Luton Town

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It is a mark of the man that Rob Edwards was so emotional following defeat to West Ham which effectively relegated the Hatters. He could not hide his disappointment nor did he want to.

To suggest he had let Luton fans down was a non-starter. It is the opposite. Edwards can hold his head high and look back with pride at what his team has achieved.

Luton spent approximately £25m in total on signings last summer. They signed a League One player, half a dozen from the Championship, some free agents and added them to the gang that got them out of the Championship which was in itself a huge achievement.

This mix of good, hungry, determined fighters have had to step up against the world’s best players. Across 37 Premier League matches, they have properly been in 33 of them and given tough games to top, top teams.

It was always going to be a case of would they be quite good enough and it has taken until the final Premier League game to find out the answer.

Edward has only been at the club 18 months but already he has hero status and rightly so. As a manager and with his coaches Richie Kyle, Paul Trollope, Kevin Pilkington, Alan McCormack and Kevin Foley they have proved to be a coaching unit unafraid to take risks and to play positively.

They gave us some wonderful moments against the big boys at Kenilworth Road and even in defeat away from home there were many, many highs.

As well as being an excellent boss, Edwards is a delightful human being. People always say to me, "He seems such a nice guy. Is he really like that?" Yes he is.

At pre-match news conferences he has been asked similar and sometimes silly questions (including by myself) which other managers would have scoffed at. But Edwards has never done that and instead has had a smile and received us with his warm, humble nature.

He has been stressed and tired at times - he has had a lot to deal with this season. So when the final whistle blows at Kenilworth Road on Sunday he really has earned and deserves a rest.

Next season roles will be reversed and his team will have the upper hand as far as quality is concerned over the majority of the other Championship teams.

Relax and enjoy a long holiday, Rob.

Listen to live commentary of Luton Town v Fulham on BBC Three Counties Radio from 16:00 BST on Sunday

We asked our Luton fan contributor for their four player of the season choices and you can now vote for your top one.

Image source, Getty Images

Ross Barkley

He has been widely discussed among the fanbase as "the best player to have worn the shirt". He might leave us, if we are to go down, but a lot of Hatters are happy to have watched a 33-capped England international play for our team. He is also grateful that we have breathed new life into his career, as he sits on five goals and six assists from midfield, as well as being statistically one of the most progressive midfielders in world football.

Thomas Kaminski

He is a goalkeeper we were chasing for most of the summer, and an absolute bargain at £2.5m. He is certainly the best keeper I have seen at Luton in my 30 years following the club, and regarded as possibly the best one since the late, great Les Sealey. Sure we have shipped a lot of goals, but if it were not for Kaminski’s tremendous saves, it would be a lot more.

Teden Mengi

Originally signed as one for the future, Teden has surpassed all expectations. A player who got a chance because of the injury crisis hitting particularly hard in defence, he settled into the backline like a seasoned pro. He is fast, powerful and a born leader. Ironically, he would be a starter for Manchester United this season had he not been shown the door - but their loss is our gain, and he has become an instant fan favourite.

Carlton Morris

Carlton beats Elijah Adebayo to the list purely because he has had to keep going without respite this season. As a result of the injuries in our forward line, Carlton just has not had a break. He also stepped up as captain in the absence of his good friend Tom Lockyer and has led the team impeccably. He has hit double figures this season and is a great character to have in the changing room.

Honourable mentions

Honourable mentions go to Alfie Doughty, who has stepped up well to the Premier League and shown he delivers a highly accurate ball into the box. Reece Burke, who has come through the second half of this season so well, considering he has suffered a lot of injuries during his time at Luton. Unfortunately, Adebayo also misses out on this list. He is a tremendous footballer, but just as he was coming into form, he got injured in the warm up against Manchester United. The big man has still bagged 10 Premier League goals this season in 15 starts!

Pick your 2023-24 Luton player of the season from our shortlist here

Ollie Kay can be found at We Are Luton Town, external

Although Luton Town are not relegated just yet, it has become all but confirmed, with a Nottingham Forest loss and a 12-goal swing required in the final game of the season.

