Challenge for Brighton to improve grim record visiting Luton
Once the novelty of the entering the away end through somebody’s front room has worn off, watching Brighton play at Luton Town has never been the most enjoyable experience.
The Amex generation of Albion supporters have been lucky enough not to endure it, seeing as the Albion last travelled to Kenilworth Road in 2009 for the infamous Johnstone’s Paint Pot southern section final against the Hatters.
All Brighton needed to do was beat the side rock bottom of the Football League and they would secure a spot at Wembley. No prizes for guessing what happened next.
The Albion lost on penalties. Hatters supporters spilled onto the pitch at full time to celebrate booking their own trip to the home of football by launching coins at Brighton fans, who could not escape as Bedfordshire Police had in their wisdom locked supporters in the away end.
Flying shrapnel was accompanied by heavy bouts of homophobia. Judging by what happened when Luton came to the Amex for their 4-1 defeat on the opening day of the current Premier League campaign, views have not become much more enlightened over the subsequent 15 years.
Luton ended up being fined £120,000 for homophobic chanting by their supporters at the Amex in August.
They then followed that up with tragedy chanting about Hillsborough when Liverpool visited Kenilworth Road in November. Always classy, Hatters fans.
That Paint Pot defeat was followed 60 hours later by Micky Adams being sacked. Ultimately, Adams leaving the club and being replaced by Russell Slade proved to be the only positive to come from elimination to Luton.
Had Brighton made it Wembley, Adams would have kept his job and Brighton would almost certainly have been relegated into League Two.
How different does the club’s history look then? Does Gus Poyet He Who Must Not Be Named take over a team in the bottom tier of English football, transforming it on the pitch and laying the groundwork for all who have succeeded him up to Roberto De Zerbi?
Back-to-back promotions would have been needed for the Amex to open with the Albion in the Championship. What does that do to interest levels?
Do season tickets sell out and is the stadium full most weeks if, rather than playing clubs like West Ham United, Derby County and Portsmouth, the visitors were Hartlepool United, Yeovil Town and Stevenage in League One?
You can therefore make the argument that Brighton losing to Luton that fateful night was a sliding doors moment in setting the Seagulls on their current path.
Not that it makes visits to Kenilworth Road any more bearable, the Paint Pot being only the tip of a pretty shit iceberg.
Luton was the place on December 28th 2005 when Mark McGhee seemed to take total leave of his senses, partnering Mark McCammon and Federico Turienzo up front together in a winnable game.
The final score? Luton 3-0 Brighton. It was the lowest moment in a season when the Albion ended up relegated as the worst side in the Championship by some distance.
One Albion fan became so frustrated after less than 20 minutes of a dire, dire performance that he punched his own dad in the face right in front of the WAB Team. McGhee was not the only one who lost his mind that evening. Call it the Luton effect.
The 2007-08 season provided Brighton with their only win at Kenilworth Road since 1934. Ian Westlake (take 10 points if you remember who he joined the Albion on loan from) and a certain Glenn Murray were the scorers in a 2-1 success for Dean Wilkins’ side, keeping their faint hopes of a League One playoff place alive.
Victory on that sunny April afternoon is one of just three Brighton have recorded in 31 visits to Luton. Even our great great grandfathers must have approached trips to Kenilworth Road with trepidation.
What chances of improving on that record in 2023? With its facilities straight from the 1930s, crowd on top of the pitch and intimidating atmosphere, plenty of visiting clubs have struggled visiting Luton in the Premier League so far this season.
The Hatters held Liverpool to a draw and beat both Newcastle United and Crustal Palace on their patch.
They also made Arsenal, Spurs and Manchester City work hard for three points, falling by just a single-goal against those three European Super League Elite Clubs.
A trip to Luton therefore presents a challenge for De Zerbi and Brighton, especially in light of the Albion failing to score in their past two Premier League matches without any of their four wingers available.
The lack of pace, width and directness left Brighton unable to unlock deep sitting West Ham and Wolves defences. Luton will undoubtedly employ a similar setup, inviting the Albion to try and break them down.
Successfully doing so will determine whether Brighton head home from Bedfordshire with that rarest of things – an away victory over Luton Town.
Those heading to Kenilworth Road should prepare themselves for an all-round interesting experience. Let us hope that, for once, a Brighton team visiting Luton do their part on the pitch to make it a little more bearable.
