DEFIANT HATTERS DIE DEEP

ONS REPORTS ON Te ane te ence THEIR CRITICS WRONG...

HANDS up if you believed Luton Town were going to be relegation fodder this season? Thought so.

It seemed as though everyone outside Kenilworth Road was convinced Rob Edwards’ Hatters were going down before a ball had even been kicked.

That view didn’t change too much in the opening stages of the campaign as fellow promoted sides Burnley and Sheffi eld United also toiled.

After the Hatters lost their fi rst three games of the campaign to slump to the bottom of the table, former Tottenham striker Garth Crooks waded in.

“It’s good to see the tangerine colours of Luton back in the big league once more, but I can’t take them seriously, and see them down by Christmas,” he predicted.

Edwards admitted that the BBC pundit’s comments ‘hurt’ and labelled them ‘disrespectful’ but the former Forest Green Rovers and Watford boss may end up having the last laugh.

The Hatters have slowly but surely adjusted to life in the Premier League and are starting to get the plaudits they deserve.

Before Late Tackle went to press, they crushed Brighton 4-0 at home, the impressive Elijah Adebayo weighing in with a hat-trick, and then played out a remarkable 4-4 draw against Newcastle at St James' Park.

Those results lifted them out of the relegation zone and gave them a massive shot in the arm. Can 'little old Luton' go on and achieve what some thought was impossible by staying in the Premier League? Well, they've certainly given themselves a fighting chance, and the bulk of the credit for that has to go to Edwards. The ex-Wolves and Blackpool defender had a tough act to follow when he replaced Southampton-bound Nathan Jones in November 2022.