Luton Town

Luton Town
Luton chairman praises supporters Luton chairman Bill Tomlins has praised the club's supporters for the large part they have played in helping the team secure the League One title. "I would like to thank the fans. I found it extraordinary to find that half the crowd at Wrexham were Luton fans," Tomlins told the club website. "In our away games this season our support is in excess of 30,000 which is a tremendous achievement. "We have also had incredible support at Kenilworth Road."

Luton star takes League One award
Luton defender Curtis Davies has been named player of the year in League One. The 20-year-old helped the Hatters to their title triumph, and won the fans' vote ahead of Wrexham striker Juan Ugarte and Hull winger Stuart Elliott. "Curtis seems to be improving every year at Luton," said Chris Kamara, head of the panel that chose the nominees. "He has great pace, awareness and anticipation and, if he continues to work hard, there's no doubt he will have a great future in the game."

Edwards poised to sign for Luton
Carlos Edwards will quit Wrexham after agreeing a three-year contract with new Championship side Luton Town. The Trinidad and Tobago international joins fellow defender Stephen Roberts - who will join Doncaster Rovers - in leaving the Racecourse. Edwards, 26, was offered a new deal by the Dragons, but becomes a free agent on 1 July and will join Luton then. Mike Newell's side were promoted from League One as champions, while Wrexham were relegated to League Two. Edwards' agent confirmed the move to BBC Wales and revealed that both Plymouth and Coventry were keen to sign the player. Wrexham have struggled to pay wages this season and were forced into administration, being docked the 10 league points in the process that pushed them towards relegation. The north Wales club still faces an uncertain future off the pitch. Owner Alex Hamilton has served Wrexham FC with a notice to quit the Racecourse Ground this summer, although administrators running the club are ready to go to the courts to stop Wrexham being evicted. Edwards joined Wrexham in June 2000 from Trinidad side Defence Force FC and has been one of the team's most consistent performers, catching the eye on both flanks with his attacking flair and defensive qualities. The player was the subject of a £350,000 bid from Preston last season before he suffered a serious knee ligament injury while on international duty that sidelined him for seven months.

Premiership dream lured Edwards
Wing-back Carlos Edwards says Luton's ambition persuaded him to join the club from Wrexham on a three-year deal. "I love Wrexham but couldn't pass the opportunity to play at a higher level," the 26-year-old Trinidad & Tobago international told the Daily Post. "Luton are now just one step away from the Premiership, which is where I have always wanted to play." Wrexham boss Denis Smith said: "Carlos has left in the right manner. The move will free up money for the squad." Wrexham assistant manager Kevin Russell has been given a testimonial game against a Manchester United XI at the Racecourse on Tuesday, 2 August.

Newell aiming to follow QPR route
Mike Newell is confident Luton can emulate QPR and establish themselves in the Championship next year. The League One champions will return to the second tier of English football next season after a nine-year absence. QPR finished 11th in the Championship after last year's promotion and boss Newell told BBC Sport: "They have stayed up comfortably and competed. "They were knocking on the door of the play-offs at one stage and that's something we should be aiming for." He added: "We weren't too far away from QPR when they went up and, with the players we've got, I believe we might be able to do a similar thing this year." Newell's young team, who were not among the sides fancied for promotion at the start of the season, won plenty of plaudits for their attacking style. And the manager believes he will not have to tinker too much with that winning formula. "I've got a busy couple of weeks coming up. A few players will be leaving and I will be trying to add some as well," he explained. "But you have to be fair to the lads who performed well this season and give them a chance to see if they can cut it at the next level. "It's a question of tweaking it, adding one or two players, and seeing how we get on with that." Success in the lower divisions usually leads to an increased number of visits from Premiership scouts, and Kenilworth Road has been no exception in the last few months. Kevin Foley and Curtis Davies, both of whom came up through the youth ranks, have received rave reviews for their defensive displays. "There has been a lot of interest in those two, but no concrete offers," Newell added. "That's interest I would expect because they have performed week in, week out and are only 20. "People will want to look at them at the next level and see how they get on there. "And I wouldn't be surprised if we find it difficult to hold on to them next season."

