[59] After reaching the League Two play-offs in 2016–17,[60] when they were beaten 6–5 on aggregate by Blackpool in the semi-final,[61] Luton were promoted back to League One the following season as runners-up. Boris Johnson is expected to announce a tougher three-Tier system today for when the national lockdown ends on December 2. [115] Morton also holds the record for the most Football League appearances for the club, with 495. Luton began playing in white shirts, shorts and socks in 1979, with the orange and navy motif reduced to trim; navy shorts were adopted in 1984. [116] Six players, Gordon Turner, Andy Rennie, Brian Stein, Ernie Simms, Herbert Moody and Steve Howard, have scored more than 100 goals for Luton. Even then the ground was small compared to those of most First and Second Division clubs, and its location made significant redevelopment difficult. [8][12] After the First World War broke out, Luton took part in The London Combination during 1915–16, and afterwards filled each season with friendly matches. Council leaders want to keep it that way. [4][5] Before this there were many clubs in the town, the most prominent of which were Luton Wanderers and Luton Excelsior. ", "The forgotten story of ... the Football League's record scoring trio", "England Player Honours – Football Writers' Association Footballers of the Year", "Round-up : Coventry end with demolition Derby", "Mick Harford replaces Kevin Blackwell at Luton", "Luton lose appeal against points deduction", "Luton Town win Conference Premier and Football League spot", "Hatters hit four as they hammer Accrington", "Luton seal promotion to League One with Carlisle draw", "League One promotion: Luton Town and Barnsley return to Championship for 2019–20", "League One roundup: Luton seal title as Plymouth go down on goal difference", "EasyJet sponsorship + new kit for next season", "Barnfield College named as new Luton shirt sponsor", "Back of shirt and short sponsors meet the team! Luton Town Football Club was formed on 11 April 1885. [96][97] In 2009, the club began an independent feasibility study to determine a viable location to move to. Tier 3 restrictions would mean no mixing of households, pubs and restaurants could only operate as takeaways and fans would be banned once again from sporting events. [5] The ground was next to the Dunstable to Luton railway line, and players regularly claimed to have trouble seeing the ball because of smoke from the trains. Cases in Luton have increased recently, along with many other areas. The team plays its home matches at Kenilworth Road, where it has been based since 1905. We are hosting a COVID-19 vaccine webinar to answer any questions or doubts about vaccination on 6 May 2020. Four years later a crest comprising the club's initials intertwined was briefly adopted. The "rainbow" badge, introduced in 1994, featured the town crest below an orange and blue bow which curved around to meet two footballs, positioned on either side of the shield, with the club name underneath. Five key factors will decide if the borough goes into the highest tier of Covid-19 restrictions from next week. The letters "LTFC" were added in 1935, and this basic design remained until 1947. [26] During this period, Luton sides also featured two England international goalkeepers, Ron Baynham and Bernard Streten,[27][28] as well as Irish internationals Seamus Dunne,[29] Tom Aherne and George Cummins. Luton thereafter spent five seasons in non-League football before winning the Conference Premier in 2013–14, securing promotion back into the Football League. Similar fears have been expressed in neighbouring Central Bedfordshire, which has also seen a spike with an increase of 125 cases last week, as well as six deaths. Our regular e-newsletter, e-Luton, has been sent to over 32,000 Luton residents today. More success soon followed, with Luton being promoted from League Two and One in successive seasons in 2017–18 and 2018–19, meaning Luton now play in the Championship, for the first time since 2006–07. [134] Luton's youth set-up consists of ten Soccer Centres across Bedfordshire and North Hertfordshire, two Centres of Excellence (one in Luton, one in Dunstable), and an Academy in Baldock that caters for players in the under-9 to under-16 age groups. The shirts were thereafter plain until 1933, when Luton first adopted a badge depicting a straw boater, which appeared on Luton shirts. When George Deacon and John Charles Lomax then arranged a public meeting with the purpose of forming a 'Luton Town Football Club', Spratley protested, saying there was already a Luton Town club; and the atmosphere was tense when the meeting convened in the town hall on 11 April 1885. [8][10] Poor attendance, high wages and the high travel and accommodation costs that resulted from Luton's distance from the northern heartlands of the Football League crippled the club financially,[10] and made it too expensive to compete in that league. From 2000 to 2008, Luton returned to white shirts and black shorts; orange was included as trim until 2007. Luton's public health chief has urged residents with symptoms to self-isolate as coronavirus cases remain "stubbornly high" in the town. [135], "LTFC" redirects here. ", "New sponsors are SsangYong Motor UK Ltd", "MAKE YOUR MARK ON THE CHAMPIONSHIP