Luton Town Football Club have had a tumultuous journey in the 21st century, from voting for the Premier League to being one of the last teams relegated from the old First Division, and then a yo-yo back up and then a nosedive into non-league football, barely surviving the taxman, ownership issues and more point deductions than a drunken gymnast. However, they finally received planning permission for a new stadium, and next Saturday they head to Wembley, 90 minutes away from the Premier League. With the fifth-lowest budget in the second tier and a record signing of just £2million, they have achieved the unimaginable under manager Rob Edwards, who was sacked by their rivals Watford after just 11 games.
The journey to Wembley has been extraordinary, with the postponement of their first three home games due to their pitch being unsafe and unplayable, a protracted takeover, not a win in their first seven games, yet Mark Robins just said ‘hold my beer’. What a phenomenal job he has done, taking them from the fourth tier to the cusp of the promised land. Their semi-final, second-leg away win against Middlesbrough just the latest example of his tactical brilliance.
Coventry City may not have slid all the way into non-league over the past two decades, but they have matched Luton Town every step of the way when it comes to upheaval. From boardroom debacles to homelessness, Cov may be the dictionary definition of ‘whatever doesn’t kill you makes you stronger’. The phrase we often use is Cinderella story, but in this case Prince Charming is clearly in a throuple.
My sporting soul soars at the reality that one of these teams will actually be in the Premier League next season, and my sporting heart already aches for the club that will just miss out. To the fans of each club, good luck and congratulations. Your day in the sun, come what may, is so hard earned and so well deserved.