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2003–04 Luton Town F.C. season

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Luton Town
2003–04 season
ChairmanJohn Gurney (until 14 July 2003)
In administrative receivership between 14 July 2003 – 12 May 2004
Bill Tomlins (from 12 May 2004)
ManagerMike Newell
Football League Second DivisionTenth
FA CupFourth Round
Football League CupSecond Round
Football League TrophySouthern Section Quarter-Final
Top goalscorerLeague: Steve Howard (15)
All: Steve Howard (16)
Highest home attendance8,767 vs Tranmere Rovers (FA Cup Fourth Round, 24 January 2004)
Lowest home attendance3,667 vs Thurrock (FA Cup First Round replay, 18 November 2003)
Average home league attendance6,253

The 2003–04 season was the 118th season in the history of Luton Town Football Club, and club's 83rd consecutive year in The Football League. Luton finished in tenth place, a surprising success considering the financial issues that afflicted the club.[1] Despite being placed in administrative receivership for the majority of the season following a turbulent change of ownership and having a rigorous transfer embargo imposed as a result, signing players only with The Football League's special dispensation, the club accrued more points than in the previous campaign.

The lack of spending power meant that numerous youth team players were promoted to the first-team squad, such as Kevin Foley, Curtis Davies, Keith Keane, and Leon Barnett; as well as players with no previous professional football experience, like Enoch Showunmi. These players would go on to form a crucial part of the Luton side in later years.

This article covers the period from 1 July 2003 to 30 June 2004.

Background

See also: History of Luton Town F.C. (1970–present) and List of Luton Town F.C. seasons

The previous season had seen consolidation for Luton after their drop into the basement division of English league football in 2001, with the club finishing the 2002–03 season in ninth place. Stability did not last for long, however, as the end of the season saw controversy erupt after an unidentified consortium gained control of the club, later revealed to be headed by businessman John Gurney.[2]

Gurney’s first act was the sacking of successful managerial duo Joe Kinnear and Mick Harford, subsequently followed by a phone-poll to determine the next manager. Former Luton player and Hartlepool United manager Mike Newell was announced as the winner on 23 June 2003, though it is widely believed[3] that Kinnear accumulated the most votes, only to reject a return to the club as he refused to work with Gurney.[3][4]

In terms of playing staff, the end of the last season had seen six released; goalkeepers Carl Emberson and Mark Ovendale, defenders Duncan Jupp, Alan Kimble and Aaron Skelton, and striker Carl Griffiths. No replacements had been brought in, leaving Luton with a compact squad, albeit with a number of talented young players.

Review

July

With the fallout surrounding the takeover still occurring, including the fact that players and staff had not been paid for two months, managing director John Gurney was summoned by The Football League to explain the situation.[5] Striker Tony Thorpe voiced his thoughts on the matter, stating that the supporters needed to get behind the players and turn out for the first game of the season, responding to the fact that thousands of fans were deliberately not buying season tickets in an attempt to force the new owners out of the club.[6] Defender Chris Coyne expressed a different view, praising the supporters for standing up for themselves and the club even though it meant he was not being paid.[7]

On 11 July, The Football League met with Gurney and expressed "grave concern that the new owners... have been unable to satisfy [The League] of the club's financial stability going forward." As a result, Luton were placed under a transfer embargo and all payments due to the club from the authorities, such as sponsorship money and television rights, were to be withheld.[8] In the weeks before this, Luton's supporters' trust, Trust in Luton, had devised a strategy to acquire shares in the club's major creditor, Hatters Holdings. Hatters Holdings, now majority-owned by Trust in Luton, deliberately placed the club into administrative receivership on 14 July to successfully force out John Gurney after a turbulent 55 days in charge.[9] As a result, supporters began buying tickets again and the club hastily arranged friendly matches against Fulham, Hitchin Town and an Arsenal XI before the season began on 9 August.[10] Despite ridding the club of Gurney, the club remained financially insecure and still had a transfer embargo in place, meaning Luton could only sign players on free transfers or on loan and, even then, only with dispensation from the authorities.

