2001–02 Luton Town F.C. season

English football club season February 2015 February 2015 Luton Town 2001–02 2000–01 2002–03 Joe Kinnear Mike Watson-Challis Football League Third Division Second (promoted as runners-up) FA Cup First round Football League Cup First round Football League Trophy Second round Steve Howard (24) Steve Howard (24) 9,585 vs Plymouth Argyle (Football League Third Division, 2 February 2002) 5,066 vs Lincoln City (Football League Third Division, 18 September 2001) 6,853 _thinblacksides FFFFFF FFFFFF white _white stripes 000000 _3_stripes_white 000000 _vneckwhite FD4222 FD4222 FD4222 0000FF _band_white 0000FF The 2001–02 season was the 116th season in the history of Luton Town Football Club. The club's 22nd-place finish in Division Two in 2000–01 meant they competed in Division Three for the first time in 33 years. After a summer of upheaval from manager Joe Kinnear, the club comfortably secured automatic promotion by finishing in second place in the league, 18 points ahead of their nearest rivals. Cup competitions proved to be far less of a success, with Luton exiting the FA Cup, League Cup, and Football League Trophy at the first hurdle. The 2001–02 season is also notable for Kinnear creating the nucleus of the successful Luton team of future years: centre-back Chris Coyne, midfielders Kevin Nicholls and Ahmet Brković, and striker Steve Howard would all go on to prove themselves as fully adept at playing at a higher level for the club. This article covers the period from 1 July 2001 to 30 June 2002. Background History of Luton Town F.C. (1970–present) List of Luton Town F.C. seasons Instability and inexperience had proved to be Luton's downfall in the previous season with two former players, Ricky Hill and Lil Fuccillo, winning just four out of 26 games as managers and ultimately contributing to the club's relegation from Division Two.https://www.soccerbase.com/managers/manager.sd?manager_id=1613 Ricky Hill's managerial career Soccerbase (Centurycomm) 26 October 2009 https://web.archive.org/web/20041114063347/http://www.soccerbase.com/managers2.sd?managerid=1613 14 November 2004 live dmy-all https://www.soccerbase.com/managers/manager.sd?manager_id=913 Lil Fuccilo's managerial career Soccerbase (Centurycomm) 26 October 2009 https://web.archive.org/web/20041114065713/http://www.soccerbase.com/managers2.sd?managerid=913 14 November 2004 live dmy-all An under-performing squad, expensive yet underwhelming signings and poor quality, untested players from abroad left the club languishing deep in the relegation zone. Ex-Wimbledon boss Joe Kinnear was appointed, initially, as director of football on 8 February 2001, but his first act in the job was to immediately demote Fuccillo to an assistant role and install himself as manager. http://www.rte.ie/sport/soccer/2001/0208/kinnearj.html Kinnear confirmed as Luton manager RTÉ Sport 8 February 2001 26 October 2009 Kinnear's arrival saw Luton win five of their next seven games, raising hopes of avoiding relegation. However, the team's good form soon collapsed as they failed to win again that season. The damage had been done long before Kinnear's appointment as Luton fell into the bottom tier of league football for the first time since 1968. Kinnear began building his own squad over a month before the 2000–01 season had even finished, releasing players he deemed as surplus to requirements and notably signing striker Steve Howard for £50,000 from Northampton Town in March. https://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/l/luton_town/1287480.stm Clear-out begins at Luton BBC Sport 20 April 2001 26 October 2009 Review Pre-season Former Luton Town striker and fan-favourite Mick Harford was installed as first-team coach in early July, as Kinnear