Football Season Guide

Luton Town’s demanding fans will have yet more high expectations ahead of the new season. The Hatters were promoted back to the Football League after a five-year absence in the summer of 2014 and they were one of the favourites for automatic promotion under experienced manager John Still. A poor end to the 2014/15 season saw them lose nine of ten league games to eventually finish in 8th place and Still was unable arrest the slide at the start of last season. He was sacked a week before Christmas with the team languishing in 17th place in the table. He wasn’t helped by the loss of homesick defender and Captain Steve McNulty in October whilst the likes of strikers Craig Mackail-Smith and Paul Benson failed to live up to their reputation with just a miserly four goals between them. Nathan Jones was appointed in early January and guided the club to an 11th place finish in the League Two table. He showed his ruthlessness at the end of the season with long-serving midfielders Alex Lawless and Jake Howells both released alongside Paul Benson. He has the basis of a good squad with defenders Alan Sheehan and Glen Rea’s loan moves made permanent. Midfielder Pelly Ruddock has signed a new deal whilst leading goalscorer Jack Marriott will be hoping to notch 20+ goals this season after showing plenty of potential. Defender Johnny Mullins and striker Danny Hylton have both signed from promoted Oxford United whilst goalkeeper Christian Walton has joined on a season-long loan from Brighton and Hove Albion. Jones has a number of promising youngsters coming through, most notably in midfield playmaker Tyreeq Bakinson, and he will be hoping to integrate them into the first team. If he can find the right balance, the Hatters will be challenging for automatic promotion in 2016/17.