Mansell leaves Luton for Oxford
Oxford United have signed Lee Mansell from Luton Town on a one-year deal after he impressed last season when he was with them on trial. Mansell, 22, made 50 appearances for the Hatters and can play either at right back or right midfield. "It's a relief to sign rather than having to prove myself somewhere in pre-season," he told the club website. "I'm really pleased to get the opportunity and am looking forward to the new challenge."

Howard commits himself to Hatters
Luton striker Steve Howard has ended speculation about his future by agreeing a new two-year contract, with the option of a further 12 months. The 29-year-old netted 22 goals to help the Hatters win League One, but his existing deal was due to expire soon. "We are delighted Steve has committed his future to the club. I always felt he didn't want to leave and was happy to stay," manager Mike Newell said. Meanwhile, 24-year-old midfielder Peter Holmes has agreed a new one-year deal.

Dragons secure Bayliss and Jones
Luton defender Dave Bayliss, 29, has joined Wrexham on a one-year deal. "He's the sort of player I've been looking for, experienced and tremendous in the dressing room," Wrexham manager Denis Smith told the club's website. "Dave can organise a defence, is not a bad passer of the ball, and is eager for first-team football." Wales Under-21 midfielder Mark Jones has signed a new two-year deal at the Dragons, who are close to finding a new striker following Hector Sam's move. "Things are starting to come together after a very frustrating summer for us," said Smith. "Mark had one or two things to iron out and I'm glad we could come to an agreement with him."

Hatters seal permanent Vine deal
Luton have signed striker Rowan Vine from Portsmouth on a three-year deal. The 22-year centre forward spent last season on loan with the Hatters, scoring nine goals as they secured promotion to the Championship. Chairman Bill Tomlins was thrilled. He said: "We have to look at younger players and it was important to take into account the Bosman situation. "If we had only given him two years he would have been coming to the end of his deal at the end of next season."

Newell pleased by start to season
Luton boss Mike Newell is delighted by his team's start to the season. The Hatters have beaten Southampton and Crystal Palace and drawn with Leeds in their opening three Championship games since winning promotion last season. "It has been an excellent start," Newell told BBC Radio Five Live's Sportsweek. "The players are on a bit of a roll after a fantastic last year. "We have a good dressing room, with good lads who are not arrogant but have a bit of confidence in themselves." Newell admitted that when the fixtures were released he was less than happy with the prospect of playing two teams relegated from the Premiership at the start of the campaign. "When we looked at the fixtures we were a little bit worried," said Newell. "We were looking forward to playing Saints, Palace and Leeds but had you offered us seven points out of nine we would have certainly bitten your hand off. "The two teams that have fallen out of the Premier League have good players and I believe that come the end of the year they will be up there."

Leyton Orient 1-3 Luton
Luton eased into the Carling Cup second round with a comfortable victory. Defender Chris Coyne made the breakthrough for Luton in first-half injury time with a clever lob. Luton doubled their lead after 71 minutes when Enoch Showunmi capitalised on goalkeeper Glyn Garner's poor clearance to set up Warren Feeney. Orient captain Gary Alexander then put through his own goal four minutes later before Daryl McMahon pulled one back from the edge of the penalty area. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Leyton Orient: Garner, Miller, Zakuani, Mackie (Dolan 45), Palmer, Easton, McMahon, Simpson, Tudor (Keith 80), Alexander, Echanomi (Steele 77). Subs Not Used: Barnard, Morris. Booked: Zakuani, Echanomi. Goals: McMahon 90. Luton: Beresford, Keane, Coyne (Perrett 79), Davies, Davis, Edwards, Nicholls (Holmes 80), Leary, Morgan (O'Leary 82), Showunmi, Feeney. Subs Not Used: Brkovic, Brill. Booked: Davies, Leary. Goals: Coyne 45, Feeney 71, Alexander 76 og. Att: 2,383 Ref: T Kettle (Rutland).

