One half of Wembley was a sea of orange as this £170m match showed it was about more than just money for both teams
Ten minutes after Rob Edwards had been brought to a halt halfway around Wembley, celebrating furiously a goal that was shortly disallowed, the Luton manager was to be found victorious but calm as still water. His first action on winning the playoff final was to hug his opponent Mark Robins. Around this tender scene was pure chaos; his players haring about, embracing and hurling each other to the ground like so many 6ft-tall puppy dogs. Promotion, it’s a hell of a drug.
Luton Town are a Premier League club and international broadcast packages can now finally be cut probing the various tiny entrances to Kenilworth Road. For the Hatters there is joy, hope and – especially for the players – the chance to change their lives. For Coventry, whose disconsolate players stood motionless for 15 minutes after the end of a penalty shootout which featured 11 kicks scored and one ballooned horribly over the bar, there will currently – but not permanently – be sorrow.
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