‘Haaland can go through other entrance’ – Luton chief hits back at ground jibes
Luton Town chief Gary Sweet has hit back at the constant barrage of abuse towards Kenilworth Road.
The Hatters are set to face Coventry City in what is billed as the 'richest game in football' with the final promotion spot to the Premier League on offer. Both outfits were playing fourth-tier football as recently as 2018 but a remarkable upturn in fortunes has pitted them against each other for Saturday's box-office viewing (kick-off 4:45pm).
Much has been made of Luton's Kenilworth Road stadium, which has a capacity of 10,356 and would become the smallest top-flight stadium in the history of the Premier League, with the the away end coming in for particular focus.
READ MORE: True reward for 'richest game in football' as Luton and Coventry prepare to do battle
Travelling supporters are tasked with heading through turnstiles located in a row of houses before they are greeted by a view of local residents' gardens on the way to their seats. But even if Luton are promoted, the Hatters will not be rolling out the red carpet for the likes of Manchester City and Liverpool.
"There are literally no other access points, if you can find me one I’ll be happy to put a door in. It is what it is," said CEO Sweet when quizzed on Luton's plans for the away end should they gain promotion this weekend. "We might give it a lick of paint and new signage every so often but let’s embrace this.
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"It annoys me but makes me giggle at the same time when you get all the social media content about entering in a garden but it has been the same since World War Two, so why is it brought up now?
"[Erling] Haaland isn’t going to walk through that entrance, he’ll go through the other s*** entrance we’ve got! There is no great entrance here, it is what it is guys, embrace it! People might take the mickey about all of this but it doesn’t bother us."
Planning permission has been granted for a brand-new 23,000-capacity arena on the site of a former power station in the town centre. The Bedfordshire-based club had been hoping to move into their new home for the start of the 2024/25 season but building work is still yet to commence on the Power Court development.
Aside from the funding of the new state-of-the-art venue, Luton will also have to use a sizeable chunk of the £120m promotion kitty to revamp Kenilworth Road, should they emerge victorious from Saturday's showdown. Sweet previously stated the Hatters needed to "pretty much rebuild" one of the stands at Kenilworth Road to comply with Premier League regulations.
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