3 endearing stories of non-mainstream football clubs
Football is universally referred to as the 'beautiful game'. It has become an integral part of so many people's lives. Most of us have clubs we follow, teams we support regardless of their achievements or their on-field performances. It is truly wonderful to think about how much a football club can mean to us.
Football can offer us moments that we can never forget about, memories we'll cherish for a lifetime and tell our grandchildren.
Will you ever forget Leicester City's improbable Premier League triumph in 2016? Or Bayern Munich scoring eight goals past Marc-Andre ter Stegen last season?
Outside of mainstream football clubs, people still talk about the Nottingham Forest side led by Brian Clough and Peter Taylor, an English team that won consecutive European Cups only two years after promotion from the Second Division.
Very recently, tiny English eighth-tier football club Marine AFC faced off against London giants Tottenham Hotspur. It was a day the Merseyside football club and their fans will never forget.
In the game's opening exchanges, Marine AFC winger Neil Kengni hit the bar from outside the box. What a moment that could've been had that gone in! Kengni, incidentally, happens to be a trainee plumber.
There are many such stories of nondescript European football clubs not many may have heard of. On that note, let's have a look at three such football clubs and their endearing stories.
#3 Luton Town - Relegation from Championship to Fifth Division and the climb up the English football tiers
Luton Town were founded in 1885, and six years later, they became the first professional football club in South England.
During their eventful journey through the English football divisions, The Hatters spent 16 seasons in the top tier. Their longest spell was ten consecutive years from 1982 to 1992.
Even though Luton haven't reached that level in the Premier League era, life as a Luton Town fan this century has been far from uneventful.
The Luton club started this millennium in English football's third tier before they were relegated to the fourth in 2001. However, they gained an instant promotion back to the Third Division. With new owners coming in, three years later, Luton Town moved up to the Championship.
Luton surprised everyone that season, finishing mid-table above current Premier League sides Brighton & Hove Albion, Southampton and Leicester City.
Unfortunately, the club didn't have the financial structure to keep hold of their star players. While the next season started well - they were fifth after the first 13 games -, a seven-game losing streak diminished any hopes of a sensational promotion to the Premier League. Luton Town finished rock bottom and returned to the third tier.
After falling into administration, the South-east side were deducted ten points in the third tier (League One). Player sales, a club take-over and relegation to League Two continued. Could things have gone any worse? The answer would be in the affirmative.
Luton Town had to start the season with -30 points in League Two due to their failure to agree to Company Voluntary Agreement, being in administration and financial irregularities.
The Hatters finished 15 points behind safety and, next season, found themselves in the fifth tier. While their time outside the English league football may have been miserable, Luton Town did create some remarkable memories.
In 2013, Luton Town became the first non-league club to beat a Premier League team in the FA Cup. That happened when the small South England side knocked out Norwich City 1-0 in the fourth round.
Luton Town returned to League 2 in 2014, and four seasons later, they gained promoted to League One. Against all odds, they won the league in their first attempt and returned to the Championship once again.
However, they had a rough first season back in the Second Division. The Hatters were 22nd before the season got halted due to the COVID-19 outbreak. But to their credit, they racked up 16 points in nine games (4-4-1) after the restart, which included an exciting 3-2 win on the final day to remain in the Championship.
In this campaign, Luton Town have fared better, currently sitting 16th in the Championship. While Premier League promotion looks like an unrealistic proposition, the same can be said about relegation too. With 12 games to go, Luton Town are 12 points above the drop zone.
Luton Town are moving forward with the times and will relocate to a new stadium in the next few years. Why is this such a big deal?
That's because the Hatters have played in Kenilworth Road since 1905, which is a pretty unique stadium in the modern era.