began to overhaul his backroom staff as well as playing squad. http://www.lutontown.co.uk/page/NewsDetail/0,,10372~72488,00.html Mick Harford signs for Luton Luton Town F.C. 9 July 2001 26 October 2009 Former Luton youth player Aaron Skelton arrived from Colchester United on a free transfer to boost the defence, goalkeeper Carl Emberson was drafted in from Walsall, and prolific lower-league striker Carl Griffiths was signed from Leyton Orient for £65,000. Winger Adrian Forbes and midfielder Paul Hughes were signed from Norwich City and Southampton respectively, whilst the only player to leave was Finnish defender Petri Helin. What would prove later to be a shrewd signing was the capture of influential midfielder Kevin Nicholls for £25,000 from Wigan Athletic. Kinnear's transfers http://www.lutonfc.com/kinneartransfers.asp Lutonfc.com 26 October 2009 https://archive.today/20030520101727/http://www.lutonfc.com/kinneartransfers.asp 20 May 2003 dead dmy-all August and September Luton began the season with several injuries to key players, including Matthew Spring, Aaron Skelton and Adrian Forbes. The team managed to secure a series of good results despite an ever-changing squad, with just one loss in their first six league games. New signing Carl Griffiths lived up to his goalscoring reputation, hitting the net three times as Luton hovered near the top of the table. Reading knocked Luton out of the League Cup with a 4–0 hammering at the Madejski Stadium. Meanwhile, members of the playing staff continued to change – right-back Ian Hillier was signed on a three-month loan from Tottenham Hotspur in mid-August and centre-back Russell Perrett was drafted in on a free transfer from Cardiff City. Players from the previous regime, such as Norwegian Kent Karlsen, were released from their contracts as Kinnear looked to trim the squad. Team news http://www.lutontown.co.uk/page/NewsDetail/0,,10372~86019,00.html Luton Town F.C. 21 August 2001 27 October 2009 Joe makes changes in search of goals http://www.lutontown.co.uk/page/NewsDetail/0,,10372~95351,00.html Luton Town F.C. 14 September 2001 26 October 2009 A 2–1 victory over York City on 15 September was marred by an incident involving Steve Howard. With Luton awarded a penalty, the striker took it, but it was promptly saved. However, the referee had seen an infringement and Luton were ordered to re-take the penalty. Despite his team-mates protests, Howard grabbed the ball from captain and designated penalty-taker Skelton and placed it on the spot. Once again, he saw it saved. A seething Howard was immediately substituted for eventual match-winner Ian Hillier. Manager Joe Kinnear later branded Howard a "disgrace", and even considered placing him on the transfer list. http://www.lutontown.co.uk/page/MatchReport/0,,10372~14741,00.html York 1–2 Luton Luton Town F.C. 15 September 2001 26 October 2009 http://www.lutontown.co.uk/page/NewsDetail/0,,10372~96652,00.html Lincoln City team news Luton Town F.C. 17 September 2001 26 October 2009 Australian centre-back Chris Coyne signed from Dundee for £50,000 on 17 September on a three-year contract and was immediately placed into the team that drew 1–1 with Lincoln City a day later – a team minus Steve Howard, whom Kinnear had dropped. French winger Jean-Louis Valois was signed on a one-year contract from Lille on 21 September and put in a stunning performance in a 5–1 demolition of Torquay United the next day, setting up two goals and scoring from 40 yards in a game that saw Griffiths score a hat-trick. https://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/eng_div_3/1554257.stm Luton 5–1 Torquay BBC Sport 22 September 2001 27 October 2009 Striker Dean Crowe signed on a one-month loan on 28 September from Stoke City after news that leading