Two relegations later: Will Luton bounce back?
After a remarkable rise from non-league to top tier in just ten years, Luton Town fans will have to wait until 2023 for their first taste of Premier League football at Kenilworth Road.
The club had been unable to restore the iconic stadium in time for their first home game in August, so West Ham were the first to play at a venue that had hosted Barnet and Forest Green Rovers in League Two six years before on September 1. Kenilworth Road will kick off the 2025-26 season on Friday, less than two years after being relegated twice before.
They’ll face newly promoted AFC Wimbledon in a rematch of the 2011 Conference play-off final, which the Wombles won on penalties following a tense 0-0 draw.
The Hatters’ rise was dramatic and inspiring. The drop has been precipitous and shocking.
‘Three crazy years’ – how did we get here?
IMAGE SOURCE, GETTY IMAGESRob Edwards led the Hatters to a Championship play-off final victory over Coventry City, but left the club less than two seasons later, with the club sitting 20th in the second tier, having been relegated the previous season.
Some may recall Luton’s penalty shootout victory over Coventry City in the Championship play-off final at Wembley Stadium in May 2023. Fankaty Dabo missed the game-winning penalty kick for the Sky Blues, sending the Hatters back to the top tier for the first time since 1992. Their final season at the top of the table also marked the end of the old First Division before the formation of the Premier League.
In the 31 years since, the Bedfordshire club has dropped down the leagues and dropped out of the EFL entirely after being docked points for financial reasons in 2008-09, before becoming the first club to climb from the fifth tier to the top in the Premier League era.
Since losing to Wimbledon in the Conference [now the National League] play-off final 14 years ago, Luton has experienced four promotions and two relegations. Simon Oxley, a BBC Three Counties Radio commentator, describes the experience as “whirlwind”. “There’s rarely ever any middle ground – it’s either a relegation scrap or promotion,” Oxley commented to BBC Sport. “The past three years have been crazy. It’s strange to be back in League One after going through it all in a single season. Overall, it has been a whirlwind.
The clubs who have suffered consecutive relegations
Four clubs have suffered consecutive relegations from the Premier League to League One:
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Swindon Town [1993-94, 94-95],
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Wolverhampton Wanderers [2011-12, 12-13],
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Sunderland [2016-17, 17-18],
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Luton Town [2023-24, 24-25].
What has changed at Luton this summer?
IMAGE SOURCE, GETTY IMAGESMatt Bloomfield replaced Rob Edwards as head coach in January
After finishing 18th in the Premier League and six points behind safety, the Hatters’ season started promisingly but quickly devolved into a nightmare.
Rob Edwards, who was in charge of the club’s historic day less than two years before, left with Luton 20th in the Championship and four consecutive defeats in January. Matt Bloomfield was brought in to take over.
The Chairboys would ultimately fall short and lose to Charlton Athletic in the play-offs, while Bloomfield was unable to keep Luton in the Championship as they went down 5-3 to West Bromwich Albion on the final day of the season.
Seven players have left this summer, including the likes of Amari’i Bell and Alfie Doughty, while eight have been brought in as they prepare for an unexpected return to League One.
“It looks like horses for courses; players who know the division or have played in the division higher – players to do a job, which is to get straight back up,” says Oxley.
“There can be no less ambition than that. They need to get back to the Championship. Matt Bloomfield knows a lot of players through Wycombe connections, and he believes they can do the job.”There can’t be any less ambition than that. They’ve got to get back to the Championship. There’s a lot of players there Matt Bloomfield either knows through Wycombe connections on ones he feels can do the job.”
‘We believe we can challenge at the top’
IMAGE SOURCE, GETTY IMAGESMick Harford represented Luton Town and Wimbledon FC as a player and is now the Hatters’ head of recruitment
Luton only stayed in League One for one season after being promoted from League Two, finishing as champions under Mick Harford in 2018-19. After months of change on and off the pitch, Harford, the club’s new head of recruitment, believes they will be able to recover this time.
“I would say so [promotion has to be the expectation], with the players we’ve brought in, the players who are still here from Premiership days and Championship days, you can never predict but we believe, we hope that we’ll be challenging at the top of the league and trying to get out of the league,” he went on.
“We’re in a really good position and we believe we’ll be challenging.” Kevin Harper, who serves on the board of directors for the Luton Town Supporters’ Trust, agreed that automatic promotion had to be the goal for the season given the club’s continued parachute payments and a plethora of Championship-caliber players.
“It would be unacceptable to be out of the top six, but we should be looking at going up automatically,” the coach said.
A repeat of the 2011 Conference final
IMAGE SOURCE, GETTY IMAGESAFC Wimbledon beat Luton on penalties in the 2011 Conference play-off final at Etihad Stadium in Manchester
“There is no way to dress up last season; it was disappointing. We should have at least consolidated our Championship position, if not done what Burnley and Sheffield United did. “All we can do is put it right this season.”
After playing early-season Friday night games against West Ham and Chelsea two years ago, the Hatters will begin the EFL season on Friday against AFC Wimbledon, who have spent the previous three years in League Two.
It is a club Harford knows well.
He made 79 appearances for Wimbledon FC over four years, from 1994 to 1998, and he holds high regard for his current club.
“It’ll be great to host them at Kenilworth Road.” I’m completely impressed with how they’ve built the football club,” he added.
“They’ve done fantastically. The chairman, the board, the players, and the staff deserve every accolade they receive because they have accomplished an incredible feat.”
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