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The 2012–13 season was the 127th season in the history of Luton Town Football Club. The club competed in the Conference Premier for the fourth consecutive year, finishing in their lowest ever position of seventh place. Manager Paul Buckle left the club on 19 February 2013 after a winless run of games left the club 14 points off the top of the table. Dagenham & Redbridge manager John Still was appointed in charge of Luton shortly afterwards, though could secure only a seventh-place finish in the league – worse than the previous season's lowest ever finish of fifth in the English football league system. The club did, however, make history during the season by becoming the first non-League team to defeat a Premier League club in the FA Cup, beating Norwich City 1–0 at Carrow Road. The club eventually reached the Fifth Round of the competition, the furthest they had progressed since the 1993–94 season. This article covers the period from 1 July 2012 to 30 June 2013. ==Background== After a 30-point deduction and consequent relegation in 2008–09 ended an 89-year stay in The Football League, Luton Town have attempted three unsuccessful campaigns for promotion out of non-League football, losing in the play-offs each time, most recently in a 2–1 defeat by York City at Wembley Stadium in May 2012. During that season, a seven-game winless run towards the end of the campaign left Luton outside the play-off places, resulting in manager Gary Brabin being replaced by Paul Buckle on a two-year contract. Buckle's tenure saw the club win five of their next eight games, qualify for the play-offs and beat Wrexham 3–2 on aggregate in the semi-final, before the loss to York in the final. Stating his intention to reduce the size of the squad and "bring players into the club that are not failures", Buckle released a number of players in the close-season, including Ed Asafu-Adjaye, Charlie Henry, Christian Tavernier, Danny Crow, Dan Gleeson, Shane Blackett, and Amari Morgan-Smith, while Curtis Osano rejected a new contract to sign for League Two side AFC Wimbledon. Robbie Willmott and Godfrey Poku also rejected contracts, with Poku signing a deal to join Mansfield Town. Captain George Pilkington, too, elected to join Mansfield. Most notable was the departure of Keith Keane to League One side Preston North End after nine seasons with Luton in which he had made almost 300 appearances. Luton signed various out-of-contract players themselves, with former Stevenage captain Ronnie Henry, Gillingham players Danny Spiller and Garry Richards (Richards' transfer becoming permanent on 1 July), and Gateshead striker Jon Shaw, who had scored 35 goals the previous season, all joining the club for free. The club also bought Wycombe Wanderers forward Scott Rendell for an undisclosed fee and made striker Andre Gray's loan from Hinckley United permanent, as he joined the club on a two-year contract for a fee of £30,000.〔 Meanwhile, Jake Howells, JJ O'Donnell, Alex Lacey and Lewis Kidd signed contract extensions. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア(Wikipedia)』 ■ウィキペディアで「2012–13 Luton Town F.C. season」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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