scorer Carl Griffiths was ruled out through injury; later revealed to be a fractured leg that would keep him out for the rest of the season. After a 2–1 loss away to Plymouth Argyle ended Luton's seven game unbeaten run, the team found themselves in third place in the table at the end of September. October and November Injuries persisted at Kenilworth Road: Paul Hughes was ruled out for three months; captain Aaron Skelton had suffered a broken foot; striker Andrew Fotiadis was still recovering from an ankle injury, and veteran defender Marvin Johnson required specialist treatment. http://www.lutontown.co.uk/page/NewsIndex/0,,10372,515,00.html Luton Town Physio Report Luton Town F.C. 3 October 2001 27 October 2009 Ahmet Brković, a Croatian midfielder who had most recently played for Leyton Orient, signed on a free transfer on 4 October. By the end of October, Luton found themselves topping the table, despite suffering their first home defeat of the season to Rochdale. The Football League Trophy saw an inexperienced Luton side knocked out by non-League Dagenham & Redbridge in the second round. Players continued to move in and out of the club, with forwards Stuart Douglas and Peter Thomson loaned to Oxford United and Rushden & Diamonds respectively, and both Ian Hillier and Dean Crowe making their own loan moves at Luton permanent; Hillier for £30,000, and Crowe for free. With the loan places in the squad now freed up, Kinnear moved to sign Crewe Alexandra midfielder Kevin Street on a one-month loan. November saw the team grind to a halt – one win in four games led the club to fall to fifth in the league. Two heavy defeats to Mansfield Town and Macclesfield Town, and a home loss to Hull City, meant the Hatters needed a good spell of form over the winter to maintain their promotion ambitions. Southend United knocked Luton out of the FA Cup at the First Round on 17 November. December and January An outbreak of flu led to the cancellation of Luton's game at Kidderminster Harriers, which, combined with injuries, left Kinnear with fewer than eleven players to choose from. http://www.lutontown.co.uk/page/NewsDetail/0,,10372~133630,00.html Kidderminster game off Luton Town F.C. 30 November 2001 27 October 2009 Defender David Bayliss was signed from Rochdale on 7 December as Luton looked to patch up their injury-hit squad. Bayliss started in the game at Hartlepool United, where Luton returned to winning ways with a 2–1 victory. A swift return to their early season form left Luton safely in the automatic promotion places by mid-January, thanks to an eight-game unbeaten streak and a strong scoring run from Dean Crowe. Striker Liam George and midfielder Dean Brennan were released from their contracts on 23 December. Brennan and George released http://www.lutontown.co.uk/page/NewsDetail/0,,10372~145462,00.html Luton Town F.C. 24 November 2001 27 October 2009 In addition, Stuart Douglas was sent on a two-month loan to Rushden & Diamonds after his spell at Oxford came to an end. Peter Thomson, after an unsuccessful loan at Rushden, was released by Luton on 31 January. February, March and April Further changes were afoot, with Kinnear signing defender Alan Neilson from Fulham. To balance this, Jude Stirling was sent on loan to neighbouring team Stevenage Borough, which was later converted into a permanent deal. Strikers Gary McSwegan and Steve Kabba were signed on one-month loans from Hearts and Crystal Palace respectively, to provide competition for places up front. Long-term injury victim Stuart Fraser was released on 21 March, bringing an end to a five-year spell at Luton. Another stutter in the promotion bid came when Luton picked up just five points from a possible eighteen through late-January to mid-February. A 2–0 victory, the