Since the turn of the Millennium, there hasn’t been a bigger shapeshift in form and fortune than Luton Town Football Club.
From starting in 2000 in the Second Division under manager Lennie Lawrence, famously and controversially plunging out of the Football League thanks to a -30 point deduction in 2008/2009, to a skyrocketing return to League Two in 2014/15, to becoming the current underdog club amongst the top six of the Championship.
As for the back-line, many a name has passed through Kenilworth Road in the last 22 years. Here are Luton Town’s top five centre-backs since the start of the century.
1. Sonny Bradley
Joining from Plymouth Argyle the summer before Luton’s promotion, it was his defensive strength which guided Luton to not only the League One title and promotion, but going 28 games unbeaten in the league in doing so.
Making 139 appearances for the Hatters, and netting five goals, he is one of Luton’s greatest in the back-four.
2. Chris Coyne
The wonder from Down Under was a mainstay for Luton during the heyday of the early 2000s for the club. Brought in from Dundee in 2001 by then manager Joe Kinnear, Coyne went on to make well over 200 appearances for the club, as the club pushed themselves back up from the then fourth division to the Championship in 2005/2006.
Coyne was sold to Colchester United just as Luton went into administration in 2007/08 season.
3. Steve McNulty
The Goliath of non-league delighted Luton fans for three years, which guided Luton to a return to the Football League, McNulty was the centre back among centre-backs.
Making 117 appearances for the club and scoring twice in his spell, he was pivotal to Luton going up from the National League by a mammoth 19 point gap.
What he lacked in pace, McNulty made up for in defensive prowess and strength which gave the club the right amount of support to rise up the football league.
4. Leon Barnett
Coming through the heralded youth system which produced stars like Matthew Upson and Jack Wilshere, Leon Barnett joined the first team and made 59 appearances for the team in the five years he spent. Scoring three goals along the way, he moved on to West Brom before spells at Coventry, Norwich, Cardiff, Wigan, Bury and Northampton Town.
5. Matthew Pearson
Pearson and Bradley as starting centre backs was at points as guaranteed as Luton avoiding defeat. Joining from Barnsley in the summer of 2018, Pearson quickly found himself as a regular starter during Luton’s promotion season from League One.
Even in the Championship, his defensive nature was crucial in keeping the Town up at the end of the 2019/20 season after Graeme Jones was replaced with former boss Nathan Jones.
Leaving for Huddersfield Town last summer, Pearson made 128 appearances for the club, scoring ten goals.
