Luton Town FC gets its own chapter in new book about FA Cup

An author from Manchester has written his first book about the FA Cup, and has dedicated a whole chapter to Luton Town Football Club.

RM Clark started writing his book, Winner Stays On: England with the FA Cup for a Compass, in his spare time while he worked in a coffee shop. As an avid football fan and follower of lower league sides, he decided to pen a book following the FA Club seasons 2022/23 from start to finish.

He explained: “I thought it'd be a good way to see more of the country by following the results of the games. It's been quite an authentic way to travel around.”

Before heading to Luton for this project, he’d only ever been to the town to catch a flight. But his trip would prove to be the turning point for his book. He said: “It was a really important chapter for me as it was a change from the earlier rounds where you're in smaller places and villages. Luton was the first real big urban area and it set the tone for the rest of the book.”

“My experience of Luton was quite peaceful, which I wasn't expecting, as I was walking from park to park. People were friendly and interested in what I was doing, I could strike up conversations easily.”

He was inspired by the club’s resilience - even after being knocked out of the cup by Grimsby Town. He explained: “I heard the away fans chanting, ‘Eff the FA Cup, we’re going up’.” And months later, LTFC made it to the Premier League for the first time in their history.

RM was welcomed with enthusiasm when he approached the club for help with the book. He added: “I felt like there was real mutual respect, they probably went above and beyond what you would expect from a Championship, now Premier League club.”

His debut book is out on January 1 and can be found here. He said: “I think it can be forgotten sometimes that there's so many positive things that come out of football. I wanted to show that when it’s done right, like it is in Luton, it's a real asset to the town.”