IN OUR 2019–20 KIT", "THREE NEW KITS FOR 2020–21. Kingston upon Hull in the East Riding of Yorkshire is going into Tier 2 Why you can trust Sky News Parts of the Midlands and Yorkshire as well as Luton and Oxford will move into Tier 2 coronavirus restrictions from 12.01am on Saturday. The government has announced Luton will be moved into the coronavirus tier 2 measures this week. In 1973 the Bobbers Stand became all-seated, and in 1985 the grass pitch was replaced with an artificial playing surface; it quickly became unpopular and was derided as "the plastic pitch". MADE FOR HEROES", "Unlucky Luton, a reminder of football's forgotten days", "Millwall hopes to leave dark history behind in F.A. The Main Stand is flanked by the David Preece Stand, and opposite them stands a row of executive boxes. [93] By 2015, these plans had been dropped in favour of a move to a new location, with managing director Gary Sweet confirming that the club was in a position to "buy land, secure the best possible professional advice ... and to see the [planning] application process through to the receipt of consent. In the North, the new areas that will soon have a 'high' alert level are: [39], On the last day of the 1982–83 season, the club's first back in the top tier, it narrowly escaped relegation: playing Manchester City at Maine Road, Luton needed to win to stay up, while City could escape with a draw. [108], Luton Town supporters maintain a bitter rivalry with Hertfordshire-based Watford. [121] Luton's heaviest loss was a 9–0 defeat against Small Heath in the Second Division on 12 November 1898. For other uses, see. [86] Away fans returned for 1990–91,[90] and grass a year later. The ground underwent extensive redevelopment during the 1930s, and the capacity by the start of the Second World War was 30,000. Earlier today Oxford City Council confirmed it had been thrown into Tier 2 restrictions, even though infection rates were significantly lower at 137.1 cases per 100,000. Decisions on which area goes into which tier are primarily based on 5 key epidemiological indicators: case detection rates in all age groups; case detection rates in the over-60s Wanderers secretary Herbert Spratley seized upon Deacon's idea and arranged a secret meeting on 13 January 1885 at the St Matthews school rooms in High Town. "Some people, when they've got symptoms, are still going to work or sending their children to school. [11] A poor 1911–12 season saw Luton relegated to the Southern League's Second Division; the club won promotion back two years later. This tracker is updated each day when Public Health England release that day's data. It joined the Football League before the 1897–98 season, left in 1900 because of financial problems, and rejoined in 1920. Final decisions on tiers are made by the Prime Minister at the Covid Operations Committee and are expected to be announced by Thursday with new rules coming into force at the weekend. Luton defeated Arsenal 3–2 in the 1988 Football League Cup Final and remained in the First Division until relegation at the end of the 1991–92 season. [8][43][44] The club reached the League Cup Final once more in 1988–89, but lost 3–1 to Nottingham Forest. A team including Bruce Rioch, John Moore and Graham French won the Fourth Division championship in 1967–68 under the leadership of former player Allan Brown;[8] two years later Malcolm Macdonald's goals helped them to another promotion,[36] while comedian Eric Morecambe became a director of the club. The club operates a Development Squad, made up of contracted senior players, youth team scholars and trialists, which plays in the Southern Division of The Central League. That is now the highest rate in any district in Essex but the area is still under Tier 1 restrictions while the rest of the county is under stricter Teir 2 measures. [17][18] However, after Luton finished fourth in the division, the squad was broken up as Simms, Bookman and Mathieson joined South Shields, Port Vale and Exeter City respectively. [64][65], The club's nickname, "the Hatters", reflects Luton's historical connection with the hat making trade, which has been prominent there since the 17th century. [9] The Dunstable Road ground was opened by Herbrand Russell, 11th Duke of Bedford, who also donated £50 towards the £800 building costs. Director of public health Lucy Hubber said: "If you've got symptoms, no matter how mild, you must stay at home and get a test. Infections are continuing to rise across the town, with a "hugely worrying increase" in cases among the … Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. It has been announced today that nearby.Luton will go into full Tier Two alert on Sunday. [113] In December 2014, after the seafront statue of Eric Morecambe in his birthplace Morecambe was restored, Luton and Morecambe F.C. Luton mainly wore a combination of light blue and white before 1920, when white shirts and black shorts were first adopted. [66][67] The nickname was originally a variant on the now rarely seen straw-plaiters. Luton will officially be moved into Tier-2 of the government's restrictions from midnight on Saturday. [8][51], While Newell's place was taken first by Kevin Blackwell and later former player Mick Harford,[52][53] the team was then relegated twice in a row, starting in 2006–07, and