Luton Town blogger releases second edition of Hatters book - with proceeds going to foodbank

Are you looking for a way to preserve the history of the Hatters at the same time as supporting a vital service in Luton?

This book might just be the answer – unless you are a Watford fan, of course.

Avid LTFC fan, Kevin Crowe had been regularly blogging about the club since the 2010/2011 season when the Hatters were relegated to the Conference League and were seemingly stuck in the non-league football no man's land. He said: “It got relatively popular with a small group of fans. And I was lucky enough to have it published in the matchday programme for a few years in Conference.”

His blog, Left Midfield, gained attention from fans close to home and across the world, as Kevin updated the website after every twist and turn in the club’s games. When the pandemic hit, Kevin had time to look at the many blog posts he’d written about his beloved club. So, naturally, he decided to get his words put together in the form of a book.

He explained: “I suddenly was aware that I'd written the blog for nearly 10 years, and I had wondered how many pages it would be. It felt like a book-length. I thought it'd be a really nice thing to do to print it for Christmas in 2020. And for all the proceeds to go to the Luton Foodbank.”

He raised over £5,000 for the foodbank three years ago, as supporters snapped up the book – taking readers from non-league matches to beating rivals, Watford. Since then, Kevin’s wildest dreams have become reality when Luton Town FC made their way up the table to promotion playoffs, and into the Premier League.

He said: “Since 2020, this sort of ridiculous thing has happened and we've got promoted to the Premier League. So I sort of started writing a bit more regularly. Some people were saying that I needed to write something about the fact that we're in the Premier League now. And how it’s the ending to the fairytale.”

His book, These Are The Good Old Days, now has a second edition with a special chapter dedicated to what many thought was impossible. Kevin said: “It's been an amazing response and massive thank you to all the amazing fans who have supported it.

“It's an expensive book, but hopefully, the people who can afford to buy it know they are helping those people who don't have what they need at the moment.”

Supporting the foodbank is very important to Kevin, who now lives in Walthamstow. He explained: “I wanted to support the local community where I lived and where the book is focussed on. I was looking for a charity to support in the town that was really helping people at their toughest time. So they fit the bill.”

The 40-year-old hopes that the book will prove to be a special keepsake for those who own it, something that can be passed down to generations of Hatters to come. You can buy the book here – they cost £20.23, which includes an £11 donation to the foodbank and postage.