“It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent that survives. It is the one that is the most adaptable to change.”
While this is a quote frequently misattributed to Charles Darwin – the father of natural selection – it’s a useful lens through which to evaluate Luton Town’s gradual transformation.
“Evolution” is the process that manager Nathan Jones has repeatedly used to describe his side’s remarkable Championship campaign, inside a miraculous 11 months.
Such is the club’s achievement in comfortably securing a third straight season in the Championship, that today’s visit of Middlesbrough should be a dead rubber. But three victories and a draw in the last four tell a different story. And the manner of them? Just wow!
You wait 15 years for a derby at the Kenny with that lot down the road (and 28 years for glory) and then ‘little old Luton’ give them a gubbing they’ll be able to relive again and again in the Premier League.
Then you wait two-and-a-half years for a comeback victory on the road after conceding the first goal, plus 83 years for an away-day Football League turnaround after giving up a two-goal head start – then two come along at once.
You could argue that better performances in the first halves at Wycombe and Bristol City would prevent the need to come from behind, but what drama!
Even the goalless draw against Reading (which they should’ve won), highlighted one contributory evolutionary factor for a campaign that could still see them finish in the top eight, on what Jones has called a “bottom three budget”.
That stalemate made it 18 times that Town have failed to score in the Championship this term, which could have caused problems, except last season’s leakiest defence (right up to the final days of the campaign – thanks Hull) has notched 14 clean sheets.
“We’ve reached a level now that we weren’t at a year ago,” Jones said, who last spring returned to a Hatters side heading for the trap door until he masterminded the Great Escape.
He added: “We are evolving into a different side now. Anyone can see it. A more aggressive, more front-footed, better passing side, with real threats and competition in every position. It’s a good place to be and we’re happy with that.”
That’s clear from recent performances. And, free from promotion or relegation tension, what this unusual end-of-term period has done is almost give the Hatters an extended, but competitive, pre-season. And with that, we’ve seen the biggest and most exciting developments – pressing the ball, being more positive with it, chances galore and now goals.
This swashbuckling spirit, is not new of course, it’s just had to lay low in favour of pragmatism, which has paid off.
Or, to paraphrase those words that Darwin never said, they’ve become adaptable to change.
But, it’s not such much evolution, as the re-evolution of Luton Town.
Thanks James and Kevin for the coverage this season! I’ve really enjoyed it! Especially given the lack of both having anyone to watch the match with and the pub after to decompress.
And I think/hope you’re right. We needed to sort the defence out and learn how to be difficult to beat. Mission accomplished! I hope that yesterday was a bit of an anomaly and that next season we add a constant attacking threat back into the plan. Let’s score more goals and have more fun now we have a decent defence front to back. And then know if that fails that we can fall back on being a pragmatic side.