A lot of Luton fans have made their peace with the situation. The fact that all three promoted sides are going back down is indicative of what the Premier League is becoming - a closed shop.

Teams can come up and spend close to, or in excess of, £100m on signings and still struggle to make headway in the league, as seen by Sheffield United and Burnley.

You will be hard pressed to see many Hatters who are disappointed with our final position when taking into account we spent only £20m on additions this season.

The primary gripes will be regarding how we have failed to hold on in games where we have put ourselves ahead. Hindsight is useless though. Could we have been more pragmatic in games where we were winning to try to hold on? Well yes, but it does not matter now, and our focus shifts to next season, with every fan excited to see what business we do in the summer.

Luton Town have won the hearts and minds of the neutral fan this season. The majority of these people will be following our progress closely next season, and if we are to make a quick return to the Premier League, I am sure lessons will have been learnt in the boardroom and by management before we kick a ball next time in the top tier.

Ollie Kay can be found at We Are Luton Town, external

Image source, Getty Images

BBC Sport's chief football writer Phil McNulty is answering all of your footballing questions.

Anonymous asked: Luton Town are all but relegated but how do you rate their efforts to avoid the drop compared to the other two promoted clubs?

Phil answered: I think they gave it a real crack but in the end just suffered from a lack of quality, not effort or determination.

They were just not good enough in the key moments, often losing games they were in a position to win. There is no shame in that though, and manager Rob Edwards has enhanced his reputation even in relegation.

Out of the three promoted clubs who are going back down, I think Luton Town did themselves the most credit and if they can keep that squad (although I would be surprised if Ross Barkley wanted to play in the Championship) together along with the manager then they can have another tilt at promotion next time around.

We asked for your comments on Saturday's match between West Ham and Luton Town.

Here are some of your answers:

West Ham fans

Mike: I feel for Luton fans. Wanted them to stay up but really pleased David Moyes got a final home win. Irrespective of the animosity this season - which I have sympathy with - he has been amazing for us. European tours and one amazing night in Prague. I waited 60 years for that. Thank you sir. You leave us better than you found us.

Harry: Great victory. At half-time I thought we were going to lose but we managed to produce a good comeback. Good enough to maybe score four or five and a great display in Moyes' final home game. Let's hope we get a win against City and give the gaffer a good send off. And then hope Lopetegui can do as good a job.

Graza: If you could have written a script to sum up West Ham under Moyes, you'd have that game. First half abject, couldn't pass, couldn't shoot and should have been more than one down. Second half a completely different team, dynamite on the break and get the result. Summer is all important, especially recruitment. We'll see what happens.

Luton fans

Alec: Proud but sad.

Leonine: Always thought that getting to the Premier League was a step too far for us just now, but we are considerably stronger because of it and can grow. It was squad depth that cost us and that can be addressed. COYH

Michael: Sadly the Premier League is all about money and Luton don't have any .

A Dreaming Luton Fan: It was always going to happen but we keep going every single match, grabbing at least one goal. We just do not have the subs that can go on and win matches. But we will watch next Sunday with pride as the Hatters gave it a good go.

Gary Lineker introduces highlights and analysis from Saturday's eight Premier League fixtures.

If you missed Match of the Day, you can catch up on the action on BBC iPlayer here.

And you can watch highlights of Sunday's games on Match of the Day 2 here.

Also, listen back to Saturday's BBC Radio 5 Live match commentaries in full on BBC Sounds:

• West Ham United v Luton Town

• Nottingham Forest v Chelsea

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The applause at the end between players and fans was genuine.

On and off the pitch, Luton have done themselves proud this season.

No-one really expected them to be here. Few thought they would have any impact.

As it turned out, their journey was a memorable one.

But the brutal reality is they were simply not good enough. A return to the Championship beckons and, with a new stadium to pay for, it remains to be seen when they will be back.

