2014–15 Luton Town F.C. season
The 2014–15 season was the 129th in the history of Luton Town Football Club and the club's first back in the Football League since the 2008–09 season following its promotion from the Conference Premier during the previous season. Luton finished in eighth position, one place and three points outside the play-offs.
2014–15 season | |
---|---|
Owner | Luton Town Football Club 2020 Ltd |
Chairman | Nick Owen |
Manager | John Still |
Stadium | Kenilworth Road |
League Two | 8th |
FA Cup | Third round |
League Cup | First round |
Football League Trophy | Second round |
Top goalscorer | League: Mark Cullen (13) All: Mark Cullen (14) |
Highest home attendance | 10,071 vs Portsmouth (28 December 2014, League Two) |
Lowest home attendance | 2,186 vs Crawley Town (7 October 2014, Football League Trophy second round) |
Average home league attendance | 7,901 |
Luton had an indifferent start to the campaign before a strong run of results placed the club in a four-way battle for the automatic promotion spots for much of the season, alongside Burton Albion, Wycombe Wanderers and Shrewsbury Town. A collapse in Luton's form in the final third of the season left them struggling to remain in the promotion positions and, despite a late run of positive results, the club fell just short of competing in the play-offs.
This article covers the period from 1 July 2014 to 30 June 2015.
Background edit
Luton manager John Still had joined the club in February 2013 at a time when promotion from the Conference Premier looked unlikely following a poor run of league results under previous manager Paul Buckle. Still guided the club to a seventh-placed finish in its fourth season in non-League football. He began building his own squad a month before the last game of the 2012–13 campaign, continuing to do so through pre-season and the beginning of the 2013–14 season, with twelve new players entering Kenilworth Road and eleven leaving.
A slow start to the 2013–14 season left the club in mid-table, but this soon gave way to a club-record 27-match unbeaten run with Luton playing an attacking style of football that resulted in them scoring 78 goals. The club reached the top of the table in December 2013 and Still ensured momentum through the busy post-Christmas schedule by augmenting the squad with talented young players from Premier League academies, such as Pelly Ruddock Mpanzu and Cameron McGeehan. Luton remained in first position for the rest of the campaign as they comfortably won promotion to League Two, with nearest rivals Cambridge United 19 points behind – the largest points gap between first and second in Conference history. The club accumulated 101 points and kept 23 clean sheets, both club records, while also equalling the record for the fewest goals (35) conceded over a season.
Club edit
Squad edit
Squad No. | Name | Nationality | Position(s) | Since | Date of Birth (Age) | Signed from | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Goalkeepers | ||||||||
1 | Mark Tyler | GK | 2009 | 2 May 1977 | Peterborough United | |||
16 | Elliot Justham | GK | 2013 | 18 August 1990 | East Thurrock United | |||
Defenders | ||||||||
2 | Fraser Franks | RB / CB | 2014 | 22 November 1990 | Welling United | |||
3 | Danny Fitzsimons | CB | 2013 | 5 May 1990 | Histon | |||
