaking to the Supporter Trust and a number of lifelong fans to reflect on the journey from being a Non League club just 9 years ago to playing in the Premier League.
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SportsTranscript
00:00 I think it would have been quite quick because we came up on the crest of a wave, we were
00:14 very positive, we had that momentum going forward. Plus as well we're a bigger club
00:22 and more resources than a lot of those clubs in League 2 so I wasn't surprised that we
00:29 took to it quite well and we were well equipped. Obviously John still got us back but then
00:34 he departed and Nathan Jones. Yeah unfortunately I think John despite being a great manager
00:41 for us and being a wonderful guy I think he'd taken us as far as he could and it was time
00:49 for somebody else to come in and take us that next level. Yeah and League 2, what are your
00:55 memories of League 2? Unfortunately the Blackpool play-off, losing to an own goal in the last
01:03 minute is not great but there's some other great memories of the promotion season, the
01:09 8-2 against Yeovil and putting seven past Cambridge and Stevenage was very nice to put
01:15 them in their place. There was a certain goal from inside his own half as well that got
01:19 quite a lot of pass. The goal from a different postcode, yeah, that cracking goal. If that
01:25 had been in a Premier League match they'd have been raving about it but because it was
01:31 League 2, no. And then we kicked on League 1 straight away with the promotion. Oh that
01:36 was a fantastic year. I think the club had recruited for League 1 when they got into
01:44 League 2 and it was a great season. Right from the first match we looked like we could
01:52 cope with it. I was at that game in Portsmouth where we lost 1-0 and even the Portsmouth
01:58 supporters after the game were saying they couldn't believe that they'd won the game.
02:02 But we pressed on and in the latter half of the season we just cruised it.
02:08 In that second half of the season obviously Nathan disappeared to Stoke and Mick to Gerver.
02:14 Which was disappointing but the team were on a mission. They were all heading in the
02:19 same direction so Mick came in, carried on. I don't think he had to tweak the side that
02:26 much and it was fantastic because not only did we win the title and get back-to-back
02:31 promotions, it also gave Mick Hartford redemption.
02:36 Back in the Championship, the first season was a battle for survival and obviously a
02:46 code in the middle of it too. Do you remember that?
02:51 I remember it being nerve-wracking. I knew that the Championship would be tough as it
03:00 turned out to be. It was a great start to the season with that draw against Middlesbrough
03:06 and Sonny's fantastic goal. But I think it was the correct decision to bring Nathan back
03:13 because we all know that Nathan can motivate a side and that's what was needed. It was
03:18 a fantastic last part of the season. Lucky for Nathan that it was behind closed doors
03:25 because of Covid so he didn't have to endure the wrath of the home fans. But it worked
03:31 out well in the end.
03:32 Surviving that season is crucial now to where we find ourselves, isn't it?
03:38 Yes, we've moved on and every season we've improved. That's what 2020 do. We do it the
03:49 correct way, we don't overspend and risk the future of the club. Every year we build, we
03:56 strengthen and we build.
03:58 In season four, we got to the play-offs and played Hudsfield but we were hit by injuries,
04:09 didn't we?
04:10 No, unfortunately we were really hit with injuries which meant we didn't have the in-depth
04:17 squad that we should have. But we still made a good fight of it. We gave Huddersfield two
04:23 games and to be honest with you, I think Huddersfield can count themselves fortunate that they got
04:28 to Wembley.
04:29 This season, we got to the play-offs again, probably with a bit more confidence in a stronger
04:35 squad.
04:36 Yes, the squad have been made stronger, more athletic. I was expecting an improvement on
04:44 last season in terms of league position which is what we got. We finished third, we looked
04:50 really good value for it and consequently the previous season's experience in the play-offs
04:56 served us well this year.
04:58 Two games against Sunderland then. The first game, we started off well but it didn't quite
05:03 go to plan but we pulled it back in the second leg.
05:06 Yes, we did. That second leg was fantastic. The atmosphere in the ground was unbelievable
05:13 which is what we're going to have to have for every game this coming season. But over
05:20 the course of the two legs, we were the better side. I think Sunderland were only really
05:28 ahead of us in the second half up at their place but we were well-deserved winners at
05:32 the end.
05:33 Yes, and on to Wembley. We got a bit of a conky in the end but again, we didn't do it
05:38 the easy way.
05:39 No, we never do. It's not the looting way to do it the easy way. I thought it was a
05:45 good game of football against two good sides. I think overall we were the better side for
05:52 most of it, certainly for the first half. Coventry really were only on top for about
05:58 half an hour in the second half and in the extra time it only looked like there would
06:02 be one winner and then of course we couldn't get that winner. We almost did but it was
06:06 unfortunately ruled out.
06:07 I thought it was supposed to be a 'L', wasn't it?
06:09 Yes, it was. The way the rules are at the moment, I don't know. If he'd have passed
06:17 it square to Morris and Morris put it in, it probably would have been allowed then but
06:21 because Taylor got an advantage from the handball. It was an unintentional handball. So it went
06:28 to penalties and nerve-wracking time.
06:30 Yes, and can you remember how you felt when that penalty was over the bar with one?
06:34 Oh, unbelievable. Mixed emotions, elation. I'm not frightened to say I had a tear in
06:40 my eye. The fact that we'd done it, in a club like Luton, and the restrictive budget
06:49 we've got and everything else, the fact that we're now in with the big boys is unbelievable.
06:56 The penalties were, well there were 11 fantastic penalties. All our guys looked confident when
07:03 they went up to take it. We know now that they've been practising it and it's been
07:09 drilled into them. Even how to breathe, even where to stand and everything. So that just
07:14 shows you the level of detail that Rob Edwards puts in. Most of the Coventry penalties, their
07:20 players look confident and everything. It's just that when the guy you missed, when he
07:26 went up, he didn't look like he was up for it at all. As much as it's unfortunate for
07:31 for him I'm glad he missed.