August and September

After being sacked alongside Joe Kinnear eight weeks earlier, Mick Harford returned to Luton on 6 August as Director of Football.[11] Harford and manager Mike Newell had previously played together at Luton in 1986 and 1987, during the club's most successful period in the top division of English football.

A day before the season began, Luton were granted special dispensation from The Football League to sign a goalkeeper and an outfield player on loan. While the club elected to use youth team goalkeepers Rob Beckwith and Dean Brill, they did sign Portsmouth winger Courtney Pitt on a one-month loan.[12] Pitt played in the opening game against Rushden & Diamonds as Luton won 3–1, Tony Thorpe scoring twice. A 2–1 victory in the next league game over Stockport County left Luton as early leaders of Division Two.

On 22 August, Tony Thorpe joined Luton's rivals Queens Park Rangers for a £50,000 fee.[13] It proved to be a transfer that angered many Luton supporters due to a combination of Thorpe's comments earlier in the season urging fans to get behind the team, QPR's status as Luton's rivals, and the fact that the club received such a small fee for a player perceived to be worth much more.[13][14] The same day, as a result of funds being freed up by Thorpe's move, Luton signed young Coventry City striker Gary McSheffrey on a one-month loan.[13]

The next three games saw two losses and a win. On 6 September, the club signed 21-year-old striker Enoch Showunmi on non-contract terms following special dispensation to sign an outfield player after captain Kevin Nicholls was injured for three months. Showunmi, who had no professional football experience and had previously played only for eleventh-tier club Willesden Constantine, had been on trial with Luton since August.[15] Only one further win followed in September, leaving the club in fourteenth place in the table. Both McSheffrey and Pitt signed one-month extensions to their loans in late September, and the club allowed striker Dean Crowe, who had been injured for much of the past year, to join Division Three side York City on loan for a month.[16]

Luton progressed to the second round of the League Cup, where they faced Premier League club Charlton Athletic. After a 4–4 draw at extra-time, earning praise from Charlton manager Alan Curbishley, Luton lost 8–7 on penalties.[17]

October and November

Goalkeeper Rob Beckwith was suspended after being sent off in a 3–0 defeat to Oldham Athletic, meaning Luton had only one goalkeeper in the form of 18-year-old Dean Brill for an upcoming match with Wycombe Wanderers. They signed former player Nathan Abbey on non-contract terms on 10 October from Stevenage Borough to cover Brill's position.[18]

The club endured a mixed month in the league during October, recording two wins, two draws and two losses, including a 6–3 defeat to Bournemouth, as well as progressing to the second round of the Football League Trophy. An injury to regular striker Steve Howard pushed Adrian Forbes into a first-team role, where he excelled with six goals in six games, winning the award for October's top scorer in the division.[19] In terms of transfers, Luton extended Gary McSheffrey's loan for a further month after he had scored eight goals in thirteen games and Nathan Abbey left after two weeks, the club signing experienced goalkeeper Marlon Beresford from Bradford City as a replacement on a three-month contract.[20] Beresford joining meant that a player had to leave to satisfy the transfer embargo, and Courtney Pitt subsequently returned to Portsmouth after two months on loan.

November saw the team go unbeaten in the league, with wins also in the Football League Trophy and FA Cup. Adrian Forbes continued his goalscoring form, hitting four goals in six games as Luton moved to tenth in the table, one point from the play-off places. The successful run of form coincided with welcome news for the club off the pitch, with confirmation from the Companies Court on 21 November that the administrators now had the power to sell the club to an appropriate bidder, safeguarding the future of Luton Town.[21] On 28 November, a bid from a company called Bill Tomlins Sport Management was received, with the administrators intending to meet with representatives in early December to progress the sale.[22]

December and January

The team's good form continued into December, with two wins, a draw and one loss in the league leaving them in seventh place. Southend United knocked the club out of the Football League Trophy early in the month, but Luton did progress to the third round of the FA Cup with a 2–0 win over Rochdale. Gary McSheffrey left the club on 3 December with Luton unable to extend his loan further than the 93-day maximum.

