How do Luton bounce back on return to League One?

Carlton Morris only managed one goal for Luton between 1 January and the end of the season

"Back-to-back relegations is not something anyone wants on their resumé, for sure."

The words of Luton Town skipper Carlton Morris after their Championship fate was sealed by a 5-3 defeat at West Bromwich Albion.

Just 24 months on from the dramatic penalty shootout at Wembley which saw them beat Coventry City and claim a place in the top flight, the Hatters will start life next season back in the third tier.

They are only the fourth club, following Swindon, Wolverhampton Wanderers and Sunderland, to suffer the drop twice in a row after a season in the Premier League.

What makes it even harder to take for fans is that the team's destiny was in their own hands after winning three games in a row - if Luton had matched Hull City's draw at Portsmouth, they would have been safe.

So how do they get rid of the sinking feeling and start next season on the front foot?

Bloomfield 'knows how the land lies in League One'

Mall Bloomfield began his managerial career at Colchester United

Matt Bloomfield was in the middle of a League One promotion race with Wycombe Wanderers when Luton came calling after parting company with Rob Edwards, the man behind their promotion to the Premier League in 2023.

It meant stepping up to a level he had never coached at before - and turning a tide which had seen Luton lose 11 away games in a row was not a straightforward task.

Bloomfield, though, stayed positive and showed his class by travelling to Brussels to accompany goalkeeper Thomas Kaminski back to Kenilworth Road following the death of his father.

Despite their improvement prior to the final game of the season, Bloomfield won only six of the 20 matches for which he was in charge - and fans are divided in their view of how much of the blame should be shouldered by him.

But Kevin Harper of the Luton Supporters' Trust told BBC Three Counties Radio: "The good thing is Matt Bloomfield knows exactly how the land lies in League One.

"He had Wycombe in a very healthy position, when he left them to come to us, so he knows what it takes to be up there and hopefully he's given the backing by the board to bring in players that can play his system, his style and hopefully we can get out of this at the first time of asking."

Banish the blues

Amari'i Bell and Millenic Alli show their disappointment at the end of the West Brom game

"Timing is everything" is a maxim applied in many walks of life.

And in Luton's case, one point which may work in their favour in League One next season is that Birmingham City and Wrexham will not be in it.

A number of third-tier bosses expressed the view during the campaign that the presence of those two clubs had made the division the best it had ever been.

Hard to argue with that as Blues amassed 111 points and Wrexham's seemingly inexorable march under Hollywood owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney continued.

But both will be over the hills and far away in the Championship as Luton look to make a positive start.

There will be established third-tier teams standing in Luton's way, with Reading among them, operating under new ownership, and buoyant newcomers from League Two in Doncaster Rovers, Bradford City and Port Vale.

Asked whether the failure to get over the disappointment of their Premier League campaign quickly enough had affected their results this term, skipper Carlton Morris said: "You can rattle off six or seven contributory factors that led us to the position we are in now. It is what it is and we need to get our heads on next season."

Some fans made their disenchantment clear at the end of the game with West Brom.

"They're not going to be singing our names and clapping us off the pitch after what's happened - I'm heartbroken for the fans, and for the players as well," added Morris.

"It's devastating but it's part of the rollercoaster that is being with Luton Town - it's not always going to be about riding the highs, we've got to rides the lows out as well, stick together and bounce back strong."

'Strong recruitment' needed

Following last summer's transfer window, Edwards expressed the view that he had a squad capable of bouncing back strongly. That proved not to be the case, but the former Hatters boss was not helped by injuries, especially in defence.

By the time of the January window, it was Bloomfield providing the input, leading to the likes of Thelo Aasgaard and Millennic Alli being added to the squad, players he had spotted while managing in League One.

Now, it is a question of who might be leaving Kenilworth Road - with Morris among a number sure to have admirers at a higher level despite Luton's relegation - and, also, who else the club will look to bring in.

"We need to have a complete re-set, we need to work out the players we can go forward with and then we need a structure and plan in place to hit the ground running on 3 August," said Harper.

"We need what got us to the Championship and Premier League in the first place - strong recruitment, ruthless recruitment and just being ready to go for the season right from the very start."

With a brand new stadium at Power Court expected to be ready by 2028, Luton badly need to start bringing back the positive vibes around the club.

Next season would be a good time to start.