It was fun whilst it lasted though. For all the disappointment, Luton can hold their heads high at their contribution to this Premier League campaign.

Image source, Getty Images

Luton striker Carlton Morris spoke to BBC Match of the Day after Luton' defeat to West Ham: "It's a fresh wound right now, it's upsetting and the dressing room is down. The lads care, they have given absolutey everything and I couldn't ask for any more from anyone this season.

"I am proud to lead these boys out and some of the performances we have done this season. The reaction from the fans at the end is incredible, it's what this club is about and what got us here in the first place. There hasn't been one second when the fans have turned on us this season, even when we have deserved it.

"We were written off at the start of the season but it shows the character we have to bring something to the division. We've scored goals, we've been on the front foot and I've thoroughly enjoyed it. We can be proud of ourselves and we can bounce back."

Rob Edwards spoke to Match of the Day after Luton's defeat to West Ham: "I was emotional at the end with the way our supporters reacted. I can only say thanks to the players, the staff and our fans. We haven't got over the line but we've done it before and we can be back here again.

"It's a world all about results but our fans have shown understanding, compassion and total support. There is a connection and a bond that you can see. That doesn't happen very often.

"We have grown so much, this club is only going in one direction. The growth this team have shown makes me really proud. I do care about how we go about it and to show the competitive nature we have been able to bring to the league makes us all better.

"In the end it's just been too much for us."

• Luton Town have lost five Premier League games despite leading at half-time this season, the most ever by a team in a campaign.

• Excluding the first Premier League campaign in 1992-93, Luton Town (50) are one of four teams to score 50+ goals in their debut season after Newcastle in 1993-94 (82), Reading in 2006-07 (52) and Blackpool in 2010-11 (55). However, only Swindon in 1993-94 (100), Barnsley in 1997-98 (82) and Burnley in 2009-10 (82) have conceded more in their debut season than the Hatters (81).

• Only Jarrod Bowen (16) has scored more Premier League goals for West Ham United this season than James Ward-Prowse (7) whilst since the beginning of the 2020-21 campaign, Phil Foden (46) is the only English midfielder to score more goals than the West Ham man (34).

• Albert Sambi Lokonga scored his first Premier League goal on his 50th appearance (25 for Arsenal, 16 for Luton, 9 for Crystal Place), becoming the 11th player to net their debut goal on that milestone appearance, and the first since Takehiro Tomiyasu for Arsenal in October 2023.

• Each of Tomas Soucek’s past five Premier League goals have been winning goals – that is the most by a West Ham player in a Premier League season since Kevin Nolan in 2012-13 (also 5), while only Trevor Morley has scored more for the club in a campaign (7 in 1993-94).

• George Earthy (19y 249d) scored with his first touch in this match, 67 seconds after coming on as a substitute; he is the first teenager to score in the Premier League for West Ham since Declan Rice in January 2019 against Arsenal and the youngest since Junior Stanislas in May 2009 against Middlesbrough (19y 179d).

Luton are on the brink of relegation from the Premier League after West Ham came from behind to mark David Moyes' final home game with a win at London Stadium.

Albert Sambi Lokonga's first-half opener threatened to turn the final game of Moyes' tenure into a damp squib while breathing new life into the Hatters' survival fight.

But Moyes rallied his troops at half-time and Luton were unable to repel the hosts after the break.

James Ward-Prowse drove home the 54th-minute equaliser after Thomas Kaminski had turned Jarrod Bowen's cross-shot into his path.

Tomas Soucek fired the Hammers in front with a brilliant finish, finding the net with a first-time volley from 25 yards after 65 minutes when Luton cleared a corner straight to him.

Mohammed Kudus should have added a third as the hosts dominated the second period, but the midfielder only managed to hit the post from 10 yards out when unmarked.

But that miss did not matter as 19-year-old George Earthy, on as a substitute for his second league appearance, turned in Kudus' cut-back from close range.