January began with Luton beating Bradford City 2–1 in the FA Cup, ensuring the club reached the fourth round of the competition for the first time since the 1994–95 season. Two consecutive 2–2 draws left the club in ninth place in the league, but a 1–0 defeat to Tranmere Rovers in front of Kenilworth Road's biggest crowd of the season on 24 January knocked Luton out of the FA Cup.

Marlon Beresford left Luton on 26 January at the expiration of his contract, signing for divisional rivals Barnsley.[23] Three days later, Luton signed a replacement in the form of Danish goalkeeper Morten Hyldgaard on a free transfer from Scottish Premier League side Hibernian until the end of the season.[24]

February, March and April

Luton had a strong February in the league, picking up 13 out of a possible 18 points and moving into a play-off position. This set of results saw manager Mike Newell win the Manager of the Month award and striker Enoch Showunmi rewarded as Player of the Month.[25][26] Earlier in the month, following a hat-trick in a 4–1 win over Brentford, Showunmi had signed a two-and-a-half year professional contract.[27]

On 13 February, preferred bidder Bill Tomlins stated that he hoped Luton would be out of administration within a week, assuming the handover of the club went smoothly.[28] However, no news was heard for over a month, which only then confirmed that the transfer of ownership of the club was planned to take place on 31 March.[29]

On the pitch, Luton started March in a similar fashion to February with a draw and a win to place themselves in sixth position, just inside the play-offs, with twelve games left to play. However, the club soon slipped down the league, with a loss and two draws pushing them into mid-table. Irish defender Kevin Foley, a regular in the Luton first-team despite officially being classed as a youth player, agreed a two-and-a-half year professional contract on 10 March.[30]

The end of the month also saw the closure of the transfer window, and the club released striker Dean Crowe, who had made only two starts all season. Crowe subsequently joined Oldham Athletic.[31] With Crowe's wages freed up, Luton signed Rushden & Diamonds captain and left-back Paul Underwood on a free transfer following the League's approval.[31]

In terms of financial issues, the planned date for transfer of ownership on 31 March passed without event, with the future of the club still in the balance. A series of statements throughout April informing that Luton Town would be out of administration "soon" also failed to yield any immediate positive outcome.

A poor run of results saw Luton pick up only one win from seven games in April, with a 2–1 defeat to Wrexham on 24 April confirming that the play-offs were mathematically out of reach.

May and June

A win and loss in the final two games in early May meant that Luton finished the season in tenth place, seven points away from a play-off place. Given the financial constraints placed on the team and chaotic conditions surrounding ownership, the season exceeded most supporter and pundit expectations.[32]

On 12 May Bill Tomlins, head of the consortium buying Luton Town, confirmed The Football League had formally approved the purchase of the club from administrative receivership.[33] Tomlins committed himself to building a new stadium on land purchased by previous chairman Mike Watson-Challis, with plans to open it in 2006. He also praised Trust in Luton for saving the club in July 2003.[33]

Goalkeeper Morten Hyldgaard left the club on 14 May at the expiration of his contract, as did youth players Matthew Judge and Parys Okai.[34] On 21 May, Luton turned down a bid from Sheffield Wednesday for top scorer Steve Howard. Initially, the bid was reported as being accepted, but it later came to light that a forged fax had been sent to Sheffield Wednesday apparently accepting the offer, while the official response from Luton had been to reject it.[35] A day later, defender Chris Coyne and midfielder Steve Robinson both signed two-year contract extensions.[36] On 27 May, youth players Curtis Davies, Rob Beckwith and Stephen O'Leary signed two-year professional contracts, while Michael Leary extended his own professional contract by a further two years.[37] Defender Russell Perrett, who had been injured for the majority of the season, signed a one-year contract extension on 7 June.[38] Ten days later, forward Adrian Forbes left the club on a free transfer to join Swansea City.[39] On 23 June, goalkeeper Marlon Beresford agreed to return to Luton on a free transfer, with the deal taking place on 1 July at the opening of the transfer and player registration window.[40] Midfielder Paul Hughes agreed to a two-year contract extension on 26 June, as Mike Newell continued to commit players to Luton for the next season.[41]

Match results

Luton Town results given first.

