Ground #158: Kenilworth Road, Luton Town. (40/92)

03/04/2015

Luton Town 2-3 Exeter City

Guttridge 21', Cullen 45' | Harley 51', Moore-Taylor 76', Wheeler 90+5'

Attendance: 8,755 (429 away)

Admission: £15 (Under 22)

"Remind me again, why the fuck are we going to Luton for?"

"I have absolutely no idea".

^^^ The above transcript is the opening dialogue between myself and Martyn McGarrigle, upon him boarding our train towards St Pancras. 

Well, whatever reasoning we had for making the trip to the widely derided Bedfordshire town it turned out to be an inspired one. Nobody could have forecasted just what a simply fantastic game this would turn out to be, contrary to the usual substandard, hoofball dross than I have been subjected to on previous outings to clubs in the basement divisions. 

Luton approached this game on the back of a six game losing streak, or eight defeats in nine, thus seeing them slide from being prime automatic promotion contenders to sitting outside the play-offs. Their ongoing misery would be extended come the end of this totally compelling fixture, settled in the cruelest of circumstances; the West Country visitors overcoming a two goal deficit to snatch the three points deep into injury time to mark a quite stunning comeback.

The game was overridden with end-to-end chances, many squandered, some dispatched with great aplomb, and a frantic finale that was craving a settled conclusion which ex-Staines Town winger David Wheeler provided after a header tipped onto the post rebounded into his path. 

As for Kenilworth Road, the venue of my milestone 40th ground out of the great 92, it was one that could be truly appreciated by the lover of traditionalist grounds.  There comes a point when the question "at what point does 'character' actually mean a 'decaying shithole?'" is poised and KR can arguably be placed under such a category. The ground has certainly seen better days; the facilities and staircases are rickety and ramshackle, there are real signs of decay everywhere and it's certainly not a place to watch football if comfort is at the top of your agenda for conditions to watch football in. Regardless though it is a proper old-school ground with steep enclosed roofing and is so tight and close to the on-field action. The beach hut executive side extending down the dugout side of the pitch is a real eye-sore and restricts the grounds capacity, but even so, it further adds to the abundance of character. 

Luton as a club desperately need to move to a new stadium, unfortunately. When you look at the size of the club, its town and its population, it is one with bounds of potential - especially when you look how much traditionally smaller clubs like Swansea and Hull have progressed since moving out of their romantic, yet restrictive homes. Thus I am pleased to have squeezed in a visit here, it won't be around forever and Dover dithered too long to get promoted to enable our chance of being able to enter via the away turnstiles. 

Sadly these right-wing nutter groups seem to prey on the vulnerable in less affluent areas.

Not your traditional football cuisine fare; goat curry served outside the stand entrance. Long live cosmopolitan Britain.

Indeed.