The result leaves Luton three points behind fourth-bottom Nottingham Forest with only one game left to play and a significantly worse goal difference.

Forest will send them down if they get a point against Chelsea in Saturday's late kick-off at the City Ground (17:30 BST).

Were you at the ground or following along from home?

West Ham fans, give us your thoughts on the game.

Tell us what you made of the performance, Hatters supporters.

Follow all the reaction here

There are eight Premier League games taking place today, and you can stay updated with all of them via our live page.

Keep up with all the action and reaction here.

Chris Sutton is making predictions for every Premier League game this season against a variety of guests.

For this weekend's matches, he takes on Kasabian frontman Serge Pizzorno.

Sutton's prediction: 2-1

You could argue this is the perfect time to play West Ham, now we know David Moyes is set to leave as Hammers boss.

They have been on a poor run but I just wonder whether all the rumours that he would be stepping down at the end of the season affected some of the players.

I am not saying they have downed tools but, even sub-consciously, if you know your manager is not going to be there much longer, you may lose your edge.

So this is a chance for Luton, although they have wasted plenty of them already.

I don't actually think the Hatters should be in this situation and, if you go back through their games since the end of January, then their players should be really angry that they have not made more of the positions they have been in.

It means they really have to make this opportunity count, but I'm not convinced they can. They have not won an away league game since the end of last year.

Instead, I am going for West Ham to give Moyes a happy send-off in his final home game. He deserves one, anyway.

Serge's prediction: 1-2

I don't necessarily believe it will happen but just for the romance I really want Luton to win this one.

Read all of the predictions here

Luton Town are three points from Premier League safety with two games remaining. But if they were to be relegated, are they well placed to bounce straight back up?

Former Hatters defender Matthew Upson and Michael Brown tell The Football News Show why they should be confident of challenging in the Championship and why keeping manager Rob Edwards is key.

Watch The Football News Show on BBC iPlayer

Rob Edwards has been speaking to the media before Saturday's visit to West Ham United in the Premier League.

Here are the key lines from his news conference:

• Chiedozie Ogbene will be available for the weekend after training with the squad "for the last couple of days". There will be no other players returning from injury.

• Elijah Adebayo is feeling "good" after playing 80 minutes last week: "The plan was to just keep him on and push him as long as we could. He started looking over and saying that was probably the right time. So we did well with that - we listened to him and he listened to his body."

• The club still believe Premier League survival is possible despite the three-point gap at the bottom of the table: "I don't think it would be a miracle at all. We have been in worse situations as a football club and still got out of it. We know what we have to do. We've got to pick up points and that's got to start tomorrow."

• Therefore, he is not considering the possibility of relegation this weekend: "I'm not thinking about that at the moment. All I can think about is making sure that we get the right result. We will talk after the game and see where we are after that."

• On needing a result against West Ham, who will be playing their final home game under David Moyes: "There's loads of different dynamics at the moment, but that doesn't matter if we don't get something tomorrow. We will go and give it absolutely everything. It's always the time to leave it all out there, but now is when you need to do that more than ever."

• Edwards has "unbelievable respect" for the Hammers boss: "Anyone who has had that longevity and career, I look to and have unbelievable respect for. The demands of this job are difficult. Moyes has built teams, managed massive clubs, gone abroad, taken risks and won a trophy at West Ham as well. That just shows the level of him."

• Edwards thanked the "incredible fans" for their support in the Premier League, stating: "I would like to think we gave them some really good memories. Our fans have produced performances that will live with me forever."

• On his future at the club beyond this season: "I hope I'm kept on. I have a contract for another couple of years so I don't envisage losing my job. I think we have done a very good job together and we will come back stronger - whether that is in the Premier League or in the Championship.

• Edwards added: "This club is on the up, we said that when we got promoted. I love it here and I think they enjoy having me as well."

Follow the rest of Friday's Premier League news conferences

Full commentary of West Ham United v Luton from 15:00 BST on Saturday on BBC Radio 5 Live