Luton Town FC: The Rise of the Hatters

Luton Town will host Premier League football next season, over a decade after they were playing in the fifth tier of English football, the non-league. The club completed a spectacular rise from the ashes by beating Coventry City at Wembley on penalties to earn promotion to the flight, where they will play for the first time since 1992.

This isn't just another story of a team's promotion and rise from obscurity. This is the story of a traumatic fall and an even better comeback. This is the story of Luton Town, this is the rise of the Hatters.?

Successive relegations and depths of despair

The 2006/07 season saw Luton Town suffer their first relegation as the club finished bottom of the EFL Championship, the second tier of English football. The season had begun with great optimism after last season's mid-table finish but ended in despair. Financial difficulties meant players had to be sold leading to a promising campaign coming to a dismal end. But that was just the beginning of the fall.?

Signings were made in the next season to ensure a shot at promotion and the season started off well for The Hatters in League One. But the form hit a roadblock and the financial mismanagement meant the club entered administration in November and were consequently deducted 10 points. The club saw a new owner come in Luton Town 2020 Ltd led by Hatters fan and TV presenter Nick Owen. The club, however, suffered another relegation, dropping down to League Two.?

Luton Town were to begin life in the fourth tier with a 15-point deduction, but the Football League declared that since the club entered administration for a third time in nine years a further 5-point penalty was slapped. This wasn't the end though.?

The English FA had been investigating past financial irregularities at the club which went public two years ago. Later, they were docked a further 10 points, which meant they would begin their League Two season with a massive 30-point deduction.?

Despite putting up a brave fight, which included Football League Trophy success at Wembley, Luton Town were condemned to non-league football for the first time in their history.?

Non-League struggles and heartaches

Luton began the 2009/10 season in the fifth tier of English football and were early season favourites for promotion. A good mid-season run saw them challenge for the only automatic spot in the league but they eventually finished 2nd to Stevenage. This was followed by a playoff semi-final defeat at the hands of York City, consigning the Hatters to another season of non-league football.?

The next season saw Luton take one step further but still fell short. They reached the play-off final but were beaten by AFC Wimbledon on penalties at the now Etihad Stadium.?

The third season in 2011/12 saw further heartbreak for Luton fans. The club reached another play-off final only for York City to again prove to be a thorn in their side losing 2-1 despite taking an early lead.?

The 2012/13 season saw Luton Town finish 7th but is remembered for their astonishing FA Cup run. In the 4th round, they made history by beating Norwich City at Carrow Road, becoming the first non-league side to beat a Premier League team in the competition.?

John Still was put in the dugout and the 2013/14 campaign saw Luton Town finally emerge from mediocrity. They finished top with 101 points and scored 102 goals, securing a return to the Football League.?

Rising through the divisions

The first campaign back in the Football League saw Luton Town finish a respectable 8th but missing out on playoffs. Nathan Jones arrived as manager midway through the 2015/16 season with the club eventually finishing 11th.

Jones' first full season in charge saw the Kenilworth Road club finish fourth and earn a playoff spot. A highly entertaining tie against Blackpool saw Luton beaten narrowly and agonizingly 5-6 on aggregate.?

But this team was not going to brood on previous failures.?

A change in formation by Jones saw Luton brush aside sides during the 2017-18 campaign as they finished second in the league, earning promotion to League One.?

There was no waiting around this time and years of struggle like it was in the non-league and League Two. Many fans would have settled for a season of consolidation or at most a playoff spot. But by January the club had romped to the top two and hopes were high. But another challenge awaited. Nathan Jones, the man who brought them up to the division, left for Stoke City in the second tier.

Club legend Mick Harford was installed on an interim basis. A remarkable run saw the team tighten their grip on the top spot. The title and promotion was secured on the final day with a 3-1 win over Oxford United. Luton were back in the Championship, the place where their misery started.?

Promotion to Premier League, a fairytale ending

The first season back in the second tier saw Luton finish 19th, avoiding relegation and securing their status. In 2020/21, the club finished a respectable 12th meaning steady progress under a returning Nathan Jones.?

The next season, the club had a tilt at promotion. They finished an exciting campaign in 6th place, meaning a playoff date with Huddersfield Town was fixed. After a first-leg draw, Huddersfield prevailed in the return game by a single goal, meaning Luton had to wait to complete their remarkable rise.?

The 2022/23 campaign was again not without its ups and down as seen in their recent history. In November, the club was sitting in the 9th spot, two points off from a playoff place when Premier League strugglers Southampton offered Nathan Jones a chance at top-flight football. The allure of the Premier League was too much to resist and Jones left Luton for a second time in his career.?

The club moved swiftly to appoint Rob Edwards, who had been sacked by arch-rivals Watford only a few months ago. Edwards, 39, had earned his name after leading Forest Green Rovers to the League Two title in the previous campaign.?

Edwards quickly stamped his style on the team as their high-energy football took many by surprise. An astonishing set of results and consistency saw them finish third in the league, setting up a playoff meeting with Sunderland. They lost the first leg but bounced back at Kenilworth Road to win 2-0 and 3-2 on aggregate progressing to the final, which meant they were one game away from completing a fairytale turnaround.?

In a sun-soaked Wembley, Luton took the lead before being pegged back by a resilient Coventry City to make it 1-1. Again, this final wasn't without more agony for Luton Town as their captain Tom Lockyer fell to the ground with no one around him and needed medical attention.?

The game finished level, which meant penalties and as Coventry's Fankaty Dabo missed his spot kick, years of agony and pain were washed away for Luton and its fans sitting behind the goal in a sea of orange. They had completed one of the most, if not the most stunning comeback stories in football. From depths of despair to the riches of the Premier League, Luton Town emerged as a phoenix from the ashes.?

The moment was even more special for Hatters player Pelly Ruddock Mpanzu. The 29-year-old joined the club when they were in non-league and climbed through the divisions with the club, right from the bottom to the very top. The DR Congo international became the first player to be promoted from Englans's non-league to the Premier League with the same club.?

Mpanzu epitomized the spirit and the story of Luton Town in a microcosm.?

Next season the likes of Erling Haaland, Kevin De Bruyne, Mo Salah, Bruno Fernandes, Bukayo Saka, and other Premier League stars will make their way to Luton Town's Kenilworth Road, the smallest stadium in the top-flight.?

They will enter Luton's 10,000-capacity stadium, through probably the most unique entrance in modern-day football. The turnstiles are between a long row of terraced housing. A tight alleyway follows before you ascend and descend the metal stairways looking over the gardens of the adjoining houses. This will be a cultural shock to many superstars of the Premier League.

In time Luton will renovate their stadium to meet the league demands, but certain aspects will remain there.?

After years in the wilderness, Luton fans deserve to host the biggest names in world football at their throwback stadium and if the Hatters' recent history is anything to go by, it will be another season not short on drama.?

The question of league survival comes later, but for now, Luton Town have given football fans all over the world a reason to remember them for years to come.?