Legend

Win Draw Loss

Friendlies

Date Opponent Venue Result Attendance Scorers Notes
15 July 2003 Fulham Neutral 0–1 N/A – [42]
19 July 2003 Hitchin Town Away 0–0 858 – [43]
22 July 2003 Arsenal XI Neutral 1–0 N/A Howard [44]

Football League Second Division

All results, goals, attendances etc. taken from Soccerbase[45] and verified with official Luton Town match reports.[46]
Date Opponent Venue Result Attendance Scorers Notes
9 August 2003 Rushden & Diamonds Home 3–1 6,878 Thorpe (2), Spring
16 August 2003 Stockport County Away 2–1 4,566 Neilson, Howard
23 August 2003 Grimsby Town Home 1–2 5,827 Nicholls (pen)
25 August 2003 Brighton & Hove Albion Away 0–2 6,604 –
30 August 2003 Hartlepool United Home 3–2 5,515 Howard (2), McSheffrey
6 September 2003 Notts County Away 1–1 7,505 Coyne
13 September 2003 Plymouth Argyle Away 1–2 9,894 McSheffrey
16 September 2003 Port Vale Home 2–0 5,079 McSheffrey, Foley
20 September 2003 Queens Park Rangers Home 1–1 8,339 Howard
27 September 2003 Oldham Athletic Away 0–3 6,077 –
1 October 2003 Swindon Town Away 2–2 7,573 McSheffrey (pen), Forbes
6 October 2003 Tranmere Rovers Home 3–1 5,002 Perrett, McSheffrey, Forbes
11 October 2003 Wycombe Wanderers Home 3–1 5,595 McSheffrey (2), Perrett
18 October 2003 Brentford Away 2–4 5,579 Forbes (2)
21 October 2003 Bournemouth Away 3–6 6,388 own goal, Hughes, Forbes
25 October 2003 Peterborough United Home 1–1 6,067 Forbes
1 November 2003 Bristol City Away 1–1 9,735 McSheffrey
15 November 2003 Wrexham Home 3–2 5,505 Forbes, Robinson, Mansell
22 November 2003 Sheffield Wednesday Away 0–0 21,027 –
29 November 2003 Chesterfield Home 1–0 5,453 Howard
13 December 2003 Blackpool Away 1–0 5,739 Robinson
20 December 2003 Barnsley Home 0–1 6,162 –
26 December 2003 Colchester United Away 1–1 5,083 Mansell
28 December 2003 Notts County Home 2–0 7,181 Forbes, Boyce
10 January 2004 Rushden & Diamonds Away 2–2 5,823 Forbes, Holmes
17 January 2004 Stockport County Home 2–2 5,920 own goal, Howard
7 February 2004 Colchester United Home 1–0 5,662 Showunmi
10 February 2004 Brighton & Hove Albion Home 2–0 6,846 Holmes, Nicholls (pen)
14 February 2004 Wycombe Wanderers Away 0–0 6,407 –
21 February 2004 Brentford Home 4–1 6,273 Boyce, Showunmi (3)
24 February 2004 Grimsby Town Away 2–3 3,143 Howard (2)
28 February 2004 Peterborough United Away 2–1 6,628 Howard, Brkovic
6 March 2004 Barnsley Away 0–0 8,656 –
13 March 2004 Blackpool Home 3–2 6,343 Boyce, Holmes, Showunmi
16 March 2004 Port Vale Away 0–1 5,048 –
20 March 2004 Plymouth Argyle Home 1–1 8,499 Coyne
27 March 2004 Queens Park Rangers Away 1–1 17,695 Showunmi
3 April 2004 Oldham Athletic Home 1–1 5,966 Showunmi
6 April 2004 Hartlepool United Away 3–4 4,434 Howard, Leary (2)
10 April 2004 Tranmere Rovers Away 0–1 7,937 –
12 April 2004 Swindon Town Home 0–3 7,008 –
17 April 2004 Bristol City Home 3–2 6,944 Howard, Boyce, Keane
20 April 2004 Bournemouth Home 1–1 6,485 Howard
24 April 2004 Wrexham Away 1–2 3,239 Howard
1 May 2004 Sheffield Wednesday Home 3–2 7,157 Howard (2), O’Leary
8 May 2004 Chesterfield Away 0–1 6,285 –

