Edwards salutes ´special club´ Luton after relegation confirmed

Rob Edwards paid tribute to “special club” Luton Town after the Hatters’ relegation from the Premier League was confirmed on the final day.

Luton’s brief but eventful stint in the top flight came to an end following a 4-2 defeat by Fulham at Kenilworth Road, with Edwards’ side finishing 18th and six points adrift of 17th-place Nottingham Forest.

Last-day survival was always going to be a big ask for the Hatters, who needed a victory and an ambitious 12-goal swing to stand any chance of usurping Forest.

Luton have gained many new admirers with their tally of 52 goals the second-most by a side during a 20-team Premier League season in which they were relegated – after Blackpool’s 55 in 2010-11.

However, a leaky defence proved to be their undoing as they conceded 85 times – their highest tally in a top-flight campaign.

Nevertheless, Edwards saluted the club’s supporters, and believes his side have a solid foundation to build on next season in their quest for an immediate return from the Championship.

From Brighton to Fulham, and everything in between.

Thank you for your incredible support throughout 2023/24pic.twitter.com/xU7lsutN30

— Luton Town FC (@LutonTown) May 19, 2024

“We’re a special club, we’ve got unique support. We’ve had that all season long,” he told Match of the Day. “Everyone that’s travelled has shown their best. We’ve given our best this year, and ultimately we’ve just come up short.

“If one game could almost tell a season’s story, that would be today – full of endeavour, some really good quality at times as well, but a little bit too fragile.

“We’ve scored a lot of goals this year. We’ve been good to watch, we’ve been involved in loads of great games, but we’ve conceded too many. That balance is something that we’ve got to try to address, and we know where we need to keep improving.

“We have changed and evolved so much. There is a lot of good stuff we can take to attack the Championship next season. We work hard, we give absolutely everything. We just have to be us, go and be Luton.”