5 | Steve McNulty (c) | CB | 2013 | 26 September 1983 | Fleetwood Town | |||
6 | Alex Lacey | CB | 2012 | 8 May 1994 | Luton Town Academy | |||
12 | Scott Griffiths | LB | 2013 | 27 November 1985 | Peterborough United | |||
29 | Paul Connolly | RB | 2014 | 29 September 1983 | Crawley Town | |||
30 | Luke Wilkinson | CB | 2014 | 2 December 1991 | Dagenham & Redbridge | |||
24 | Curtley Williams | RB | 2014 | 19 March 1990 | Lowestoft Town | |||
33 | Mark Onyemah | LB | 2014 | Thurrock | ||||
Midfielders | ||||||||
4 | Jonathan Smith | CM | 2013 | 17 October 1986 | York City | |||
7 | Alex Lawless | LM | 2010 | 26 March 1985 | York City | |||
8 | Andy Drury | CM | 2014 | 28 November 1983 | Crawley Town | |||
11 | Jake Howells | LB / LM | 2008 | 18 May 1991 | Luton Town Academy | |||
14 | Andy Parry | CM | 2011 | 13 September 1991 | Southport | |||
15 | Luke Rooney | RW | 2014 | 28 December 1990 | Maidstone United | |||
17 | Pelly Ruddock | CM | 2014 | 17 July 1993 | West Ham United | |||
21 | Luke Guttridge | CM | 2013 | 27 March 1982 | Northampton Town | |||
22 | Shaun Whalley | RW | 2013 | 7 July 1987 | Southport | |||
23 | Matt Robinson | CM | 2012 | 1 June 1994 | Leicester City | |||
28 | Jim Stevenson | CM | 2012 | 17 May 1992 | Histon | |||
39 | Ian Rees | CM | 2014 | 22 February 1998 | Luton Town Academy | |||
Forwards | ||||||||
9 | Paul Benson | ST | 2014 | 12 October 1979 | Swindon Town | |||
10 | Alex Wall | ST | 2013 | 22 September 1990 | Maidenhead United | |||
13 | Mark Cullen | ST | 2013 | 21 May 1992 | Hull City | |||
18 | Ross Lafayette | ST | 2014 | 11 April 1987 | Welling United | |||
19 | Ricky Miller | ST | 2014 | 13 March 1989 | Boston United | |||
35 | Charlie Walker | ST | 2014 | Peacehaven & Telscombe |
New contracts edit
No. | Pos | Player | Contract Length | Contract End | Date | Source |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
13 | ST | Mark Cullen | 3 years | 2017 | 15 May 2014 | [1] |
26 | RW | Luke Rooney | 6 months | 2015 | 4 February 2015 | [2][3] |
5 | CB | Steve McNulty | 2 years | 2016 | 23 July 2014 | [4][5] |
11 | LW | Jake Howells | 2 years | 2016 | 25 July 2014 | [6][7] |
26 | RW | Luke Rooney | 6 months | 2015 | 7 January 2015 | [8] |
Transfers edit
In edit
Summer edit
No. | Pos | Player | Transferred From | Fee | Date | Source |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
24 | RB | Curtley Williams | Lowestoft Town | Undisclosed | 15 May 2014 | [9] |
18 | ST | Ross Lafayette | Welling United | Undisclosed | 11 June 2014 | [10] |
19 | ST | Ricky Miller | Boston United | Free | 25 June 2014 | [11] |
8 | MF | Andy Drury | Crawley Town | £100,000 | 30 June 2014 | [12] |
29 | RB | Paul Connolly | Crawley Town | Free | 5 July 2014 | [13] |
30 | RB | Luke Wilkinson | Dagenham & Redbridge | Undisclosed | 7 July 2014 | [14] |
— | ST | Lee Angol | Wycombe Wanderers | Undisclosed | 9 July 2014 | [15] |
9 | ST | Paul Benson | Swindon Town | Free | 23 July 2014 | [16] |
35 | ST | Charlie Walker | Peacehaven & Telscombe | Free | 23 July 2014 | [16][17] |
33 | LB | Mark Onyemah | Thurrock | Free | 23 July 2014 | [16][17] |
26 | MF | Nathan Doyle | Bradford City | Free | 11 September 2014 | [18] |
Winter edit
No. | Pos | Player | Transferred From | Fee | Date | Source |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
