On Tuesday night, just one game took place in League Two between a Mansfield side looking to avoid the drop, and a Luton team aiming to achieve back-to-back promotions.
Mansfield Town have hit a little run, in which they have lost just twice in their previous six games, and has seen them slip out of the relegation zone as a result. As for Luton, they are unbeaten in their last six ahead of this fixture, winning three and drawing three. The draws however have came against sides at the wrong end of the table, away to Cheltenham and Oxford, and a home draw against York.
A win for Luton would have seen them leap above Wycombe into 3rd and occupy the final automatic promotion position, but it was Mansfield that finished the game with all three points thanks to a 1-0 victory; in doing so moving to 18th in the table. As for Luton, they missed the chance to move out of the playoffs but stay just one point behind the Chairboys in 4th.
So, what is it that Luton Town are aiming to achieve?
In analysing this, I have spoken to some of the most influential people at the club; not the chairman, not the owners, not the manager, but the fans. I strongly believe that in the lower divisions, as opposed to the top flight with all the television rights, the fans are the beating heart of any club, with owners, managers and players all coming and going quicker than a change in the weather.
Luton Town are a club enriched with history, and have suffered a lot of highs but just as many lows. The Hatters enjoyed their most successful spell throughout the 80’s, achieving promotion to the top flight under manager David Pleat in 1982 and staying there until relegation under David Pleat (in his second spell as manager) in 1992. They also won the League Cup in 1988, beating Arsenal 3-2 in the final at Wembley after extra time. They also came runners up the following season, in addition to an F.A Cup runners up position in 1959.
But with highs come lows, and one of the two major demise situations came as a result of the relegation in 92, when they ended up in the third tier just four years later. Then, more disaster, as in the 2006/07 season, the then League 1 club was given a ten point deduction for financial troubles and relegation came, followed by another the following season after starting with a 30 point deduction after going into administration. On the pitch however in their final season in the league, they were more than ok, and without the deduction, the Hatters would have finished just outside the playoffs.
Life in the Conference:
Luton Town spent five years out of League football, but with an average home attendance of over 7,000 and taking an impressive 42,000 fans to Wembley for a play-off final, they were labelled the ‘big club’ in the league. Every side wanted to beat them, which sparked rivalries along the way, most notably at the time was York City. I spoke to one fan, season ticket holder Dave O’Flanagan who when I asked about the non-league, what did he and other fans expect?
“It was definitely a learning curve if nothing else, I think after the way we left the League, even the most pessimistic of Luton fans didn’t think it would take us 5 years to make our return.”
In addition, Luton also reached the playoffs three times in five seasons, unsuccessful in all, but eventually achieving promotion in 2014 under John Still as the club won the league.
Can the club achieve back to back promotions?
Despite Tuesday nights defeat, many of the fans will believe the answer is yes. Dave added;
“I think Shrewsbury and Burton are looking good for two of the three places, with the final spot a battle between us and Southend, as I think Wycombe will fall away”
In doing so, Luton will be one of just a few sides to a achieve such a feat, with Exeter managing to do so in 2009/10. Stevenage, Dagenham and Exeter are a few that have reached League 1 after going non-league, with Colchester and Doncaster going further and reaching the Championship.
John Still
John Still succeeded where club legend Mick Harford, former player Richard Money, Gary Brabin and Paul Buckle all failed and made himself a hero amongst Luton fans as the Hatters stormed to the title. He took over towards the back end of the 2013/2014 season, and even after a relatively short spell, he has already become synonymous with the club. A testament to John Still’s desire to succeed, was that he was scouting Crawley’s Andy Drury, who would re-join Luton in the summer.
Signings and Influential Players
Obviously a club will have key players when achieving promotion, but ultimately it’s a squad game. I asked Dave who he thought helped the club achieve promotion;
“Andre Gray was undoubtedly the key to Luton’s success last season, as his partnership with Paul Benson flourished as he helped himself to 30 goals and a big money move to Brentford.”
Mark Cullen has stepped up to the mantle well, scoring 12 goals already this season, despite sitting some of it out. Nathan Doyle and Jonathan Smith in front of the defence has become a successful partnership, whilst Michael Harriman has added some quality at right back on loan from QPR for the season, a move Luton hope to make permanent. Norwich youngster Cameron McGeehan has been on loan at rivals Cambridge this season, but has rejoined the Hatters for the remainder, a club he spent time on loan at last season also.
Long Term Plan
Luton play at Kenilworth Road, a stadium that many feel is inadequate in these times. Redevelopment or even a new stadium have been ongoing talks, as far back as the 1950’s. I asked Dave what he and other fans felt where their side belong;
“In terms of League progression, Luton will feel that their “level” is probably somewhere around League 1, and would be looking for their stay in League 2 to be a brief one. Personally, I’d like to think if we did go up, we’d be able to survive relatively comfortably in League 1 and then perhaps look to build from there.”
Owners and Investments
Like many clubs, owners can cause problems, amongst other things, and there are many who don’t have the clubs best interests at heart. Luton are safe in the knowledge that having a board, led by Hatters fan Nick Owen, that support the club is a welcome relief.
“They’ve put in plenty of money to help the club, and having backed managers financially to bring in players to help the club achieve success”
If Luton are to achieve promotion, it will come down to a few key ingredients; a passionate board of which are willing to invest in the club, a successful manager who can achieve the clubs ambitions, a strong squad, something that Luton have, and have no problem attracting big players to Kenilworth Road, but most importantly the fans. Decent crowds across all tiers of the footballing pyramid are something the Hatters are known for, and many belive that one day they will be back where they believe they belong.
Special thanks to Dave O’Flanagan for his contribution with this article.
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