A third of England's population will be plunged into strict Tier 4 restrictions from midnight tonight, with Christmas bubbles cancelled for 17.7 million people in the South East of the country [107] Trust in Luton has, since March 2014, held the legal right to veto any changes to the club's identity, including name, nickname, colours, club crest and mascot. [93] A planning application for a new 20,000-seater indoor stadium, the "Kohlerdome" proposed by chairman David Kohler in 1995, was turned down by the Secretary of State in 1998, and Kohler left soon after. Data returned from the Piano 'meterActive/meterExpired' callback event. [39], On the last day of the 1982â83 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. [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. Luton Peterborough Hertfordshire Essex (excluding Colchester, Uttlesford and Tendring) What are the Tier 4 rules? [92] The club sold Kenilworth Road to Luton Council in 1989, and has since leased it. [106] The club is associated with another supporters' group, the breakaway Loyal Luton Supporters Club. [8][12] After the First World War broke out, Luton took part in The London Combination during 1915â16, and afterwards filled each season with friendly matches. [6], Initially based at Excelsior's Dallow Lane ground,[5] Luton Town began making payments to certain individual players in 1890. [8][37] Former Luton player David Pleat was made manager in 1978, and by 1982â83 the team was back in the top flight. Affected areas include Kent, Buckinghamshire, Berkshire, Surrey (excluding Waverley), the boroughs of Gosport, Havant, Portsmouth, Rother and Hastings, all 32 London boroughs and the city of London. Luton mainly wore a combination of light blue and white before 1920, when white shirts and black shorts were first adopted. The ground underwent extensive redevelopment during the 1930s, and the capacity by the start of the Second World War was 30,000. [7] The club was a founder member of the Southern Football League in the 1894â95 season and finished as runners-up in its first two seasons. Newsquest Media Group Ltd, Loudwater Mill, Station Road, High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire. 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. 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". [9] The Dunstable Road ground was opened by Herbrand Russell, 11th Duke of Bedford, who also donated £50 towards the £800 building costs. 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. [91] The David Preece Stand was erected in 1991, and the conversion of the Kenilworth Stand to an all-seater was completed in 2005. [115] Morton also holds the record for the most Football League appearances for the club, with 495. Founded in 1885, it is nicknamed 'the Hatters' and affiliated to the Bedfordshire County Football Association. The Main Stand is flanked by the David Preece Stand, and opposite them stands a row of executive boxes. 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. It's not guaranteed that the affected regions will exit Tier 4 on the review date. Those ads you do see are predominantly from local businesses promoting local services. Outdoor exercise will be permitted and people will be permitted to meet with only one other person in a public space outside, unless they are part of a support bubble. [135], "LTFC" redirects here. [8][45] Luton stayed in the third-tier Second Division until relegation at the end of the 2000â01 season. The Mall Luton has donated laptops to Luton Learning Link to help St Matthewâs children who have no or limited ability to access remote learning. Opposite the eponymous Kenilworth Stand is the Oak Road End, which has evolved from a stand first used exclusively by Luton supporters, then later by away supporters, and now used by both except in times of high ticket demand from away clubs. [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. [16] Such was the quality of Luton's team at this time that despite playing in the third tier, a fixture between Ireland and England at Windsor Park on 22 October 1921 saw three Luton players on the pitchâLouis Bookman and Allan Mathieson for Ireland, and the club's top goalscorer, Simms, for England. [95] A planning application was made on the club's behalf by former chairman Cliff Bassett, but the application was withdrawn almost immediately following the club's takeover in 2008. The Wanderers committee resolved to rename the club Luton Townâwhich was not well received by the wider community. Luton defeated Arsenal 3â2 in the 1988 Football League Cup Final and remained in the First Division until relegation at the end of the 1991â92 season. [101] Planning permission for this ground, with potential to expand to 23,000 seats, was granted by Luton Borough Council on 16 January 2019. [35], In yo-yo club fashion, Luton were to return. [85], Luton Town's first ground was at Dallow Lane, the former ground of Excelsior. [59] After reaching the League Two play-offs in 2016â17,[60] when they were beaten 6â5 on aggregate by Blackpool in the semi-final,[61] Luton were promoted back to League One the following season as runners-up. [21], The club's largest wins have been a 15â0 victory over Great Yarmouth Town on 21 November 1914 in the FA Cup[123] and a 12â0 win over Bristol Rovers in the Third Division South on 13 April 1936. With ten minutes left on the clock and Arsenal 2â1 ahead, a penalty save from stand-in goalkeeper Andy Dibble sparked a late Luton rally: Danny Wilson equalised, before Brian Stein scored the winner with the last kick of the match. [10] A return to the Southern League was therefore arranged for the 1900â01 season. [41] The club achieved its highest ever league position, seventh, under John Moore in 1986â87,[42] and, managed by Ray Harford, won the Football League Cup a year later with a 3â2 win over Arsenal. [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. These included work, education, youth services, to receive medical treatment, or because of caring responsibilities. For other uses, see. [133] The club also fields an under-18 team in the Football League Youth Alliance South East Conference. [89] Conversion to an all-seater ground also began in 1986. [13][14] A key player of the period was Ernie Simms, a forward. [127], The youngest player to make a first-team appearance for Luton Town is Connor Tomlinson at 15 years and 199 days old in the EFL Trophy, replacing Zane Banton as a 92nd-minute substitute in a 2â1 win over Gillingham on 30 August 2016, after the club were given permission for him to play from his headteacher.[128]. [58] In the 2013â14 season, under the management of John Still, Luton won the Conference Premier title with three games to spare, and thereby secured a return to the Football League from 2014â15. Luton Town Football Club (/ Ë l uË t Én /) is a professional association football club based in the town of Luton, Bedfordshire, England, that competes in the Championship, the second tier of the English football league system.Founded in 1885, it is nicknamed 'the Hatters' and affiliated to the Bedfordshire County ⦠Luton Town Football Club was formed on 11 April 1885. [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 2006â07, and spent the latter part of the 2007â08 season in administration, thus incurring a ten-point deduction from that season's total. Tier 3 and 4 areas will continue to be prioritised for community testing, with more than 100 local authorities now having signed up to the enhanced testing support programme. [4][5] Before this there were many clubs in the town, the most prominent of which were Luton Wanderers and Luton Excelsior. The last of these relegations came during the 2008â09 season, when 30 points were docked from Luton's record for various financial irregularities. Boris Johnson has announced London and vast parts of south-east England will be put in a new stricter tier - Tier 4 - amid growing concern of a new virulent strain of coronavirus. [80] The 2018â19 season saw changes to the kits and sponsors, with Indigo Residential taking up the home shirt, Star Platforms sponsoring the away strip, and Northern Gas & Power sponsoring the third. Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules.