Hats Off To The Hatters – Luton Town Hit Zero Points

Congratulations are in order for Luton Town this week after the club finally made it to zero points following a 2-2 draw at Chester City in League Two, English football’s fourth tier.

The Hatters started the season on -30 points after the FA handed them a massive points deduction for financial irregularities – the biggest in Football League history. The club has struggled to make up the deficit ever since.

It took 24 league games to erase the negative tally, but in an entertaining game at the Deva Stadium in front of an attendance of 1,652 that included 370 dedicated travelling Luton fans, Mick Harford’s men managed to extend their unbeaten run to eight games and move on to that ever elusive figure of zero points.

Luton Town’s points deduction was imposed for breaching FA rules on maintaining a sound financial footing. The Hatters had already been docked 10 points for being found guilty of paying agents through a third party. They were then forced by the Football League to accept a further 20 point penalty just to be allowed to even participate in the league again, after the club exited administration without agreeing a Company Voluntary Agreement. According to the FA the two points deductions were individual of one another and ‘highly unfortunate for Luton Town.’

These empty words of pity from the FA weren’t so much comforting as they were patronising. The meaningless attempt at soothing words only served to further rub salt in the wounds given the administering of sanctions that many observers, both inside and outside the club, felt were way too stringent.

The penalty was considered excessive not only for its sheer size but also because, as well as correctly punishing the people responsible for Luton’s financial disarray, it also cracked down on the financial backers who came in to replace the offending incumbents. Those who had nothing to do with misdemeanours of the past.

A new consortium (LTFC2020) had taken over at Kenilworth Road aiming to clean up the mess left behind by the previous regime. But with the penalties imposed upon Luton by the authorities, the new owners were in effect left to pay for the sins of those formerly in charge.

The sense of injustice at this ruling was summed up by Kevin Lennon, chairman of the Loyal Luton Supporters club, after the sanctions were announced. ‘I thought commonsense would prevail and the guilty perpetrators would be the ones found guilty. They [The FA] have let football down.’

The tangible disappointment he and all Hatters fans felt was justified. Punishing the new owners for the crimes of the club’s predecessors was not only unfair but it set a dangerous precedent. Future consortiums looking to bail out struggling, financially insecure football clubs might now think twice before investing if they know they could end up fitting the bill for the irresponsibility of others.

‘Once again a policy of honesty is not recognised at all by the footballing authorities who claim they want to clean up the game. People who should, in theory at least, be protecting supporters will not bring us down,’ stated a bitterly disappointed LT2020 director Stephen Browne in the aftermath of the ruling, which also included a clause forcing Luton to forego their right to appeal. Having ploughed large amounts of money into helping Luton Town survive only to see the game’s so-called guardians create further obstacles with which to block their path, you can understand his frustrations.

Though making it to zero points is small consolation for the Hatters it is at least a sign of progress. They are now 14 points from safety in League Two, and on the back of recent good form can look positively towards trying to climb further up the table. It will be very tough, but if they do avoid relegation it would surely represent one of the greatest escapes in Football League history.

English League Two, Luton Town, The F.A.