Luton Town and Sunderland have been fined for their parts in an on-pitch confrontation after a Championship match.
The Hatters have been fined £15,000 by the FA, while the side from the North East received a £7,000 fine for their part in the confrontation after the final whistle of a meeting at Kenilworth Road on October 23rd.
In a statement confirming the sanction, the FA said that, “Both clubs admitted that they failed to ensure their players and/or technical area staff didn’t behave in an improper and provocative way after the final whistle.”
The confrontation broke out after the final whistle of the match, which Sunderland won 2-1. Shortly before the game finished, Luton had made strong appeals for a penalty that were declined by the on-pitch referee.
When the whistle was blown, the spark of the confrontation was started by an argument between Luton Town goalkeeper Thomas Kaminski and Sunderland player Chris Mepham, which was quickly followed by players of both sides piling in.
It has since been confirmed that Luton’s Carlton Morris and Joe Taylor were booked for their part in the incident, as were Sunderland’s Luke O’Nien and Jobe Bellingham.
Fines were imposed as the penalty following a disciplinary hearing late last month, although the FA ruled it did not come towards the more severe end of the scale.
MK Dons boss Scott Lindsey was disappointed to be knocked out of the EFL Trophy as a defeat to Leyton Orient knocked his side out in the group stage.
Lindsey spoke after a 3-1 defeat by Leyton Orient at Stadium MK confirmed MK Dons’ exit from the EFL Trophy, with the Dons finishing bottom of their group.
The Dons boss reflected it was a missed opportunity for his back-up players, who he felt could’ve found the competition beneficial in order to gain game time.
He said, “We’re disappointed to lose because obviously we want to continue winning. It’s important and I think it would’ve been important to stay in this competition because it would’ve given us some more games for the boys who are not playing as much football. I’m sad for that.”
Reflecting on the game in isolation, Lindsey said he felt that the overall contest against the League One side was defined by an overall lack of quality.
He said, “In terms of the performance, I felt we lacked a bit of quality. We played some good moments and had probably the best moments in the second half to score more. We had some chances in that second half. But I think we lacked quality at times. You look at all three goals and they’re all turnovers of possession from ourselves. We’ve got to be better. But I can’t fault the player’s efforts. I thought they stuck to the ask all night against a strong side in Leyton Orient, the effort we put in was strong but just lacked a bit of quality at times.”
Despite the loss, Lindsey said there were elements that gave him pause for thought and things to develop.
He said, “It’s just disappointment in the three moments but I felt we were loose at times during the night. We’ve got to show a bit more quality. We’re not going to change as coaches and we want to play with the ball, so we’ve got to get the players up to speed with what we want.”
MK Dons had made 11 changes for the game and Lindsey stood by his call, saying it had been useful to help reserve and youth players with their game time.
He said, “I think it’s clear to me what the team looks like next week, but it’s good to play in these games because it’s competitive and good for players to play minutes on the pitch, and of course, some young players to be involved. It’s always good for their development.”
Willen Hospice have announced details of their annual festival remember service where local people are invited to celebrate the lives of their loved ones.
The charity’s annual Lights of Love service will be held on Saturday 30 November at The Ridgeway Centre in Wolverton, Milton Keynes.
Willen Hospice’s event is open to the whole community, where families and friends can come together for this occasion to remember and celebrate people sadly no longer with us.
Guests can look forward to performances from the Musica Charity Choir, Broughton Fields School Choir, poetry readings, a soloist, and talks from Willen Hospice nurses.
New for this year is an in-memory lantern, included with every booking, for guests to decorate and bring with them to display in the auditorium. There is also an opportunity to add the name of their loved ones to a tribute video to be played during the service.
Nikki Poole, Willen Hospice Events and Community Fundraising Manager, said, “As a charity that provides specialist care to people with a life-limiting illness, we know how difficult Christmas can be for anyone who is grieving, whether it’s a recent bereavement or from a long time ago. This beautiful service gives people the chance to pause and reflect during the busy Christmas period, with a dedicated time and space to remember their loved ones.”
