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Despite early-season expectations of promotion, Luton Town somehow have found themselves relegated to League One, and their chairman has now finally broken his silence.
After shocking the Championship by going up via the play-offs two seasons ago, Luton Town won plenty of admirers for their valiant efforts in the Premier League last year.
Sadly, it wasn’t enough to keep them up, and they came straight back down to the second tier. Still, with a talented manager in Rob Edwards and a strong squad in place, many had predicted the Hatters would be pushing for promotion once more.
| Position | Team | Played MP | Won W | Drawn D | Lost L | For GF | Against GA | Diff GD | Points Pts |
| 20 |  PrestonPreston | 46 | 10 | 20 | 16 | 48 | 59 | -11 | 50 |
| 21 |  Hull CityHull City | 46 | 12 | 13 | 21 | 44 | 54 | -10 | 49 |
| 22 |  LutonLuton | 46 | 13 | 10 | 23 | 45 | 69 | -24 | 49 |
| 23 |  PlymouthPlymouth | 46 | 11 | 13 | 22 | 51 | 88 | -37 | 46 |
| 24 |  CardiffCardiff | 46 | 9 | 17 | 20 | 48 | 73 | -25 | 44 |
That couldn’t have been further from the truth, though, and Luton are now one of only a few clubs to have suffered back-to-back relegations, with defeat on the final day sealing their fate.
What Luton Town chairman said about relegation
After letting the situation simmer for a few days, Luton chairman David Wilkinson has now shared a statement with the fans to offer his regret and solace for what has happened this season.
He said: “After the long weekend of deep reflection, as chairman and a custodian of our Club, I wanted to express the board’s collective frustration, anger and disappointment at how the season has ended with our relegation to League One.
“It was not the outcome any of us envisaged at the start of the season after the heights we have scaled in our 17 years together.
“We have all seen the ups and downs, and as bad as Saturday seems right now, there have been darker days, from which we fought back and went on to make history.
“We know that won’t count for much in the moment, while relegation feels so raw to us all. This weekend has hurt us like no other. We are custodians of our Club but supporters first, who care passionately about our footballing fortunes and misfortunes.”
Wilkinson acknowledged his own portion of the blame, but also offered a promise to supporters that things will improve next season after a summer of hard work ahead.
He added: “We are all accountable and recognise that errors have been made off the pitch, just as they have been on it, to contribute to that end result. We are all so truly sorry the season has finished as it has.
“The in-depth analysis started before relegation was confirmed, as individuals and as a Club, as we set about working harder and more effectively to build on the run of form that, before Saturday’s defeat, had put us in with such a chance of survival.
“All we can promise, at this moment, is that we will review, regroup and rebuild. Indeed, this has started. We must recover the spirit that was so familiar to us on our rise, and we will use this now as a catalyst for a renewed determination and focus to achieve one objective.”
As for manager Matt Bloomfield, it sounds like he will get the full backing of the board to turn things around and mount a successful challenge for promotion in League One next season.
Wilkinson concluded: “Lengthy discussions have already taken place with Matt and his staff regarding next season designed to reshape our squad into a proper Luton team we can all be proud to watch next season.
“No stone will go unturned as we review and prepare for the 2025/26 season, hopefully, with fresh optimism and renewed vigour. Finally, we wish to thank you all for your support over this difficult season and we hope this can be repaid to you upon our return.”
How Luton Town fell from grace so dramatically
To go from playing Premier League football to being relegated to League One within 12 months is a spectacular failure whichever way you look at it.
Star striker Carlton Morris did not hold back when criticising the ‘awful’ showing from the squad this season, and it’s true that Luton have struggled in pretty much every area of the pitch.
Bloomfield also slammed the Luton players for their part in the relegation, and while the manager has to take some share of the blame, it is true that the Hatters had looked a lot better since he arrived in the New Year.
The club’s owners have spoken previously about mistakes in the transfer market that cost Luton their Premier League status, and it has to be said that, last summer also, they did not recruit sufficiently.
From a woeful defensive record, to Luton attackers failing to convert chances, it was always going to be tough to stay up this year, and now, they must all regroup and come back strong next season. Promotion has to be attained immediately, or we could witness even more pain for Luton.