Luton's top scorer denied chance to celebrate promotion in Las Vegas
Better stop dreaming of the quiet life because it's the one you'll never know.
In the town called Malice, Luton's bouncers are coming out to play - and Premier League defenders had better be ready when Elijah Adebayo and Carlton Morris are on the door. As English football's greatest boomerang completed the Hatters' journey from top flight to non-League and back again in 31 years, their twin strikers provided the rocket thrust and 40,000 fans sang along with The Jam's No.1 hit from 40 years ago.
Despite losing captain Tom Lockyer, whose unexplained collapse was a frightening diversion from the £180 million loot at stake, Luton deserve their return to elite orbit. Their energy, dynamism and unashamed directness might not get them very far against the big guns, but their Malice in Wonderland story will take the players to Las Vegas on an end-of-term bender on Thursday.
Top scorer Morris will be left behind – because his fiancee, Imogen, is due to give birth in a couple of weeks. But he is relishing his chance to terrorise the aristocrats when Luton's peasants are unleashed on the dance floor in August.
Morris, whose double act with Adebayo harvested 31 goals and 20 yellow cards between them this season, warned: “We do need some looking after (by defenders) – Eli was excellent today, and it's important to have an effective spine of the team.
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"In the good cop-bad cop routine I'm the bad cop, but we both have qualities and we feed off each other. It's not a case of two big men getting in each other's way, we dovetail quite nicely as a partnership. I will not be going to Vegas because my missus is due to give birth on June 15. It's a boy, so one way or another this is a big month for me and I won't forget it in a hurry.”
Carlton Morris has scored 20 goals in the Championship this season (Getty Images)Adebayo, 25, is 6ft 4in of trouble and his powerful run set up Jordan Clark's opener for Luton before Gustavo Hamer's slick equaliser took club football's richest game on earth to penalties, where Fankaty Dabo was Coventry's luckless fall-guy. Luton's 10,300-capacity Kenilworth Road stadium might be an antiquated relic which needs £10m of urgent upgrades to make it fit for the Premier League.
And on the pitch, technically they may be short of quality to live with the elite. But Fulham, Nottingham Forest and Bournemouth have all stayed up this season after winning promotion – why can't Burnley, Sheffield United and the Hatters follow suit?
When it's raining crosses, they will ruffle more feathers than foxes in a hen-house, and Adebayo said: “We can go toe-to-toe with anyone - as long as we do it right. Do I care what will Harry Kane and Erling Haaland make of our stadium? No – but it's going to be a shock for anyone who comes down to Kenilworth Road.
“You don't realise until you are there and the game starts that everyone is in your face and right on top of you, so I don't think they will like it. They are professionals, but I wouldn't like to be going there as an opposition player. Not many teams play two up top these days, but me and Carlton work in tandem all the time. We’re always trying to help and look for each other. Next season in the Premier League, we will definitely stamp our authority.”
Manager Rob Edwards, shamefully binned by Watford after just 10 League games last September, had the last laugh on the Hornets. He set off on a celebratory 60-yard dash along the touchline when sub Joe Taylor looked to have won it two minutes from the end of extra time, only for VAR Andre Marriner correctly to rule it out for handball.
Edwards admitted: I’m not really fit at the moment. I haven’t really exercised for a long time. I need to get back in the gym. I was blowing a bit and I pulled my hammy, Jurgen Klopp-style: “I kind of did enjoy the moment and then I didn’t. I felt like a right idiot afterwards and I'm glad it didn't come back to haunt me. Hey-ho, I can celebrate now.
“I'm a fan of that shape (3-5-2) because that's what has suited my players over the last couple of years. What I try to do as a manager is find a way to win. We may have to adjust certain things going into next year, I’m well aware of that, but that's going to be a good challenge.”
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