‘Painful’ – Luton suffer back-to-back relegations to League One

Perhaps Luton Town’s previous relegation was forgiveable.

The Hatters were not the only team to find the transition from the Championship to the Premier League to be too significant a step in recent years.

However, following a poor performance and a 5-3 defeat at West Bromwich Albion on the final day of the season, there will be far less understanding about their second successive relegation a year later, this time to League One.

As the goals arrived at The Hawthorns, supporters began to vent their frustrations, it became clear that they were not going to witness the heroic feat required to save themselves from relegation.

In fact, it was exactly the opposite as they went down with more of a whimper, causing boos and some fans’ questions about whether the players were fit to wear the shirt when their demotion was confirmed at full-time.

Sorry to our supporters, Matt Bloomfield, head of BBC Three Counties Radio said. “Sorry to our supporters who are supporting us this season. Right now, we are aware of their disappointment and rage.

In the second half of April, Luton’s hopes of staying in the top three had been revived by three straight victories against Derby County, Bristol City, and Coventry City.

They were second bottom before that run. They were out of the playoffs by a certain point, with their fate in their hands on the final day of the season.

Safety was guaranteed if you defeated West Brom’s opponents with nothing to play for.

The Hawthorns’ performance and their form would not have been possible without them.

Prior to the championship’s conclusion, Luton only had lost once in nine games.

Since conceding three goals in a game just once on January 21st, which was a 4-0 loss at Burnley, which was automatically promoted, in March.

No wonder Bloomfield described their horrifyingly timed collapse as “I don’t know]where that display came from.”

“Over the past two months, we’ve been incredibly resilient to really shore up at the back, but it’s just not there,” we said.

Although Bloomfield has been in charge of their relegation, rot had already begun to appear as a result of his appointment in January.

When Rob Edwards led Luton Town to the Premier League via the play-offs against Coventry in 2022-23, the club claimed that he had “given a generation of Luton Town supporters the greatest day of their lives.”

Even if Luton were ultimately unable to defy the odds and maintain their lead, many more unforgettable moments followed in their first top-flight season since 1992.

When a push for an immediate return to the Premier League did not materialize as it did for the two sides they came into contact with, Burnley and Sheffield United, Luton gave Edwards as much time as they could, and far more than other clubs might have.

After accepting that their season had “clearly not progressed as anticipated,” they had little else to do but wait.

That was particularly true when traveling abroad. This season, Luton only won one championship game and lost 11 of those 13 on the road.

At the time of Edwards’ departure, Luton were just two points above the relegation zone and 20th in the Championship table.

Despite being in that dangerous position, Bloomfield was persuaded to leave Wycombe halfway through their League One promotion campaign. When he switched clubs, they were only two points clear of the top spot.

After all, his former club may switch divisions with his current one in 2024-25, but Wycombe has made the playoffs, despite his inability to keep Luton’s Championship status.

However, defiant Bloomfield’s thoughts were instead beginning to turn toward reversing the club’s trajectory as the pain and reality of Luton’s relegation began to weigh in.

They have no fewer leagues to climb than anyone else. Their remarkable 10-year rise from the National League culminated in their one-season stay in the Premier League under Edwards.

Bloomfield said, “This club must bounce back, and we will.”