What do Fulham, Wigan Athletic, Swansea, Hull City, and Blackpool have in common? Apart from being well-recognised teams, all of the clubs rose from the bottom of the English football pyramid to the Premier League. Moreover, all these clubs went on an impressive run where they went from obscurity to the top of the English League. And if things go their way, Luton Town could become the next club to join the list.
Situated in Bedfordshire county in the East of England, Luton Town last played in the top-tier League in 1982. Since then, they have been on a cycle of relegation and promotion in the lower leagues. However, in 2009, the club reached their lowest point when they were eliminated to the Conference Premier League.
However, since then, the club have ground it out, suffering close promotional calls, winning it the hard way through several leagues to get to the point they are currently at.
So, how did Luton Town manage to turn around their fortunes?
A steep fall for Luton Town
When the 2008-09 season ended, Luton Town achieved history though not in a positive sense. For the first time in their history, the club was relegated to the Conference Premier League. And the drop came under controversial circumstances. Before the start of the 2008-09 season, the Football Association (FA) conducted an investigation which found the club guilty of 15 misconduct.
And thus, the club was fined £50,000 and docked ten points even before the season started. However, the worst was yet to come as the FA docked a further 20 points for Luton Town to compete in the current season. This meant that despite winning 56 points, Luton were relegated to the Conference Premier League.
This meant that Luton Town were playing as a non-league team for the first time. And that status would remain with them for the next four years. During this time, they would get to the playoffs thrice but fail to get promoted each time.
Luton Town’s Conference League Play-offs losses |
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| Season | Against | Score |
| 2009-10 | York City | 2-0 |
| 2010-11 | AFC Wimbledon | 0-0 (4-3 on penalties) |
| 2011-12 | York City | 2-1 |
| 2012-13 | – | – |
The rise under John Still
However, things only changed in 2013 when the club appointed John Still as their manager. A former player Still altered the club’s face by signing several players. One of them was midfielder Pelly Ruddock, who remains an integral part of the club.
Still implemented a new system that made Luton a goal-scoring machine—in his first…
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