West Brom snap up defender Davies
West Brom have signed highly-rated Luton defender Curtis Davies for £3m. The £3m fee for Davies, 20, who has signed a four-year deal, is a record for West Brom and was the third biggest domestic move on deadline day. West Brom boss Bryan Robson told the club's website: "I believe he's got a really good future in the game. "Curtis is one of the most outstanding young centre halves I've seen for some time," added Robson. Davies arrival takes Albion's summer spending to £9m and follows the arrival of Nathan Ellington, Darren Carter, Diomansy Kamara, Steve Watson and on-loan Chris Kirkland. The 6ft 2in Davies made 62 appearances for Luton scoring two goals, his last coming on Monday in the 2-1 win over Millwall. He joined the club as a 16-year-old trialist and made his debut two years later.

QPR 1-0 Luton
Lee Cook's second-half free-kick earned 10-man QPR their first win for a month and condemned Luton to their second defeat of the season. Luton dominated the first half, with Warren Feeney, Ahmet Brkovic and Kevin Nicholls all going close. QPR's Gareth Ainsworth had a header well saved before team-mate Cook curled in a low free-kick in the 58th minute. Rangers had Tommy Doherty sent off for clashing with Chris Coyne and Luton saw a late penalty appeal turned down. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- QPR boss Ian Holloway: "When I look at the video of the first 10 minutes, I will not be a happy bunny. "But in the second half we got behind them and looked much better." Luton boss Mike Newell: "It was a penalty. I spoke to the referee afterwards, but it's too late then. "For their goal, I thought the wall hadn't been lined up properly, but Kevin Nicholls told me he had been pulled out of the wall. "If the referee doesn't see that, there's not a lot you can do." -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- QPR: Royce, Bignot, Santos, Shittu, Milanese, Ainsworth (Langley 61), Bircham, Doherty, Cook, Moore (Lomas 83), Furlong (Nygaard 83). Subs Not Used: Cole, Evatt. Sent Off: Doherty (81). Booked: Furlong, Shittu, Bircham. Goals: Cook 58. Luton: Beresford, Edwards, Coyne, Perrett, Davis, Brkovic, Nicholls, Robinson (Morgan 74), Underwood (Holmes 88), Feeney (Showunmi 74), Howard. Subs Not Used: Brill, Barnett. Att: 13,492 Ref: M Thorpe (Suffolk).

Luton boss faces two FA charges
The Football Association has charged Luton's Mike Newell with two counts of using abusive and/or threatening words and/or behaviour to a match official. Both alleged breaches of FA rule E3 relate to Luton's 1-1 draw with Wolves at Kenilworth Road last Saturday. The first relates to Newell's conduct at the end of the first half, and the second to his conduct in the officials' dressing room during half-time. The Hatters manager has until 29 September to respond to the charges.

Hull 0-1 Luton
Steve Howard's late strike helped Luton maintain their excellent early-season form with a narrow win at Hull. Howard rifled home a right-foot strike from inside the six-yard box, with only five minutes remaining. Luton keeper Marlon Beresford saved from Stuart Green and Chris Brown, while Hull's Bo Myhill thwarted Dean Morgan and Carlos Edwards. Hull's Nick Barmby and Luton's Ahmet Brkovic had first-half efforts ruled out for offside. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Hull boss Peter Taylor: "(Our keeper) played well but the fact that he had to concerned me as Luton created so many chances. "That was a concern but I thought we were very, very poor in our shape for the goal. "I've told the players to look at the video because we seemed to be sleeping and there were too many holes." Luton boss Mike Newell: "We are happy with the way we played. Sometimes it's difficult to force the ball over the line. "We are delighted with the points tally so far. We might even have had more, we felt we were hard done by at Stoke. "But we are pleased with the way the lads have performed and they have surprised some people with the way they have adapted to this league." -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Hull: Myhill, Coles (Joseph 9), Cort, Delaney, Dawson, France, Green, Welsh, Elliott, Barmby (Fagan 62), Brown (Burgess 78). Subs Not Used: Duke, Woodhouse. Booked: Joseph. Luton: Beresford, Edwards, Perrett (Barnett 90), Coyne, Davis, Morgan, Nicholls, Robinson, Brkovic, Howard, Feeney. Subs Not Used: Brill, Andrew, Holmes, Keane. Goals: Howard 85. Att: 19,184 Ref: G Salisbury (Lancashire).

View Full Version: Luton Town