27 | MF | Ryan Hall | Rotherham United | Free | 31 January 2015 | [19] |
Out edit
Summer edit
No. | Pos | Player | Transferred To | Fee | Date | Source |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
3 | LB | Danny Fitzsimons | Dartford | Released | 18 May 2015 | [20][21] |
19 | ST | Ricky Miller | Dover Athletic | Released | 18 May 2015 | [20][22] |
22 | RW | Shaun Whalley | Shrewsbury Town | Released | 18 May 2015 | [20][23] |
10 | ST | Alex Wall | Bromley | Released | 30 June 2015 | [24][25] |
13 | ST | Mark Cullen | Blackpool | £180,000 | 30 June 2015 | [26] |
28 | CM | Jim Stevenson | Aldershot Town | Released | 30 June 2015 | [24][27] |
32 | RB | Brett Longden | St Neots Town | Released | 30 June 2015 | [24][28] |
35 | ST | Charlie Walker | Aldershot Town | Released | 30 June 2015 | [24][29] |
36 | CM | Charlie Smith | Released | 30 June 2015 | [24] | |
39 | CM | Ian Rees | Hemel Hempstead Town | Released | 30 June 2015 | [24][30] |
— | ST | Lee Angol | Peterborough United | Compensation | 30 June 2015 | [31][32] |
— | RW | Kynan Isaac | Released | 30 June 2015 | [24] |
Winter edit
No. | Pos | Player | Transferred To | Fee | Date | Source |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
— | MF | Solomon Taiwo | Dover Athletic | Released | 15 January 2015 | [33][34] |
— | MF | Dave Martin | Stevenage | Released | 2 February 2015 | [35][36] |
Loans in edit
Summer edit
No. | Pos | Player | Transferred To | Start | End | Source |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
22 | RB | Michael Harriman | Queens Park Rangers | 9 October 2014 | 14 November 2015 | [37] |
Winter edit
No. | Pos | Player | Transferred To | Start | End | Source |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
22 | RB | Michael Harriman | Queens Park Rangers | 14 November 2014 | 30 June 2015 | [38][39] |
25 | ST | Jayden Stockley | AFC Bournemouth | 7 January 2015 | 4 February 2015 | [40] |
31 | ST | Nathan Oduwa | Tottenham Hotspur | 2 February 2015 | 30 June 2015 | [41] |
50 | MF | Cameron McGeehan | Norwich City | 14 February 2015 | 30 June 2015 | [42] |
38 | ST | Elliot Lee | West Ham United | 19 February 2015 | 2 May 2015 | [43][44] |
— | DF | Lewis Kinsella | Aston Villa | 26 March 2015 | 30 June 2015 | [45] |
Loans out edit
Summer edit
No. | Pos | Player | Loaned To | Start | End | Source |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
— | MF | Lee Angol | Boreham Wood | 9 July 2014 | 30 June 2015 | [15] |
— | MF | Dave Martin | Bristol Rovers | 15 August 2014 | 5 January 2015 | [46] |
19 | FW | Ricky Miller | Dover Athletic | 1 September 2014 | 29 October 2014 | [47][48] |
— | MF | Solomon Taiwo | Dover Athletic | 1 September 2014 | 29 October 2014 | [47][48] |
— | MF | Kynan Isaac | Oxford City | 9 September 2014 | 11 December 2014 | [49] |
33 | DF | Mark Onyemah | Thurrock | 9 September 2014 | 10 October 2014 | [49] |
Winter edit
No. | Pos | Player | Loaned To | Start | End | Source |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
36 | DF | Charlie Smith | St Albans City | 7 January 2015 | 4 February 2015 | |
32 | DF | Brett Longden | Arlesey Town | 7 January 2015 | 4 February 2015 | |
DF | Andy Parry | Southport | 13 January 2015 | 14 February 2015 | [50] | |
