Kenilworth Road renovations started hours after Luton won promotion to Premier League

Luton Town chief executive Gary Sweet revealed that work on Kenilworth Road was due to start just hours after their promotion to the Premier League.

Luton beat Coventry 6-5 on penalties, after the match finished 1-1 after extra-time, to book their place in the top flight for the first time since 1992.

Their journey back has been a remarkable one, as recently as 2014 they were in the National League.

Much of the talk before the game was about Luton’s stadium and fans realising its away end had an entrance in someone’s garden.

Kenilworth Road is nestled between Victorian housing and is a throwback to football stadiums of old.

Its capacity is just 10,356 and pales in comparison to the Premier League norm.

There are a number of issues that need to be addressed to get the stadium up to the minimum standard required for the top flight.

New floodlights are needed and more space must be made for broadcasters, while the Bobbers Stand effectively has to be rebuilt.

It has been estimated that the cost of completing the work will be around £10million, softened by the riches that will come their way from getting promotion.

After winning promotion, Sweet told talkSPORT: “At the moment, we just want to enjoy this time. We’re ready for it, we know what we’re doing.

“I’ve got some diggers ready to go into Kenilworth Road to start doing some work there tonight. It is going to start pretty soon.

“To all the Luton fans, thank you for supporting us and to everyone in Luton thank you for the backing you’ve given us. Without you we couldn’t have done it.”

Not only are Luton having to get Kenilworth Road up to standard, they are also planning to build a new ground for the 2024/25 campaign.

Reflecting on the drama that unfolded on the pitch, Sweet added: “It was horrible, I hated every single second of it. It is gut-wrenching and tears you apart, especially the longer it went on.

“What a sad way for it to end for Coventry, both clubs deserved it. For that to be decided on the miss of a penalty, I don’t think games like this should be decided on penalties.”