It wasn’t the result that Luton wanted to sign off their Premier a league adventure, but fans sent the players on their way as heroes. Hatters do things differently.
The 4-2 defeat? Almost irrelevant, really, though it was a microcosm of their defensive struggles this season.
Town were level for under three first-half stoppage time minutes after Carlton Morris’ penalty, with Raul Jimenez netting the first of a double. And that was as close as they came to a result, though Alfie Doughty sneaked in a free-kick to make it 3-2 before Harry Wilson topped Adama Traore’s opener in the stunner stakes.
It confirmed Luton’s relegation, but as boss Rob Edwards said: “We knew it last week didn’t we? I’ve had a week to adjust and get my head around it, still not nice to think about, but it’s just a reality, we have come up short.
“We’ve given our all and there’s reasons for it. In the end we were just a little bit too thin, we were, and we have done, even today, I think today encapsulates the season really well for us.
“We lost a midfielder (Ross Barkley, calf) and a defender (Reece Burke, Achilles) last week, within the first 10 minutes we lost an important defender (Teden Mengi) today so we’re reshuffling today.
“We went 1-0 down to the first mistake we made after we missed a few good chances, equalised, concede straight away and we’ve done that a few times this year.
“[We] concede from a set-piece which I was a little bit disappointed we didn’t get a free kick in the build-up, but we forget that now, we’ve got to defend the set-piece.
“Then back again, 3-2, show loads of character, some good quality, then we concede from a counter attack after an attacking throw-in in the final third.
“So, all of that stuff has happened all season long, loads of good stuff, loads of good play, goals, but ultimately a little bit too fragile, but in the end I’ve just seen Locks (Tom Lockyer) out there again, it started almost with a horrific, horrific night with him and thank goodness he’s here now, that’s the main thing.
“But [we] missed him, and then we’ve missed a number of players as well and in the end the job became almost impossible.
“But I’m so proud of everyone, the whole football club, everyone connected with it, we’ve given our all, so very, very proud, disappointed, but hungry to get back in.”
And that’s the difference in 2024. Luton’s last relegation – from the Football League – 15 years ago was once of pain and anger, the remnants of which were still sung here, when frustrating officiating went against them.
But this drop felt different. Twelve months ago, this team completed the greatest fairytale in football. This club’s fans do not forget.
A powerful unity has been created that is not reliant on what division the Hatters play in. In ten years, most fans have seen it all anyway. But now, they find their club in as strong a position as they been for a generation. Maybe ever.
With Premier League cash, a new stadium promised for the 2027/28 season and one of the best-run clubs in the country, Luton are built on a positivity these days that few other clubs can understand.
Nor, can many comprehend why more than 10,000 supporters stayed inside Kenilworth Road to clap and cheer for the men that made their dreams come true. But they did.
And, in a way, relegation confirms only one thing – the end of a remarkable history-making decade. But, judging by the reaction of fans, not the end of an era. Just the start of a new chapter.