18 | DF | Ross Lafayette | Woking | 15 January 2015 | 14 February 2015 | [51][52] |
MF | Kynan Isaac | Banbury United | 13 February 2015 | 14 March 2015 | [53] | |
GK | Craig King | Metropolitan Police | 13 February 2015 | 14 March 2015 | [53] | |
18 | DF | Ross Lafayette | Welling United | 26 March 2015 | 30 June 2015 | [54] |
— | MF | Ian Rees | Hitchin Town | 26 March 2014 | 30 June 2015 | [54] |
Overall transfer activity edit
Spending editSummer: £100,000 Total: £100,000
| Income editSummer: £500,000 Total: £500,000
| Expenditure editSummer: £400,000 Total: £400,000 |
Competitions edit
Preseason edit
10 July 2014 | Farense | 2–0 | Luton Town | Estádio de São Luís, Faro |
18:00 BST | Ernest 22' Márcio Madeira 89' (pen.) | Report |
20 July 2014 | Barnet | 0–2 | Luton Town | The Hive Stadium, Canons Park |
15:00 BST | Report | Cullen 45' Howells 80' (pen.) | Attendance: 806 Referee: Andy Woolmer |
23 July 2014 | East Thurrock United | 1–1 | Luton Town | Rookery Hill, Corringham |
19:45 | Report | Wilkinson 86' |
26 July 2014 | Luton Town | 4–0 | Royal Antwerp | Kenilworth Road, Luton |
15:00 | Lacey 6' Franks 65' Lafayette 80' Lawless 87' | Report | Attendance: 3,199 |
29 July 2014 | Luton Town | 2–2 | Colchester United | Kenilworth Road, Luton |
19:45 | Cullen 27' Guttridge 69' | Report | Connolly 30' (o.g.) Ibehre 51' | Attendance: 1,475 |
2 August 2014 | Luton Town | 1–1 | Peterborough United | Kenilworth Road, Luton |
15:00 | Cullen 45' | Report | Assombalonga 75' | Attendance: 2, 154 |
League Two edit
League table edit
Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Promotion, qualification or relegation |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
6 | Stevenage | 46 | 20 | 12 | 14 | 62 | 54 | +8 | 72 | Qualification for League Two play-offs[a] |
7 | Plymouth Argyle | 46 | 20 | 11 | 15 | 55 | 37 | +18 | 71 | |
8 | Luton Town | 46 | 19 | 11 | 16 | 54 | 44 | +10 | 68 | |
9 | Newport County | 46 | 18 | 11 | 17 | 51 | 54 | −3 | 65 | |
10 | Exeter City | 46 | 17 | 13 | 16 | 61 | 65 | −4 | 64 |
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Number of goals scored
Notes:
- ^ Four teams play for one spot and promotion to Football League One.
Results summary edit
Overall | Home | Away | |||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD |
46 | 19 | 11 | 16 | 53 | 45 | +8 | 68 | 13 | 4 | 6 | 37 | 19 | +18 | 6 | 7 | 10 | 16 | 26 | −10 |
Source: League 2
Results by Matchday edit
Matches edit
9 August 2014 1 | Carlisle United | 0–1 | Luton Town | Carlisle |
15:00 BST | Report | Cullen 30' Connolly 63' | Stadium: Brunton Park Attendance: 6,766 Referee: N Miller |
16 August 2014 2 | Luton Town | 0–1 | AFC Wimbledon | Luton |
15:00 BST | Griffiths 71' | Report | Tubbs 42' Pell 81' | Stadium: Kenilworth Road Attendance: 9,101 Referee: Oliver Langford |
23 August 2014 4 | Accrington Stanley | 2–2 | Luton Town | Accrington |
15:00 | Gray 9' Joyce 16' Hunt 81' | Report | Rooney 32' Howells 42' | Stadium: Crown Ground Attendance: 1,562 Referee: Seb Stockbridge |
30 August 2014 5 | Shrewsbury Town | 2–0 | Luton Town | Shrewsbury |
15:00 | Clark 3', 70' | Report | Robinson 83' Connolly 90' | Stadium: Greenhous Meadow Attendance: 5,888 Referee: Peter Bankes |
6 September 2014 6 | Luton Town | 0–1 | Plymouth Argyle | Luton |
