This article will be detailing how Luton Town managed to go from the National League to the Premier League in under ten years.
The history
Founded in 1885, Luton spent most of their history competing in the lower division of England. Their highest point was reaching the FA Cup fi al but they sadly lost that game 2-1 to Nottingham Forest. Luton did compete in the top flight of English football but were relegated in 1992 the same year the Premier League was founded. All was going well for Luton until 2006, Luton owners had bankrupted the club. This would see Luton given a 12 point deduction. That 12 point deduction would lead to Luton’s relegation to League One. The following season Luton were given a further points deduction of 12 points and were relegated to League Two. Despite Luton’s beg for support by the FA and EFL, they were handed a record in England, 30 point deduction, Luton would have stayed up if it wasn’t for the deduction but sadly they were relegated on 26 points meaning they would be playing Non League Football.
The non league days
Luton started well in the National League, coming 2nd in the table, sadly Luton would lose to York City in the playoff semi final meaning another year of National League football. In the 2010/11 season, Luton would finish 3rd under the management of Richard Money but would lose in the playoff final against AFC Wimbledon. Luton would suffer further heartbreak as they would lose again in the playoff final against York City. In the 2012/13 season, Luton would finish outside of the playoffs meaning Luton would be playing for a 5th season in the National League. However their luck would change, Luton would comfortable win the league under John Still with 101 points. Andre Grey would score 30 goals in the League before joining Brentford.
League Two and Nathan Jones
Following a average 2014/15 season which would see Luton finish 8th in League Two, Luton would struggle in the following season and looked certain for relegation, this is when the Luton board made the decision to appoint Nathan Jones. Jones arrived with little experience having only coached Brighton U23s, this was a gamble that would pay off. Jones would guide Luton to a 11th place finish in his first season as manager, a very impressive achievement given the club looked certain for relegation before he came in. In the 2016/17 season Luton finished 4th in League Two, but would suffer more playoff heartbreak as they would lose to Blackpool in the semi finals of the playoffs. In the 2017/18 season, Luton would achieve promotion back to League One as Nathan Jones masterminded a promotion back to the 3rd tier.
Nathan Jones leaves and promotion
The 2018/19 League One season seemed to be going good for Luton, However in January, Nathan Jones would leave the club to join Stoke City, Luton legend Mick Hartford would take over the club and help them win the League One title getting promoted back to the Championship for the first time since 2006. Luton also got confirmation that they would be able to get a new stadium in the near future.
Nathan Jones returns, and Championship Playoffs
At the start of the 2019/20 season, Luton announced the appointment of Graeme Jones as the new manager. Graeme was the assistant manager and was inexperienced. This would be shown as Luton for the first part of the Championship season struggled and were close to being relegated back to League One. However a miracle happened. Shortly after the Covid 19 pandemic restrictions were lifted, Luton reappointed Nathan Jones as manager. Jones’s appointment proved to be a key one as he was able to secure 7 wins out of the last 9 and keep Luton Town in the Championship. The following season, Luton made some good signings such as Tom Lockyer and Elijah Adebayo. Luton would make further improvement as they would finish a respectable 12th. In the 2021/22 season, Luton would be the story of the season as they would finish in the Championship Playoff spots. Sadly it was yet more playoff heartbreak as Luton would lose to Huddersfield Town in the Playoff semis.
Rob Edwards and Premier League football
Luton started the 2022/23 Season strong as key additions such as Carlton Morris would get Luton firing, however Jones would leave Luton again and join Southampton in the Premier League. Meanwhile other at Watford, a young manager named Rob Edwards had just been sacked after 10 games as manager. Edwards and Luton was a perfect match and on the 17th November Edwards became Luton manager. Edwards would stamp his authority and make Luton are strong team. Luton went unbeaten from February and would only lose 3 games under Edwards. Luton would finish 3rd and this meant another opportunity in the playoffs. Luton would face Sunderland other 2 legs to determine who would get promoted to the Premier League. Luton lost the first league at the Stadium of Light and they knew that they needed to be strong to have an opportunity in the playoff final. Luton would win the game 2-0 at a sold out Kenilworth Road as Luton Fans knew they were one game away from the Premier League. Luton would face Coventry in the playoff final as they knew their chance for premier league football was close. Luton would take the lead through Jordan Clarke in the 23rd minute however Coventry would equalise meaning Penalties. Thankfully Luton would score all 6 of their penalties while Coventrys Fankaty Dabo blasted his penalty over the bar. This victory meant that Luton had become the first National League side to ever reach the Premier League.
My thoughts
Luton has to be one of the best stories in English Football. A club who were rooting in the National League and now heading to Old Trafford and Anfield. Overall I personally believe that Luton will be able to survive this season and will be able to stay in the Premier League for many years to come