spent the latter part of the 2007–08 season in administration, thus incurring a ten-point deduction from that season's total. [41] The club achieved its highest ever league position, seventh, under John Moore in 1986–87,[42] and, managed by Ray Harford, won the Football League Cup a year later with a 3–2 win over Arsenal. [86], The club first expressed an interest in building a new stadium away from Kenilworth Road in 1955, the year it won promotion to the First Division for the first time. records and statistics : Honours and achievements, Football League Third Division / Football League One / EFL League One, Football League Fourth Division / Football League Third Division / EFL League Two, "Saturday Ticket Update: 130 New Seats Installed! Kingsway in Luton currently has one of the highest rolling rates in the east of England at 487.8 new positive tests per 100,000 people. Luton first wore white and black between 1920 and 1973. [112] A character known as Happy Harry, a smiling man wearing a straw boater, serves as the team's mascot and appears on the Kenilworth Road pitch before matches. Numbers of positive tests across Luton are already higher than before the last lockdown at the beginning of November. [81] In 2019–20, Ryebridge Construction took up the vacated role of sponsoring the third kit,[82] and for the 2020–21 season, JB Developments will sponsor the home kit, while Star Platforms and Ryebridge Construction continue to sponsor the away and third kits. Experts from the Joint Biosecurity Centre, Public Health England and the NHS monitors the number of new infections, positivity rates, and pressures on health services. [86], The original Main Stand burnt down in 1921, and was replaced by the current stand before the 1922–23 season. [40] A late winner by Yugoslavian substitute Raddy Antić saved the team and prompted Pleat to dance across the pitch performing a "jig of joy",[40] an image that has become iconic. Luton is currently in Tier 2 — but Wednesday's review could see us pushed into a 'very high risk' level. [85], Luton Town's first ground was at Dallow Lane, the former ground of Excelsior. From midnight tonight, Luton is set to be placed under Tier Two's stricter measures. Their decision is expected to be announced on Thursday morning. The white, navy and orange palette favoured in the 1980s was brought back in 2008, following the results of a club poll,[69] but a year later the colours were changed yet again, this time to a predominantly orange strip with white shorts. Simms was invalided back to England after being wounded on the Italian front,[12][14] but recovered enough to regain his place in the Luton team and scored 40 goals during the 1916–17 season. Coronavirus tier 2: Oxford, Luton and Dudley among areas facing new restrictions. [8], The club was relegated from the top division at the end of the 1991–92 season,[8] and sank to the third tier four years later. The team was then relegated from the top division in 1959–60, and demoted twice more in the following five years, playing in the Fourth Division from the 1965–66 season. [78][79] For the 2016–17 and 2017–18 seasons the club's kit was sponsored by NICEIC and SsangYong Motor UK. Luton truck driver jailed after trying to smuggle 17 migrants out of UK, Luton man's cancer death linked to asbestos exposure, says 'devastated' daughter. [70] Navy shorts were readopted in 2011. Read the 30 April e-Luton issue; Join our COVID-19 vaccine webinar. [115] Fred Hawkes holds the record for the most league appearances for Luton, having played in 509 league matches. London is an upper tier authority with rates ranging from under 100 to over 400 in different boroughs. It was perhaps most prominent between 1982 and 1992, when it was a member of English football's top division, at that time the First Division; the team won its first major honour, the Football League Cup, in 1988. Cup final", "Luton Town FC in talks to buy back Kenilworth Road", "Hatters' new stadium location to be revealed soon", "Nathan Jones: Luton Town's new stadium at Power Court 'not just generic, "Power Court: Luton Town football stadium gains planning permission", "Get your copy of 'Our Town' this afternoon! Luton and all of Bedfordshire will be in Tier 2 when the national lockdown ends on December 2. [B] In the 2013–14 season, when the club were in the Conference Premier, the club had significantly higher support than the other clubs in its league, with an average home attendance of 7,387; more than twice compared to the second highest of 3,568. Formation and election to the Southern League (1885–1890), Success under Duncan and relegation (1950–1965), Back to the first tier and late century success (1965–1992), Resurgence and fall to non-League (1992–2009), Non-League and subsequent promotions (2009–present), CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (, History of Luton Town F.C. [8][45] Luton stayed in the third-tier Second Division until relegation at the end of the 2000–01 season. Covid-19 tiers: Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire and Buckinghamshire … Supporters of the club are also called Hatters. Here are the five factors being considered: ■ Case detection rates in the over-60s age group. [89] Conversion to an all-seater ground also began in 1986. ■ Pressure on the NHS, including