12:15 | Connolly 8' | Report | Blizzard 68' 25' Bray 60' Hartley 3' | Stadium: Kenilworth Road Attendance: 7,864 Referee: Mick Russell |
13 September 2014 7 | Luton Town | 1–0 | Cheltenham Town | Luton |
15:00 | Cullen 8' Guttridge 43' Smith 84' | Report | Brown 24' Taylor 44' Marquis 90+3' | Stadium: Kenilworth Road Attendance: 7,793 Referee: Andy D'Urso |
16 September 2014 8 | York City | 0–0 | Luton Town | York |
19:45 | Report | Stadium: Bootham Crescent Attendance: 3,649 Referee: Mark Brown |
20 September 2014 9 | Cambridge United | 0–1 | Luton Town | Cambridge |
15:00 | Simpson 36' Naylor 53' Donaldson 63' Coulson 81' | Report | Cullen 80' (pen.) Stevenson 46' Wall 55' Lafayette 59' | Stadium: Abbey Stadium Attendance: 6,533 Referee: Graham Salisbury |
27 September 2014 10 | Luton Town | 2–0 | Oxford United | Luton |
15:00 | Wilkinson 2' Howells 63' McNulty 50' | Report | Barnett 63' | Stadium: Kenilworth Road Attendance: 9,101 Referee: Mark Haywood |
11 October 2014 12 | Luton Town | 2–0 | Southend United | Luton |
15:00 | Lawless 16' Cullen 33' Ruddock 70' Drury 70' | Report | Atkinson 26' Thompson 64' Corr 66' | Stadium: Kenilworth Road Attendance: 9,238 Referee: Chris Kavanagh |
18 October 2014 13 | Hartlepool United | 1–2 | Luton Town | Hartlepool |
15:00 | Austin 91' (pen.) Hawkins 86' | Report | Cullen 39' Stevenson 81' | Stadium: Victoria Park Attendance: 4,225 Referee: Paul Tierney |
21 October 2014 14 | Luton Town | 3–1 | Dagenham & Redbridge | Luton |
19:45 | Cullen 42', 45', 68' | Report | Doidge 86' | Stadium: Kenilworth Road Attendance: 7,746 Referee: Andy Davies |
25 October 2014 15 | Luton Town | 1–0 | Northampton Town | Luton |
15:00 | Guttridge 90+1' Benson 76' Wilkinson 84' | Report | Stevens 70' Robertson 84' Tozer 87' | Stadium: Kenilworth Road Attendance: 10,040 Referee: Darren Sheldrake |
1 November 2014 16 | Exeter City | 1–1 | Luton Town | Exeter |
15:00 | Nichols 72' (pen.) Butterfield 83' | Report | Griffiths 3' Doyle 85' | Stadium: St James Park Attendance: 5,400 Referee: Dean Whitestone |
15 November 2014 17 | Luton Town | 1–0 | Tranmere Rovers | Luton |
15:00 | Miller 70' Benson 85' | Report | Power 91+1' | Stadium: Kenilworth Road Attendance: 9,061 Referee: Lee Collins |
22 November 2014 18 | Burton Albion | 1–0 | Luton Town | Burton-upon-Trent |
15:00 | Edwards 47' Weir 68' | Report | Wilkinson 90+3' | Stadium: Pirelli Stadium Attendance: 4,772 Referee: James Adcock |
29 November 2014 19 | Luton Town | 3–0 | Mansfield Town | Luton |
15:00 | Benson 19' Whalley 59', 63' 17' | Report | Beevers 68' | Stadium: Kenilworth Road Attendance: 8,418 Referee: Gavin Ward |
13 December 2014 20 | Morecambe | 3–0 | Luton Town | Morecambe |
15:00 | Ellison 16' 85' Hughes 44' Amond 80' Edwards 30' | Report | McNulty 27' Lafayette 85' | Stadium: Globe Arena Attendance: 2,263 Referee: Andy D'Urso |
20 December 2014 21 | Luton Town | 3–0 | Newport County | Luton |
15:00 | Wilkinson 5' Rooney 51' Howells 90+2' Doyle 27' McNulty 28' Cullen 80' | Report | Stadium: Kenilworth Road Attendance: 8,383 Referee: Darren Drysdale |
26 December 2014 22 | Wycombe Wanderers | 1–1 | Luton Town | High Wycombe |
15:00 | Cowan-Hall 2' Mawson 10' Jacobson 55' | Report | Smith 8' Griffiths 1' Rooney 12' | Stadium: Adams Park Attendance: 7,539 Referee: Andy Woolmer |