The entry fee is £10, which includes one lantern per person and will help to cover the cost of the venue. Doors open at 1.30pm, ready for a 2pm start. People can pre-book online, or turn up on the day. Additional lanterns are also available to purchase.
Visit https://www.willen-hospice.org.uk/lights to book.
Milton Keynes City Council have encouraged eligible families on low-incomes in Milton Keynes to apply for various energy efficiency measures.
Measures including free insulation, low carbon heating and solar panels are on offer for eligible homeowners, who have until 24 November to begin their application for the Home Upgrade Grant scheme.
The scheme is intended to make participants’ homes warmer and better for the environment. The scheme is funded by the UK Government, and managed by the Greater South East Net Zero Hub and Milton Keynes City Council.
The Home Upgrade Grant scheme is open to homeowners, private tenants and landlords. Eligible households must be situated in a pre-qualified postcode area (eligible postcodes can be found on the MK City Council website) or have an household income of less than £36,000.
Homes must also be heated by alternative methods to gas, including electricity, oil, liquid propane gas, and solid fuels. Further details including how to apply can be found on the city council’s website.
Homeowners will be guided through the application, helping them understand the scheme and its eligibility criteria. If eligible for free upgrades, an installer will identify which improvements for the home will provide the greatest benefits and arrange any necessary surveys and installations.
Cabinet Member for Economy, Sustainability and Innovation, Cllr Shanika Mahendran, said, “We want everyone who is eligible to benefit, so we’re urging people to check if they could receive these energy upgrades. It doesn’t take long to check and if you’re eligible, the free upgrades can help you heat your home more efficiently and bring down your bills.”
Low-cost airline and travel provider Jet2 have announced they will be launching flights from Luton Airport.
Jet2 have announced plans to launch flights from Luton to 17 destinations across Europe as part of their expansion of operations, with their first flights to operate from Luton from April 1st 2025.
36 weekly flights will be operated by Jet2 from Luton, including multiple weekly flights to popular destinations across Spain, Greece, Portugal, Italy and Turkey. Three of these destinations – namely Girona in Spain, the Portuguese island of Madeira and Verona in Italy – will see Jet2 be the exclusive operator from London Luton Airport.
Luton Airport have said that more than 125 new jobs will be created initially as part of this expansion of operations, with positions available across flight deck, cabin crew, engineering, and ground operations.
In a statement, Steve Heapy, CEO of Jet2.com and Jet2holidays, said, “We are very excited to announce London Luton Airport as our 13th UK base airport today, further expanding our footprint and bringing our award-winning holidays and flights to even more customers. Customers and independent travel agents have been asking us to open at London Luton Airport for many years now, so we know how enormously popular this announcement will be. We have seen time and time again how popular our product is when we bring it to new customers, and we look forward to bringing our VIP customer service to holidaymakers from London Luton Airport.”
Cllr Hazel Simmons MBE, Leader of Luton Council, added, “I’d like to welcome Jet2 to Luton, and the new jobs and economic growth that its investment will deliver for our town and neighbouring communities. What makes our airport different is that it is owned by Luton Rising wholly for community benefit. Employment in and around the airport is already at record levels and today’s announcement will make another major contribution to the next chapter in its ongoing success.”
Jet2 will run flights from Luton to the mainland Spanish destinations of Alicante, Girona and Reus, along with the Spanish island destinations of Fuerteventura, Gran Canaria, Lanzarote and Tenerife in the Canary Islands, plus Ibiza and Majorca,
There will also be flights to Faro and Madeira in Portugal, the Greek destinations of Crete, Rhodes and Zante, Antalya and Dalaman in Turkey, and the Italian city of Verona.
All bookings can be made by visiting www.jet2.com or www.jet2holidays.com