current and projected occupancy. [16], Luton Town have traditionally used the town's crest as its own in a manner similar to many other teams. From this Saturday, December 19, Luton, along with the whole of Bedfordshire and Milton Keynes will be designated in the tier 3 (VERY HIGH alert) category by central government. ■ Positivity rate — the number of positive cases detected as a percentage of tests taken. If the test is negative, you can stop isolating.". league record by opponent, List of Luton Town F.C. By The Newsroom. [6], Initially based at Excelsior's Dallow Lane ground,[5] Luton Town began making payments to certain individual players in 1890. The club unsuccessfully contested the promotion play-offs three times in four seasons during their time as a non-League club, employing five different managers. [114], The record for the most appearances for Luton is held by Bob Morton, who turned out for Luton 562 times in all competitions. [7][9], The stadium now has an all-seater capacity of 10,356 and is situated in the Bury Park area of Luton. [109][110][111] Watford have remained the higher ranked team at the end of every season since 1997. Floodlights were installed before the 1953–54 season, but it was 20 years before any further modernisation was carried out. (1970–present), 17,500-capacity stadium on the Power Court site, List of Luton Town F.C. [10] A return to the Southern League was therefore arranged for the 1900–01 season. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality. A club committee was elected by ballot and the team colours were agreed to be pink and dark blue shirts and caps. ©JPIMedia Publishing Ltd. All rights reserved. [133] The club also fields an under-18 team in the Football League Youth Alliance South East Conference. [36] Luton Town won promotion back to the First Division in 1973–74, but were relegated the following season by a solitary point. [121], Luton's highest home attendances are 30,069 against Blackpool in the FA Cup on 4 March 1959[121][124] and 27,911 against Wolverhampton Wanderers in the First Division on 5 November 1955. [8][37] Former Luton player David Pleat was made manager in 1978, and by 1982–83 the team was back in the top flight. However, overall Luton still hold the superior record in the fixture between the two clubs; out of 119 competitive matches there have been 53 Luton victories and 37 for Watford, with 29 draws. [71], In 1973, concurrently with the club's switch to the orange kit, a new badge was introduced featuring the new colours. [62][63] Luton achieved a second successive promotion in 2018–19, after they won the League One title, marking the club's return to the Championship after a 12-year absence. Some people are even having tests and then still going to work while waiting for their results - this puts everybody at risk. The holiday firm says Luton is now in tier four, but flights will continue from Stansted and Gatwick. [8] "Controversial"[48] owner John Gurney unsettled the club in 2003,[48] terminating Kinnear's contract on his arrival in May;[48][49] Gurney replaced Kinnear with Mike Newell before leaving Luton as the club entered administration. [104][105] The club's official supporters' group, Luton Town Supporters' Club, merged with Trust in Luton in 2014. The following year, Luton became the first club in southern England to be fully professional. COVID-19 standard (PCR) testing centres. [103] A supporters' trust, Trust in Luton, owns shares in the club and elects a representative to the club's board. [72], The first sponsor to appear on a Luton Town shirt was Tricentrol, a local motor company based in Dunstable, who sponsored the club from March 1980 to 1982; the deal was worth £50,000. The club then played without a badge until 1970, when the club began to wear the town crest regularly, having first done so in the 1959 FA Cup Final. On December 20, London Luton Airport Tweeted: "If you live in a Tier 4 area you should not travel abroad unless its for a permitted reason, eg work. Asked if Tier 4 restrictions were enough, the former Chief Scientific Adviser today said: 'It's the Tier 4 restrictions, it's obeying them. [7] Captain and left winger Bob Hawkes became Luton's first international player when he was picked to play for England against Ireland on 16 February 1907. [8] The team which Pleat assembled at Kenilworth Road was notable at the time for the number of black players it included; during an era when many English squads were almost entirely white, Luton often fielded a mostly black team. [9] When the site was sold for housing in 1905, the club was forced to move again at short notice,[9] to its present Kenilworth Road site, in time for the start of the 1905–06 season. [57], Relegation meant that 2009–10 saw Luton playing in the Conference Premier, a competition in which the club had never before participated. [91] The David Preece Stand was erected in 1991, and the conversion of the Kenilworth Stand to an all-seater was completed in 2005. Talented players such as Ricky Hill, Brian Stein and Emeka Nwajiobi made key contributions to the club's success during this period,[38] causing it to accrue "a richer history of black stars than any in the country", in the words of journalist Gavin Willacy. 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