FA Cup

For information on this season's FA Cup, see FA Cup 2003–04.
Round Date Opponent Venue Result Attendance Scorers Notes
First Round 7 November 2003 Thurrock Away 1–1 1,551 Boyce
First Round replay 18 November 2003 Thurrock Home 3–1 3,667 Forbes (3)
Second Round 6 December 2003 Rochdale Away 2–0 2,807 Robinson (pen), Mansell
Third Round 3 January 2004 Bradford City Away 2–1 8,222 Forbes (2)
Fourth Round 24 January 2004 Tranmere Rovers Home 0–1 8,767 –

Football League Cup

For information on this season's Football League Cup, see Football League Cup 2003–04.
Round Date Opponent Venue Result Attendance Scorers Notes
First Round 12 August 2003 Yeovil Town Home 4–1 4,337 Foley, Thorpe, Pitt, Howard
Second Round 23 September 2003 Charlton Athletic Away 4–4 (aet) 10,905 Foley, Bayliss, McSheffrey, Coyne [A]

Football League Trophy

Round Date Opponent Venue Result Attendance Scorers Notes
First Round 14 October 2003 Stevenage Borough Away 1–0 1,754 Judge
Second Round 4 November 2003 Rushden & Diamonds Away 2–1 2,746 Showunmi, Leary (pen)
Quarter-Final 9 December 2003 Southend United Away 0–3 2,027 –

League table

Main article: 2003–04 Football League
P W D L F A GD Pts
C 1 Plymouth Argyle 46 26 12 8 85 41 +44 90
P 2 Queens Park Rangers 46 22 17 7 80 45 +35 83
  3 Bristol City 46 23 13 10 58 37 +21 82
P 4 Brighton & Hove Albion 46 22 11 13 64 43 +21 77
  5 Swindon Town 46 20 13 13 76 58 +18 73
  6 Hartlepool United 46 20 13 13 76 61 +15 73
  7 Port Vale 46 21 10 15 73 63 +10 73
  8 Tranmere Rovers 46 17 16 13 59 56 +3 67
  9 A.F.C. Bournemouth 46 17 15 14 56 51 +5 66
  10 Luton Town 46 17 15 14 69 66 +3 66
  11 Colchester United 46 17 13 16 52 56 -4 64
  12 Barnsley 46 15 17 14 54 58 -4 62
  13 Wrexham 46 17 9 20 50 60 -10 60
  14 Blackpool 46 16 11 19 58 65 -7 59
  15 Oldham Athletic 46 12 21 13 66 60 +6 57
  16 Sheffield Wednesday 46 13 14 19 48 64 -18 53
  17 Brentford 46 14 11 21 52 69 -17 53
  18 Peterborough United 46 12 16 18 58 58 0 52
  19 Stockport County 46 11 19 16 62 70 -8 52
  20 Chesterfield 46 12 15 19 49 71 -22 51
R 21 Grimsby Town 46 13 11 22 55 81 -26 50
R 22 Rushden & Diamonds 46 13 9 24 60 74 -14 48
R 23 Notts County 46 10 12 24 50 78 -28 42
R 24 Wycombe Wanderers 46 6 19 21 50 75 -25 37

P = Matches played; W = Matches won; D = Matches drawn; L = Matches lost; F = Goals for; A = Goals against; GD = Goal difference; Pts = Points|}