only win in this period, over leaders Plymouth Argyle saw the highest attendance at Kenilworth Road in over seven years, when Luton were in Division One, as 9,585 fans packed in. So when DID Luton last have a gate bigger than 9,585? http://www.lutontown.co.uk/page/NewsDetail/0,,10372~167440,00.html Luton Town F.C. 5 February 2002 27 October 2009 Fellow promotion hopefuls Rochdale ground out a 1–0 victory to close the gap between the clubs, and Scunthorpe United scored a last-minute winner at Kenilworth Road – this saw Luton balanced precariously between the automatic promotion places and the playoffs with around a quarter of the season left to play. However, a run of twelve consecutive victories, with a 3–1 win away to Swansea City on 30 March clinching the club's first promotion in twenty years, ensured Luton went back to the Second Division with four games left to play, breaking several long-standing club records in the process. Joe's Hatters beat away goals record http://www.lutontown.co.uk/page/NewsDetail/0,,10372~170913,00.html Luton Town F.C. 11 February 2002 27 October 2009 Luton Promoted http://www.lutontown.co.uk/page/NewsDetail/0,,10372~198825,00.html Luton Town F.C. 30 March 2002 27 October 2009 Steve Howard scored thirteen goals in those twelve games to finish the season as top scorer of the Third Division with twenty-four goals. Steve Howard 2001/02 statistics https://www.soccerbase.com/players/player.sd?player_id=3653 Soccerbase Centurycomm 27 October 2009 https://web.archive.org/web/20100924022050/http://www.soccerbase.com/players_details.sd?playerid=3653 24 September 2010 live dmy-all Luton finished a comfortable eighteen points ahead of third-placed Mansfield Town and just five points behind leaders Plymouth Argyle. The club claimed the highest goal difference and goals scored in the league, averaging just over two goals every game. Matthew Taylor, naturally a left-back, but pushed forward by Kinnear often, won the PFA Third Division player of the year award, scoring eleven goals in total. Matthew Taylor is PFA Player of the Year http://www.lutontown.co.uk/page/NewsDetail/0,,10372~208004,00.html Luton Town F.C. 16 April 2002 27 October 2009 Taylor was also included in the PFA Division Three Team of the Season, the only Luton player to do so. PFA Division Three Team of the Season https://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/eng_div_3/1930771.stm BBC Sport 15 April 2002 28 October 2009 May and June Joe Kinnear immediately set about keeping his squad for the next season, securing contract extensions for Kevin Nicholls, David Bayliss, Alan Neilson, Ahmet Brković and Paul Hughes. Highly rated midfielder Matthew Spring, who had progressed through the youth team and was coming close to the end of his contract, signed a new two-year deal. Matthew Spring signs two-year contract http://www.lutontown.co.uk/page/NewsDetail/0,,10372~230348,00.html Luton Town F.C. 21 June 2002 28 October 2009 https://web.archive.org/web/20120315073610/http://www.lutontown.co.uk/page/NewsDetail/0,,10372~230348,00.html 15 March 2012 dead His fellow academy graduate Matthew Taylor refused a new contract and, as he was under 24 years old, Luton were entitled to a fee from any club that bought his services. That club proved to be Division One side Portsmouth, who offered £150,000. Kinnear reacted furiously, calling the offer "an insult" and exclaiming that "at least Dick Turpin had the decency to wear a mask." Pompey offer for Taylor 'an insult', says Joe http://www.lutontown.co.uk/page/NewsDetail/0,,10372~224893,00.html Luton Town F.C. 6 June 2002 28 October 2009 The two clubs eventually reached a deal for an initial £400,000, rising to £750,000 based on appearances. Pompey seal Taylor switch