Luton manager Rob Edwards says the club have given him “the best 18 months of my life” and that their impending relegation from the Premier League has only made him more determined to return to the top flight.
Edwards looked dejected and wiped away a tear as he faced Luton fans at the London Stadium after the 3-1 defeat to West Ham on Saturday.
The Hatters boss admitted he was still emotional when he faced the media 45 minutes after the final whistle.
The result leaves Luton almost relegated with one game remaining, three points behind 18th-placed Nottingham Forest and needing a big difference in goal difference to stay up.
“It’s really difficult,” he said. “The way the fans reacted moved me.
“I thanked the players because they, together with the fans and the board, gave me the best 18 months of my life.
“It’s been an incredible journey and I’ve always believed in it. Even at halftime I believed in it and I feel responsible. I’m very disappointed that we weren’t able to do it.”
Luton led at half-time but were beaten by West Ham after the break.
The fact that they had not won an away game since December and the lack of clean sheets proved to be their undoing.
However, after gaining promotion with one of the smallest budgets in the Championship, Luton defied the odds for most of the season, earning respect and praise for the way they fought to survive.
As Edwards and his players made their way to the tunnel after greeting their own supporters, they were warmly applauded by the West Ham fans.
“That was moving,” Edwards said. “Maybe the fact that we were brave and didn’t leave the teams changed people’s minds along the way.”
Edwards said that although he was solely focused on survival, behind the scenes Luton had a plan in place should the worst happen.
They will benefit from parachute payments next season and although no substantive negotiations have yet taken place with chief executive Gary Sweet, he is optimistic about the future.
“This is my third year in office,” Edwards said. “I won a league title, I got sacked, I got promoted in the play-offs and now I’ve been relegated, so it wasn’t boring,” he said.
“But this only fuels the fire to come back. We will be in a stronger position to attack him since the last time we were in the league.
“Then we got promoted with one of the smallest budgets. That won’t be the case now. We’ll be one of the strongest teams.”
