CHAPTER 85

With more than two months remaining in the season, Ethan wasn't in a rush to accept any transfer offers. He needed Charlie Austin to continue performing at a high level—it was all about packaging. The better Austin played, the higher his market value. Club owner David Morton had promised that all incoming transfer fees would go straight into next season's signing budget, so Ethan was working hard to showcase Charlie in the brightest possible light, hoping to attract top-tier interest.

On February 28th, during Matchday 33 of the League Two season, Luton Town hosted Shrewsbury Town at Kenilworth Road. It was a crucial game. Brentford, sitting second in the league, and Wycombe Wanderers, the current leaders, had both dropped points earlier in the round. Meanwhile, third-placed Bury were reeling from back-to-back losses. A win for Luton would see them leapfrog Brentford into second place, closing the gap on Wycombe to just seven points.

The stakes were high, and Luton responded with intensity. Charlie Austin, in red-hot form, bagged a brace—his 11th and 12th goals in just four matches. That kind of goal-scoring run, averaging three goals per game, is the stuff of legends—even in the professional lower tiers. Austin's form caught the attention of the national media. Four straight rounds with at least a hat-trick-level performance? The hype was real.

Blackburn Rovers soon pulled out of the race to sign Charlie, but now Premier League heavyweights were circling. Clubs like Manchester United and Liverpool had reportedly taken notice. At just 19 years old and being English, Charlie Austin had become one of the hottest prospects in the country.

The win put Luton firmly in the promotion chase. Just four days later, on March 4th, they traveled to face Port Vale in the 34th round.

Interestingly, Port Vale featured a familiar name—Sam Parker, the former Luton striker who had been part of the deal that brought Matt Schmidt to Kenilworth Road. But Parker had since lost his starting spot and was relegated to the bench. Port Vale, stuck in a relegation fight just two points above the drop zone, had a decent defense but struggled badly in attack, with multiple goalless draws dragging them down.

In contrast, Matt Schmidt had found more success at Luton. While not a guaranteed starter, he was a regular part of Ethan's rotation and featured often off the bench. In this match, he got the nod.

With the FA Cup quarterfinals looming in three days—Luton were set to face Coventry City away at the Ricoh Arena—Ethan chose to rotate his squad. However, he kept Charlie Austin in the starting XI, keen to keep his scoring run going.

It paid off.

In the 27th minute, a long header from Schmidt reached the far post, where Austin pounced and slotted home to give Luton the lead. In the second half, Austin broke free on the counter and calmly finished one-on-one with the keeper. Schmidt then capped off a stellar game with a powerful header from a corner, sealing a dominant 3–0 win away from home.

With 67 points from 34 games, Luton's charge continued. Even better, Wycombe Wanderers had drawn with Notts County, meaning Luton were now just five points off the top of the table.

Five points.

From trailing the league leaders by 30 points earlier in the season to now sitting within striking distance, Ethan's men were on the brink of something special. With twelve games to go, the dream of a title—once far-fetched—was now very real.

And the journey wasn't limited to league glory. The FA Cup quarterfinal loomed, and Ethan's men had their sights set on making history in that competition too.

On March 7, the team traveled to Coventry for the FA Cup quarter-finals. For a club like Luton Town, just reaching this stage is already a historic achievement. But Ethan knew—if they could make it through this round, their next FA Cup match would be the semi-final at Wembley Stadium. That alone would be monumental—for prestige, for exposure, and yes, for profit.

Coventry, a city in the West Midlands, was once a key hub of England's textile industry and ranked among the UK's largest cities. Today, it's not quite what it used to be—still sizeable, with a population of about 350,000, but no longer the industrial powerhouse of old. In England, that's still considered a large city outside of London. But for Ethan, who hails from Meizhou in Guangdong Province, China, it didn't seem particularly big. Compared to Chinese standards, it felt more like a small county town.

Meizhou isn't even considered a major city in Guangdong, and it's relatively obscure on the national stage. Yet it has a population of over five million. So when someone in England calls a 350,000-person city "large," Ethan can only respond with a long, thoughtful "Emmmmm... I understand."

John, one of the English staff members, found it hard to believe Ethan came from a place that big—especially if he claimed it was "small." To him, it seemed like cities with populations in the millions only existed in places like Beijing or Shanghai. Out of curiosity, John asked Lin Sen to confirm.

Lin Sen thought for a moment and replied, "John, I come from Donghai County in Jiangsu Province. It's a small county, not even well-known in China. Many people haven't even heard of it. But it has a population of over one million."

John and the other British staff looked stunned, as if hearing ghost stories. All they could take away from the conversation was: China really is a populous country.

But that cultural moment was just a side note on the team's trip to Coventry. Ethan's attention was fully focused on the match ahead.

Coventry City were managed by Chris Coleman at the time. He was best known in the media as a close friend of José Mourinho. Ethan, however, had no strong impression of Coleman from his previous life—so he had to rely solely on current scouting data and tactical analysis to prepare.

This match was crucial, but for Ethan, it was just the first real test on the road to a bigger dream: winning the FA Cup. Coventry, a Championship side, was arguably the weakest opponent left in the tournament. If Luton progressed to the semi-finals, they'd almost certainly face a Premier League giant next.

Arsenal? Liverpool? Maybe even Everton?

These were all likely semi-final contenders. Any one of them would be a formidable challenge for a lower-league team like Luton. So while Ethan projected confidence, deep down, he knew the odds were steep.

But that didn't matter now. The priority was clear—beat Coventry, and keep the dream alive.