https://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/teams/l/luton_town/2038081.stm BBC Sport 3 July 2002 28 October 2009 Striker Tony Thorpe returned to the club on 12 June after a four-year absence, signing a two-year contract. Preston North End midfielder and Northern Irish international Steve Robinson joined Luton for a fee of £50,000 two weeks later. Match results Luton Town results given first. Legend Friendlies +DateOpponentVenueResultAttendanceScorersNotes22 July 2001Boreham WoodAway3–1N/AHoward, Griffiths, Mansell Boreham Wood 1–3 Luton Town http://www.lutontown.co.uk/page/NewsDetail/0,,10372~76048,00.html Luton Town F.C. 22 July 2001 25 October 200923 July 2001DundeeAway2–30Griffiths, own goal Griffiths makes it two in two games http://www.lutontown.co.uk/page/NewsDetail/0,,10372~76452,00.html Luton Town F.C. 23 July 2001 25 October 2009friendly A31 July 2001Queens Park RangersHome1–03,049Griffiths Luton 1–0 QPR http://www.lutontown.co.uk/page/NewsDetail/0,,10372~79013,00.html Luton Town F.C. 31 July 2001 25 October 20094 August 2001Norwich CityHome1–33,294Fotiadis Luton 1–3 Norwich http://www.lutontown.co.uk/page/NewsDetail/0,,10372~80298,00.html Luton Town F.C. 4 August 2001 25 October 20097 August 2001Tottenham HotspurHome1–19,175Skelton Luton 1–1 Spurs http://www.lutontown.co.uk/page/NewsDetail/0,,10372~81231,00.html Luton Town F.C. 7 August 2001 25 October 2009 Football League Third Division All results, goals, attendances etc. taken from Soccerbase Luton 2001/2002 results http://www.soccerbase.com/results2.sd Soccerbase Centurycomm 27 October 2009 https://web.archive.org/web/20080414235112/http://www.soccerbase.com/results2.sd 14 April 2008 dead dmy-all and verified with official Luton Town match reports. Luton 2001/2002 fixtures and match reports http://www.lutontown.co.uk/page/Fixtures/0,,10372~2001,00.html Luton Town F.C. 27 October 2009 +DateOpponentVenueResultAttendanceScorersNotes|11 August 2001 |Carlisle United |align="center"|Away |align="center"|2–0 |align="center"|4,432 |align="center"|Hughes, Griffiths |align="center"||18 August 2001 |Cheltenham Town |align="center"|Home |align="center"|2–1 |align="center"|6,177 |align="center"|Hughes, Griffiths |align="center"||25 August 2001 |Bristol Rovers |align="center"|Away |align="center"|2–3 |align="center"|9,057 |align="center"|Taylor, Mansell |align="center"||27 August 2001 |Southend United |align="center"|Home |align="center"|2–0 |align="center"|6,496 |align="center"|Griffiths, Fotiadis |align="center"||1 September 2001 |Exeter City |align="center"|Away |align="center"|2–2 |align="center"|3,088 |align="center"|Taylor (2) |align="center"||8 September 2001 |Oxford United |align="center"|Home |align="center"|1–1 |align="center"|6,736 |align="center"|Nicholls |align="center"||15 September 2001 |York City |align="center"|Away |align="center"|2–1 |align="center"|3,247 |align="center"|Griffiths, Hillier |align="center"||18 September 2001 |Lincoln City |align="center"|Home |align="center"|1–1 |align="center"|5,066 |align="center"|Skelton |align="center"||22 September 2001 |Torquay United |align="center"|Home |align="center"|5–1 |align="center"|6,392 |align="center"|Howard, Griffiths (3), Valois |align="center"||25 September 2001 |Leyton Orient |align="center"|Away |align="center"|3–1 |align="center"|6,540 |align="center"|Taylor, Valois, Howard |align="center"||29 September 2001 |Plymouth Argyle |align="center"|Away |align="center"|1–2 |align="center"|5,782 |align="center"|Crowe |align="center"||5 October 2001 |Darlington |align="center"|Home |align="center"|5–2 |align="center"|7,219 |align="center"|Spring, Howard, Crowe, Nicholls (pen), Valois |align="center"||13 October 2001 |Scunthorpe United |align="center"|Away |align="center"|2–0 |align="center"|3,959 |align="center"|Forbes, Perrett |align="center"||20 October 2001 |Rochdale |align="center"|Home |align="center"|0–1 |align="center"|7,696 |align="center"|– |align="center"||23 October 2001 |Halifax Town |align="center"|Away |align="center"|4–2 |align="center"|2,140 |align="center"|Crowe (2), Nicholls, Forbes |align="center"||27 October 2001 |Swansea City |align="center"|Home |align="center"|3–0 |align="center"|6,705 |align="center"|Crowe, Perrett, Forbes |align="center"||3 November 2001 |Mansfield Town |align="center"|Away |align="center"|1–4 |align="center"|5,973 |align="center"|Crowe |align="center"||9 November 2001 |Shrewsbury Town |align="center"|Home |align="center"|1–0 |align="center"|6,809 |align="center"|Spring |align="center"||20 November 2001 |Hull City |align="center"|Home |align="center"|0–1 |align="center"|7,214 |align="center"|– |align="center"||24 November 2001 |Macclesfield Town |align="center"|Away |align="center"|1–4 |align="center"|2,250 |align="center"|Howard |align="center"||8 December 2001 |Hartlepool United |align="center"|Away |align="center"|2–1 |align="center"|3,585 |align="center"|Crowe, Taylor |align="center"||15 December 2001 |Rushden & Diamonds |align="center"|Home |align="center"|1–0 |align="center"|7,495 |align="center"|Crowe |align="center"||22 December 2001 |Hartlepool United |align="center"|Home |align="center"|2–2 |align="center"|6,739 |align="center"|Howard, Johnson |align="center"||26 December 2001 |Oxford United |align="center"|Away |align="center"|2–1 |align="center"|11,121 |align="center"|Crowe, Spring |align="center"||29 December 2001 |Southend United |align="center"|Away |align="center"|2–1 |align="center"|5,973 |align="center"|Crowe, Taylor |align="center"||8 January 2002 |Kidderminster Harriers |align="center"|Away |align="center"|4–1 |align="center"|4,147 |align="center"|Taylor, Spring (2), Howard |align="center"||12 January 2002 |Cheltenham Town |align="center"|Away |align="center"|1–1 |align="center"|5,026 |align="center"|Howard |align="center"||19 January 2002 |Carlisle United |align="center"|Home |align="center"|1–1 |align="center"|6,647 |align="center"|Perrett |align="center"||26 January 2002 |Darlington |align="center"|Away |align="center"|2–3 |align="center"|3,560 |align="center"|Howard, Valois |align="center"||2 February 2002 |Plymouth Argyle |align="center"|Home |align="center"|2–0 |align="center"|9,585 |align="center"|Nicholls (pen), Howard |align="center"||9 February 2002 |Rochdale |align="center"|Away |align="center"|0–1 |align="center"|4,306 |align="center"|– |align="center"||16 February 2002 |Scunthorpe United |align="center"|Home |align="center"|2–3 |align="center"|6,371 |align="center"|Howard, Taylor |align="center"||19 February 2002 |Bristol Rovers |align="center"|Home |align="center"|3–0 |align="center"|5,651 |align="center"|Howard, Coyne, Nicholls (pen) |align="center"||23 February 2002 |York City |align="center"|Home |align="center"|2–1 |align="center"|6,188 |align="center"|Howard (2) |align="center"||26 February 2002 |Lincoln City |align="center"|Away |align="center"|1–0 |align="center"|2,921 |align="center"|Taylor |align="center"||2 March 2002 |Torquay United |align="center"|Away |align="center"|1–0 |align="center"|3,280 |align="center"|Brković |align="center"||5 March 2002 |Leyton Orient |align="center"|Home |align="center"|3–0 |align="center"|6,683 |align="center"|Coyne, Crowe, Forbes |align="center"||9 March 2002 |Rushden & Diamonds |align="center"|Away |align="center"|2–1 |align="center"|5,876 |align="center"|Crowe, Howard |align="center"||12 March 2002 |Exeter City |align="center"|Home |align="center"|3–0 |align="center"|6,327 |align="center"|Howard (2), Taylor |align="center"||16 March 2002 |Kidderminster Harriers |align="center"|Home |align="center"|1–0 |align="center"|6,488 |align="center"|Hughes |align="center"||23 March 2002 |Halifax Town |align="center"|Home |align="center"|5–0 |align="center"|6,830 |align="center"|Spring, Coyne, Howard, Crowe, Valois |align="center"||30 March 2002 |Swansea City |align="center"|Away |align="center"|3–1 |align="center"|5,436 |align="center"|Taylor, Holmes, Howard |align="center"||1 April 2002 |Mansfield Town |align="center"|Home |align="center"|5–3 |align="center"|8,231 |align="center"|Valois, Crowe, Nicholls (pen), Howard (2) |align="center"||6 April 2002 |Hull City |align="center"|Away |align="center"|4–0 |align="center"|9,379 |align="center"|Howard (3), Crowe |align="center"||13 April 2002 |Macclesfield Town |align="center"|Home |align="center"|0–0 |align="center"|7,873 |align="center"|– |align="center"||20 April 2002 |Shrewsbury Town |align="center"|Away |align="center"|2–0 |align="center"|7,858 |align="center"|own goal, Howard |align="center"| FA Cup information on this season's FA Cup 2001–02 FA Cup +RoundDateOpponentVenueResultAttendanceScorersNotes|First round |17 November 2001 |Southend United |align="center"|Away |align="center"|2–3 (aet) |align="center"|6,526 |align="center"|Forbes, Brković |align="center"| Football League Cup information on this season's Football League Cup 2001–02 Football League Cup +RoundDateOpponentVenueResultAttendanceScorersNotes|First round |21 August 2001 |Reading |align="center"|Away |align="center"|0–4 |align="center"|5,115 |align="center"|– |align="center"| Football League Trophy +RoundDateOpponentVenueResultAttendanceScorersNotes|Second round |30 October 2001 |Dagenham & Redbridge |align="center"|Away |align="center"|2–3 (aet) |align="center"|2,433 |align="center"|Brennan, Thomson |align="center"|bye B League table 2001–02 Football League#Third Division Third Division y LUT Player statistics Last match played on 20 April 2002. Players with a zero in every column only appeared as unused substitutes. Luton 2001/2002 player appearances http://www.soccerbase.com/squad_season.sd?seasonid=138&teamid=2910 Soccerbase Centurycomm 27 October 2009 31 August 2009 https://web.archive.org/web/20090831003753/http://www.soccerbase.com/squad_season.sd?seasonid=138&teamid=2910 dead No.Pos.NameLeagueFA CupLeague CupFL TrophyTotalDisciplineAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals13px13px1GKENG Mark Ovendale130000010140102DFENG Aaron Skelton91100000101004MFENG Matthew Spring406100000416405DFENG Russell Perrett40 (1)300100041 (1)3606DFENG Marvin Johnson11 (7)100101012 (7)1207MFENG Adrian Forbes15 (25)411100017 (25)5608MFENG Kevin Nicholls4150010004251419FWENG Stuart Douglas2 (7)0000 (1)0002 (8)02010FWWAL Carl Griffiths1070010001172011FWIRL Liam George2 (2)00 (1)000103 (3)01012DFAUS Chris Coyne29 (2)300000029 (2)34113DFSCO Stuart Fraser00000010100014FWENG Andrew Fotiadis0 (8)10 (1)000102 (9)10015DFENG Matthew Taylor431110100045117016GKENG Carl Emberson3301010003502017DFBRB Emmerson Boyce30 (7)000100031 (7)05018DFENG Adam Locke1 (2)00000001 (2)00019FWSCO Steve Howard4224001000432411020MFENG Peter Holmes4 (3)1100 (1)0106 (4)11021DFENG Richard Dryden2 (1)0100 (1)0104 (1)01022MFIRL Dean Brennan00100011210023DFENG Jude Stirling1000000 (1)01 (1)00024GKENG Scott Ward00000000000025MFIRL Brendan Mcnamara00000000000026FWENG Peter Thomson00000011110027MFENG Paul Hughes12 (10)300100013 (10)35228MFFRA Jean-Louis Valois32 (2)600000032 (2)65030DFENG David Bayliss15 (3)000000015 (3)04131MFENG Kevin Street1 (1)00000001 (1)00032MFENG Lee Mansell6 (5)10010108 (5)10033DFWAL Ian Hillier11 (12)110000012 (12)15134FWENG Dean Crowe33 (2)1510000034 (2)153035MFCRO Ahmet Brković17 (4)111000018 (4)25038DFENG Rob Gillman00000010100039FWIRL Daryl Murphy00000000000040MFIRL Stephen O'Leary00000000000041FWENG James