Luton Town slid to defeat in the EFL Trophy as the managerless Hatters were beaten 3-1 away at Cambridge United.
In their first game after the dismissal of Matt Bloomfield, Luton had scored first at the Abbey Stadium through Mads Andersen. But an equaliser by Glenn McConnell and a brace by Elias Kachunga turned the game on its head, winning the day for the League 2 side.
The result means Luton slide to defeat in the second of their EFL Trophy assignments, with the Hatters’ hopes of qualification for the knockout stages now resting on their home match in late October against the Brighton academy side.
Luton arrived in Cambridge under the charge of interim boss and former player Alex Lawless, who was put in post after the sacking of Bloomfield earlier this week. The Hatters confirmed they are seeking the appointment of a new permanent boss, who would be their third full manager of 2025 when they are appointed.
Lawless opted to make six changes from defeat at Stevenage in their previous match, and after starting brightly, they took the lead in the 15th minute. Jordan Clark’s corner was flicked on Nigel Longwijk, and Andersen tapped the ball over the line.
But after both sides created and spurned numerous opportunities, it was Cambridge who equalised with 33 minutes on the clock, as McConnell curled a strike beyond Luton keeper James Shea.
Cambridge then took the lead within a minute of the restart, as Kachunga converted from Ben Purrington’s pass.
Most of the best opportunities for a third fell for Cambridge, who created and missed several chances before grabbing their third with 10 minutes of the 90 to go. Kachunga ran into space after Luton failed to clear the lines, and the German duly lobbed a strike home to make it 3-1.
Luton will be back in action on October 18th as they welcome Mansfield Town to Kenilworth Road, with the Hatters’ final EFL Trophy group stage game coming against the Brighton U21s in October 28th.
MK Dons were beaten 1-0 by Reading in the EFL Trophy after they were beaten by a late goal in Berkshire.
Sean Patton scored the only goal of the game in the 88th minute at the Select Car Leasing Stadium, which handed victory to the Royals.
Defeat means the Dons are all-but guaranteed a group stage exit from the competition, which would be mathematically confirmed if West Ham U21s get a result against Swindon Town in their meeting on October 28th.
Both sides heavily rotated for the game, with Reading make 10 changes and Paul Warne opting to rest all 11 players who began their weekend win over Gillingham at Stadium MK.
The only goal of the contest came in the 88th minute, as a free-kick was headed across goal above goalkeeper Connal Trueman, who had come out in an unsuccessful attempt to intercept, and the ball fell for Patton to glance home.
MK Dons will be back in league action on Saturday, as they make the trip to play Bristol Rovers. Their final EFL Trophy group stage assignment is due to be held on November 11th.
Police have released an image of two people officers wish to speak to in connection with a criminal damage incident in Milton Keynes.
The appeal relates to an incident that happened between 2am – 4am on 14 July. During the incident, two people pulled flowers and overturned ten large planters belonging to a business in central Milton Keynes.
Investigating officer PC Jacob Eckles said, “I am appealing to anyone who witnessed this incident to please come forward.
“I am also appealing to the people in the image as they may have vital information to assist our investigation. If you recognise them or if either of these people are you, please contact us.
“Anyone with information should call 101 or make an online report via our website, quoting reference number 43250353359.
“Alternatively, for 100% anonymity, you can call the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
Network Rail have announced a major Christmas-time closure of the West Coast Main Line between Milton Keynes and Northampton.
One of several maintenance projects on the West Coast Main Line announced by the body that looks after the UK’s railway infrastructure includes the closure of all 4 tracks at Hanslope, located between Wolverton and Northampton stations.
The £26m upgrade is intended to be played across all four main lines at Hanslope, with the project taking place between 24 December and 5 January. Network Rail has said that there will be no trains between Milton Keynes and Northampton / Rugby in this period, with rail replacement buses in operation.
Multiple other projects are planned on the route over Christmas, with Network Rail also confirming a signalling project at Preston, the main phase of replacing a bridge at Penrith in Cumbria and a junction upgrade north of Carlisle. These projects are taking place in phases through to 15 January 2026.
Network Rail have said that there will also be more railway renewals taking place during this period, with upgrades to overhead power lines, station platforms, bridges, track and signalling systems along the length of the 309-mile route between London Euston and the Scottish border.
In a statement, Christian Irwin OBE, Network Rail North West & Central region Capital Delivery director, said, “This Christmas and New Year we’ll be investing tens of millions of pounds as part of our long-term commitment to make the West Coast Main Line fit for the future.
“Our ambitious programme, with numerous large-scale journey improving projects, will mean certain sections of the route will have to close across 22 days this festive season. For that reason, our advice to anyone planning to travel on the West Coast Main Line between London and Scotland is to plan your journeys as early as possible by visiting National Rail Enquiries.”
Police are releasing a CCTV image of a man officers wish to speak to in connection with an assault in Milton Keynes.
The CCTV image release and associated appeal relates to an incident that happened at approximately 10pm on Wednesday 9 July at The Moon Under Water pub on Marlborough Gate in Central Milton Keynes.
During the incident, the suspect smashed a glass on the side of the victim’s head, who was a man in fifties, before throwing a chair at him.
The victim sustained cuts to the face and required stitches. He was taken to hospital but has since been discharged.
Investigating officer, PC Lily Thornton, said, “I am appealing to anyone who witnessed this assault or has information that may assist us to please get in touch.
“If you recognise the man in the image, or if this is you, please contact us as we think this person may have information to assist our investigation.
“If you have any information relating to this incident, please call 101 or report it online via our website, quoting 43250344961.
“Alternatively, if you wish to remain anonymous, you can contact the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 or via its website.”