Player statistics

Last match played on 8 May 2004. Players with a zero in every column only appeared as unused substitutes.[47]
No. Pos. Name League FA Cup League Cup FL Trophy Total Discipline
Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
1 GK Denmark Morten Hyldgaard 18 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 18 0 0 0
3 DF Wales Alan Neilson 11 (3) 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 12 (3) 1 1 0
4 MF England Matthew Spring 24 1 3 0 2 0 1 0 30 1 6 0
5 DF England Russell Perrett 5 (1) 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 5 (1) 2 4 0
6 DF England Paul Underwood 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0
7 MF England Adrian Forbes 21 (6) 9 4 5 0 0 0 (1) 0 25 (7) 14 4 1
8 MF England Kevin Nicholls 21 2 1 0 1 0 0 0 23 2 4 1
9 FW England Tony Thorpe 2 2 0 0 1 1 0 0 3 3 0 0
11 MF Northern Ireland Steve Robinson 32 (2) 2 4 1 0 0 2 0 38 (2) 3 5 0
12 DF Australia Chris Coyne 44 2 5 0 2 1 2 0 53 3 7 0
14 MF England Courtney Pitt 11 (1) 0 0 0 1 (1) 1 0 0 12 (2) 1 1 0
15 FW England Dean Crowe 0 (8) 0 0 (3) 0 0 (1) 0 2 0 2 (12) 0 1 0
16 FW Nigeria Enoch Showunmi 18 (8) 7 2 0 0 0 2 (1) 1 22 (9) 8 3 0
17 DF Barbados Emmerson Boyce 42 4 5 1 2 0 0 0 49 5 7 0
18 MF Croatia Ahmet Brkovic 24 (8) 1 5 0 1 0 2 0 32 (8) 1 3 0
19 FW Scotland Steve Howard 34 15 3 0 2 1 1 0 40 16 10 1
20 DF England Curtis Davies 4 (2) 0 0 0 0 0 0 (1) 0 4 (3) 0 2 0
21 MF England Paul Hughes 20 (2) 1 0 0 2 0 0 0 22 (2) 1 5 1
22 DF England David Bayliss 6 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 7 1 4 0
23 MF Wales Ian Hillier 8 (3) 0 2 (1) 0 0 (1) 0 3 0 13 (5) 0 3 1
24 DF England Sol Davis 34 (2) 0 4 0 1 (1) 0 3 0 42 (3) 0 14 2
25 FW England Gary McSheffrey 18 8 0 0 1 1 0 0 19 9 3 0
26 MF Republic of Ireland Keith Keane 14 (1) 1 0 (1) 0 0 0 1 0 15 (2) 1 1 0
27 MF England Peter Holmes 11 (5) 3 2 (1) 0 0 0 1 0 14 (6) 3 3 0
29 GK England Marlon Beresford 11 0 5 0 0 0 1 0 17 0 0 0
32 MF England Lee Mansell 12 (4) 2 5 1 0 0 3 0 20 (4) 3 3 0
33 GK England Dean Brill 4 (1) 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 6 (1) 0 0 0
35 GK England Nathan Abbey 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
36 DF England Joe Deeney 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 (1) 0 1 (1) 0 0 0
38 MF England Michael Leary 8 (6) 2 1 (1) 0 0 (1) 0 2 (1) 1 11 (9) 3 5 0
39 MF Republic of Ireland Stephen O'Leary 3 (2) 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 4 (2) 1 2 0
41 DF Republic of Ireland Kevin Foley 32 (1) 1 3 0 2 2 0 0 37 (1) 3 4 0
43 FW England Matthew Judge 0 (1) 0 0 0 0 0 1 (1) 1 0 (2) 1 0 0
44 MF England Parys Okai 0 0 0 (1) 0 0 (1) 0 1 0 1 (2) 0 0 0
45 DF England Leon Barnett 0 0 1 0 0 0 2 0 3 0 1 0
47 GK England Rob Beckwith 13 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 15 0 0 1

Managerial statistics

Only competitive games from the 2003–04 season are included.
Name Nat. From To Record Honours
PLD W D L GF GA W%
Mike Newell England 23 June 2003 15 March 2007 56 23 17 16 88 79 41.1

Awards

Awarded on 2 May 2004.
Award Name No. Pos. Notes
Supporters' Player of the Season Barbados Emmerson Boyce 17 DF [48]
Players' Player of the Season Barbados Emmerson Boyce 17 DF [48]
Internet Player of the Season Barbados Emmerson Boyce 17 DF [48]
Young Player of the Season Republic of Ireland Kevin Foley 41 DF [48]
Young Members' Player of the Season Nigeria Enoch Showunmi 16 FW [48]
Goal of the Season Northern Ireland Steve Robinson 11 MF [48][B]

Transfers

In

Date Player From Fee Notes
6 September 2003 Nigeria Enoch Showunmi Unattached [15]
10 October 2003 England Nathan Abbey Stevenage Borough Free [18]
24 October 2003 England Marlon Beresford Bradford City Free [20]
29 January 2004 Denmark Morten Hyldgaard Hibernian Free [24]
25 March 2004 England Paul Underwood Rushden & Diamonds Free [31]

Out

Date Player To Fee Notes
22 August 2003 England Tony Thorpe Queens Park Rangers £50,000 [13]
24 October 2003 England Nathan Abbey Macclesfield Town Free [20]
26 January 2004 England Marlon Beresford Barnsley Free [23]
25 March 2004 England Dean Crowe Oldham Athletic Free [31]
12 May 2004 England Matthew Judge Dagenham & Redbridge Free
12 May 2004 England Parys Okai Cambridge United Free
14 May 2004 Denmark Morten Hyldgaard Esbjerg fB Free [34]
17 June 2004 England Adrian Forbes Swansea City Free [39]

Loans in

Date Player From End date Notes
8 August 2003 England Courtney Pitt Portsmouth 22 October 2003 [12]
22 August 2003 England Gary McSheffrey Coventry City 3 December 2003 [13]

Loans out

Date Player To End date Notes
26 September 2003 England Dean Crowe York City 26 October 2003 [16]

See also

Footnotes

A. ^ Luton lost 8-7 in a penalty shootout
B. ^ The goal of the season was awarded to Steve Robinson’s strike against Blackpool on 13 December 2003.

References

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  2. ^ "Trouble at the Top: Luton Kicks Off". BBC Three Counties. 29 October 2004. Retrieved 8 August 2010.
  3. ^ a b "Hang on a minute - Joe... WHO?". Two Hundred Percent. 27 September 2008. Retrieved 21 August 2013.
  4. ^ "Newell wins Luton election". BBC Sport. 23 June 2003. Retrieved 8 August 2010.
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  8. ^ "Statement re Luton Town Football Club". Luton Town F.C. 11 July 2003. Retrieved 23 May 2012.
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  18. ^ a b "Hatters add goalkeeping cover". Luton Town F.C. 10 October 2003. Retrieved 16 February 2011.
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  20. ^ a b c "Newell strengthens squad". Luton Town F.C. 24 October 2003. Retrieved 16 February 2011.
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  22. ^ "Club statement". Luton Town F.C. 28 November 2003. Retrieved 24 May 2012.
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  34. ^ a b "In the press". Luton Town F.C. 14 May 2004. Retrieved 16 February 2011.
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  36. ^ "Club statement". Luton Town F.C. 24 May 2004. Retrieved 24 May 2012.
  37. ^ "Youth trio sign pro contracts". Luton Town F.C. 27 May 2004. Retrieved 24 May 2012.
  38. ^ "Perrett agrees new deal". Luton Town F.C. 7 June 2004. Retrieved 24 May 2012.
  39. ^ a b "Forbes passes Swansea medical". Luton Town F.C. 17 June 2004. Retrieved 16 February 2011.
  40. ^ "Hatters agree terms with goalkeeper". Luton Town F.C. 23 June 2004. Retrieved 24 May 2012.
  41. ^ "Hughes signs contract". Luton Town F.C. 26 June 2004. Retrieved 24 May 2012.
  42. ^ "Fulham 1-0 Luton". Luton Town F.C. 15 July 2003. Retrieved 27 January 2011.
  43. ^ "Hitchin 0-0 Luton". Luton Town F.C. 19 July 2003. Retrieved 27 January 2011.
  44. ^ "Arsenal 0-1 Luton". Luton Town F.C. 23 July 2003. Retrieved 27 January 2011.
  45. ^ "Luton 2003-2004 results". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 28 January 2011.
  46. ^ "Luton 2003-2004 fixtures and match reports". Luton Town F.C. Retrieved 28 January 2011.
  47. ^ "Luton 2003-2004 player appearances". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 27 July 2012.
  48. ^ a b c d e f "LTFC 2003-04 Awards". Luton Town F.C. 2 May 2004. Retrieved 14 February 2011.
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