Osborn00000000000042FWSCO Gary McSwegan2 (1)00000002 (1)00043DFWAL Alan Neilson80000000802044FWENG Steve Kabba0 (3)00000000 (3)000 Managerial statistics Only competitive games from the 2001–02 season are included. NameNat.FromToRecordHonoursPLDWDLGFGAW%Joe KinnearIRL8 February 200123 May 200349307121005861.2Promoted to Second Division as runners-up Awards Awarded on 21 April 2002. AwardNameNo.Pos.NotesPlayer of the SeasonSCO Steve Howard19FW LTFC 2001–02 Awards http://www.lutontown.co.uk/page/NewsDetail/0,,10372~210551,00.html Luton Town F.C. 21 April 2002 25 October 2009Players' Player of the SeasonSCO Steve Howard/ENG Matthew Taylor19/15FW/DF shared CYoung Player of the SeasonIRL Kevin Foley–DFYoung Members' Player of the SeasonENG Kevin Nicholls8DFGoal of the SeasonFRA Jean-Louis Valois28MF goal D Transfers In DatePlayerFromFeeRef. Reference 4 July 2001 England Aaron Skelton Colchester United Free 10 July 2001 Wales Carl Griffiths Leyton Orient £65,000 14 July 2001 England Carl Emberson Walsall Free 16 July 2001 England Adrian Forbes Norwich City £60,000 9 August 2001 England Kevin Nicholls Wigan Athletic £25,000 10 August 2001 England Russell Perrett Cardiff City Free 10 August 2001 England Paul Hughes Southampton Free 17 September 2001 Australia Chris Coyne Dundee £50,000 21 September 2001 France Jean-Louis Valois Lille Free 4 October 2001 Croatia Ahmet Brković Leyton Orient Free 30 October 2001 England Dean Crowe Stoke City Free 8 November 2001 Wales Ian Hillier Tottenham Hotspur £30,000 7 December 2001 England David Bayliss Rochdale Free 22 February 2002 Wales Alan Neilson Fulham Free 12 June 2002 England Tony Thorpe Bristol City Free 24 June 2002 Northern Ireland Steve Robinson Preston North End £50,000 Out DatePlayerToFeeRef. Reference 18 July 2001 Finland Petri Helin Stockport County Free 21 August 2001 England Dean Standen Released 14 September 2001 Norway Kent Karlsen Released 23 December 2001 Ireland Dean Brennan Released 23 December 2001 Ireland Liam George Released 31 January 2002 England Peter Thomson Released 20 March 2002 England Jude Stirling Stevenage Borough Free 21 March 2002 Scotland Stuart Fraser Released 6 June 2002 England Matthew Taylor Portsmouth £400,000 Loans in DatePlayerFromEnd dateRef. Reference 18 August 2001 Wales Ian Hillier Tottenham Hotspur 8 November 2001 28 September 2001 England Dean Crowe Stoke City 28 October 2001 19 November 2001 England Kevin Street Crewe Alexandra 19 December 2001 15 February 2002 Scotland Gary McSwegan Hearts 15 March 2002 28 March 2002 England Steve Kabba Crystal Palace 21 April 2002 Loans out DatePlayerToEnd dateRef. Reference 23 October 2001 England Stuart Douglas Oxford United 23 November 2001 6 November 2001 England Peter Thomson Rushden & Diamonds 6 January 2002 28 November 2001 England Scott Ward Boreham Wood 28 February 2002 Ward moves on loan http://www.lutontown.co.uk/page/NewsDetail/0,,10372~129987,00.html Luton Town F.C. 23 November 2001 27 October 2009 26 November 2001 England Richard Dryden Scarborough 29 December 2001 Dryden goes to Scarborough on loan http://www.lutontown.co.uk/page/NewsDetail/0,,10372~131481,00.html Luton Town F.C. 26 November 2001 27 October 2009 19 January 2002 England Stuart Douglas Rushden & Diamonds 19 March 2002 14 February 2002 England Jude Stirling Stevenage Borough 19 March 2002 13 March 2002 Ireland Daryl Murphy Harrow Borough 21 April 2002 See also List of Luton Town F.C. seasons Footnotes A. friendly Behind closed-doors friendly. B. bye Luton received a bye into the Southern Section Second Round. C. shared Howard and Taylor shared the Players' Player of the Season award. D. goal The goal of the season was chosen as Jean-Louis Valois' strike against Torquay United on 22 September 2001. References 2001–02 Luton Town