28 December 2014 23 | Luton Town | 1–1 | Portsmouth | Luton |
15:00 | Rooney 12' | Report | Taylor 35' Bean 68' Westcarr 88' | Stadium: Kenilworth Road Attendance: 10,071 Referee: Darren Deadman |
8 January 2015 24 | Luton Town | 0–0 | Shrewsbury Town | Luton |
19:45 | Wilkinson 39' Smith 88' | Report | Knight-Percival 66' 69' | Stadium: Kenilworth Road Attendance: 7,666 Referee: James Adcock |
17 January 2015 25 | Plymouth Argyle | 0–1 | Luton Town | Plymouth |
15:00 | Lee 68' | Report | Drury 22' Doyle 64' Smith 86' | Stadium: Home Park Attendance: 8,420 Referee: Keith Hill |
24 January 2015 26 | Cheltenham Town | 1–1 | Luton Town | Cheltenham |
15:00 | Kotwica 20' 56' | Report | Whalley 21' Lawless 83' McNulty 86' Wilkinson 86' | Stadium: Whaddon Road Attendance: 3,611 Referee: Darren Handley |
31 January 2015 27 | Luton Town | 3–2 | Cambridge United | Luton |
15:00 | Drury 19' Wilkinson 31' Smith 45+2' Whalley 45+1' Doyle 76' | Report | Hunt 67' Simpson 86' Champion 74' | Stadium: Kenilworth Road Attendance: 10,054 Referee: Jeremy Simpson |
7 February 2015 28 | Oxford United | 1–1 | Luton Town | Oxford |
15:00 | Mullins 43' Wright 43' Skarz 45' Collins 73' Long 75' | Report | Stockley 35' McNulty 44' | Stadium: Kassam Stadium Attendance: 7,541 Referee: Richard Clark |
14 February 2015 30 | Luton Town | 1–0 | Carlisle United | Luton |
15:00 | Cullen 39' Wilkinson 61' Stockley 81' | Report | Archibald-Henville 90' | Stadium: Kenilworth Road Attendance: 8,502 Referee: James Linington |
17 February 2015 31 | Mansfield Town | 1–0 | Luton Town | Mansfield |
19:45 | Bingham 32' | Report | Drury 90' | Stadium: Field Mill Attendance: 2,998 Referee: Kevin Johnson |
21 February 2015 32 | AFC Wimbledon | 3–2 | Luton Town | Kingston upon Thames |
15:00 | Potter 28' Bulman 42' Connolly 90+3' Oshilaja 45' | Report | Stockley 45' 63' Lee 68' 90+1' Drury 55' | Stadium: Kingsmeadow Attendance: 4,050 Referee: Fred Graham |
28 February 2015 33 | Luton Town | 2–0 | Accrington Stanley | Luton |
15:00 | Stockley 41' Guttridge 60' Franks 45+2' Lee 70' | Report | Atkinson 47' Windass 84' Crooks 87' | Stadium: Kenilworth Road Attendance: 8,700 Referee: Lee Collins |
14 March 2015 36 | Portsmouth | 2–0 | Luton Town | Portsmouth |
15:00 | Tubbs 3' Taylor 62' Whatmough 18' Butler 67' | Report | Wilkinson 8' Cullen 45+1' | Stadium: Fratton Park Attendance: 17,149 Referee: Darren Drysdale |
17 March 2015 37 | Newport County | 1–0 | Luton Town | Newport |
19:45 | O'Connor 21' Feely 44' | Report | McGeehan 42' | Stadium: Rodney Parade Attendance: 2,536 Referee: Brendan Malone |
24 March 2015 38 | Luton Town | 2–3 | Wycombe Wanderers | Luton |
19:45 | Lee 7', 38' | Report | Saunders 3' 72' Hayes 22' (pen.) Mawson 31' | Stadium: Prostate Cancer UK Stadium Attendance: 8,379 Referee: David Coote |
28 March 2015 39 | Northampton Town | 2–1 | Luton Town | Northampton |
15:00 | Holmes 64' (pen.) Gray 86' Moloney 41' | Report | Lawless 46' Kinsella 11' Benson 52' Harriman 63' Doyle 88' | Stadium: Sixfields Stadium Attendance: 5,668 Referee: Graham Scott |
3 April 2015 40 | Luton Town | 2–3 | Exeter City | Luton |
15:00 | Guttridge 21' Cullen 45+1' Wilkinson 75' McNulty 79' Doyle 90+1' | Report | Harley 51' Moore-Taylor 76' Wheeler 90+5' | Stadium: Kenilworth Road Attendance: 8,755 Referee: Robert Lewis |