Coventry 1-1 (5-6p) Luton: Euphoria was high at Luton Town after securing promotion to the Premier League, but manager Rob Edwards was also thinking of captain Tom Lockyer. The 28-year-old defender collapsed early on in the play-off final against Coventry City and had to watch the denouement at Wembley from a hospital bed.
Manager Luton Town emotional after promotion: “Not appropriate to celebrate”
Despite the concerns about their captain, Luton Town won on penalties from Coventry against the again accurate Hamer and The Hatters will make their debut in the Premier League next season. With this, an unlikely football fairy tale has become reality. After being relegated from the First Division in 1992, Luton Town even spent some time outside the Football League, but next season all the stars will really come to Kenilworth Road, the nostalgic home of the club founded in 1885.
Tom Lockyer’s positive reports from the hospital
“It feels great,” manager Edwards exulted at Sky Sports afterwards. “But all I think about now is Tom Lockyer,” the emotional coach referred to his captain, who soon received positive reports from the hospital. “He has been very important to us this season. Health and family are the most important thing, the rest doesn’t really matter. Luckily he’s fine, some guys talked to him at the hospital. He is well taken care of. It didn’t feel appropriate to celebrate, I was mostly emotional.’
Edwards also complimented Coventry. Who were only held off by a penalty shootout from their first Premier League season in 22 years. “It was so close together, all credits to Mark Robins and Coventry (still playing in League Two five years ago). I know what they’ve been through. He did a great job, I can’t copy him. I know they will come back stronger, they are a great club with an incredible following. This was our day, but I also sympathize with them.”
“They handled it very well”
Finally, Edwards also had nice words for his own team. “I am very proud of my squad. That they picked themselves up like this after Locks. Who has been our best player this season, went off after just four or five minutes. To see their captain leave the field in such an emotional way in this atmosphere and on this important day, they handled it very well. We then played fantastic in the first half,” said the Luton Town manager, who released a video of almost ten minutes on Twitter.