2009 Football League Trophy final
Event | 2008–09 Football League Trophy | ||||||
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2010 → |
The 2009 Football League Trophy Final was the 26th final of the domestic
Luton's victory was a single positive note in an otherwise terrible season for the club. They started the season with a 30-point deduction imposed by the
Background
Luton and Scunthorpe went into the match in vastly different positions. Scunthorpe were in the play-off positions in League One and hoping to secure both promotion to the
Match details
a.e.t.) | Scunthorpe United | |
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95' | Report | Hooper 14' McCann 88' |
Luton Town
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Scunthorpe United
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MATCH OFFICIALS
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MATCH RULES
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Protests
During the match, many of Luton's 40,000 fans unfurled flags featuring the slogans "Thanks for Sweet
Route to the final
Luton Town
Round 1 (South) | received bye | |||
Round 2 (South) | Luton Town | 2–2 | Brentford | |
(Luton Town won 4–3 on penalties) | ||||
Quarter-finals (South) | Walsall | 0–1 | Luton Town | |
Semi-finals (South) | Luton Town | 1–0 | Colchester United | |
Final (South, 1st leg) | Brighton & Hove Albion | 0–0 | Luton Town
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Final (South, 2nd leg) | Luton Town | 1–1 | Brighton & Hove Albion | |
(1–1 on aggregate. Luton Town won 4–3 on penalties) |
Scunthorpe United
Round 1 (North) | Scunthorpe United | 2–1 | Notts County | |
Round 2 (North) | Scunthorpe United | 2–1 | Grimsby Town | |
Quarter-finals (North) | Scunthorpe United | 1–0 | Rochdale
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Semi-finals (North) | Scunthorpe United | 2–1 | Tranmere Rovers | |
Final (North, 1st leg) | Scunthorpe United | 2–0 | Rotherham United | |
Final (North, 2nd leg) | Rotherham United | 0–1 | Scunthorpe United | |
(Scunthorpe United won 3–0 on aggregate) |
Post-match
Luton manager Mick Harford paid tribute to his players, saying "the players knew when they came to the club that they could be non-League players next season. They put their necks on the line. Today their camaraderie, spirit and togetherness was there for all to see." He also praised the "special" Luton fans, saying "They've had it tough down the years, with [the club] being in and out of administration and having sanctions put upon them. We have the second-highest league attendance in League Two and the highest away following, and they've turned out again today."[9]
Scunthorpe manager Nigel Adkins congratulated Luton on their victory but also lamented his own side's shortcomings, saying after the match "Credit to Luton. I congratulate Mick Harford, but we have to learn from this negative experience and use it in a positive way. I will make sure [the players] will remember this because it's not nice... We will draw a line under it and make sure we come back to Wembley in the play-off final – and make sure we win."[9]
Luton were relegated on 13 April 2009, only a week after their Football League Trophy victory. Their relegation was confirmed when they could only manage a draw against Chesterfield, while the only club they could catch, Grimsby Town, won against Notts County.[10] Cliff Byrne secured a place in the League One play-offs for Scunthorpe at the expense of Tranmere Rovers with a goal two minutes from the end of their final game.[11] They returned to Wembley for the League One play-off final and won promotion in May, beating Millwall 3–2.
References
- ^ "Luton 3–2 Scunthorpe". BBC Sport. British Broadcasting Corporation. 5 April 2009. Retrieved 14 May 2009.
- ^ a b "Luton to face 30-points deduction". BBC Sport. British Broadcasting Corporation. 10 July 2008. Retrieved 14 May 2009.
- ^ Stafford, Mike (5 April 2009). "Luton get the last laugh with victory in the 'Paint Pot final'". The Guardian. Retrieved 14 May 2009.
- ^ "Luton hope to defend trophy even if relegated". ESPN Soccernet. ESPN. 6 April 2009. Archived from the original on 26 May 2011. Retrieved 14 May 2009.
- ^ "Luton consider Trophy ban appeal". BBC Sport. 15 June 2009. Retrieved 3 January 2010.
- ^ "2009-03-28, Scunthorpe 3–0 Colchester". Scunthorpe United. Archived from the original on 5 May 2009. Retrieved 14 May 2009.
- ^ a b McVay, David (5 April 2009). "Defiant Luton celebrates trophy win with final protest". Telegraph Online. The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 7 June 2009. Retrieved 14 May 2009.
- ^ Dart, Tom (6 May 2009). "Luton Town find pot of gold at last". Times Online. London: The Times. Retrieved 14 May 2009.
- ^ a b "Harford praises Luton's character". BBC Sport. British Broadcasting Corporation. 5 April 2009. Retrieved 14 May 2009.
- ^ Stafford, Mike (13 April 2009). "Football League round-up". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 16 April 2009. Retrieved 14 May 2009.
- ^ Williams, Bob (2 May 2009). "Cliff Byrne secures play-off spot for Scunthorpe". Telegraph Online. The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 6 May 2009. Retrieved 14 May 2009.
External links
- Football League website
- "Team line-ups on Football League website". Archived from the original on 23 December 2012. Retrieved 14 May 2009.
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: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link) - Soccerbase match details[permanent dead link]