Self-acclaimed – self-earned – he’s Quadruple P.
The promotion king. The history maker. Baron of the Banger.
The life and soul, no matter the highs and lows, of Luton Town.
The dressing room’s alive, and only one man controls the music.
You’ll have heard him everywhere. From Beech Path to The Brache. At Burnley, Bristol Rovers, Braintree. Doing his thing. On and off the pitch. Putting smiles on the faces of thousands.
And we were blessed because they were OUR smiles and HIS smiles, as this one-of-a-kind, humble boy from Hendon would complete a football fairytale at Kenilworth Road.
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It’s hard, given all he has achieved, to imagine the place without him.
But it’s time for the man who ‘completed football’, as were his immortal words, to say goodbye. For now.
It’s been some journey.
It’s a tale told through 12 seasons, 412 games, 23 goals, mostly spectacular or crucial – or both – and a story that most significantly includes four historic promotions, contributing to the fairytale of all fairytales – and one in which he had a starring role.
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In 2013, he joined Luton Town as a boy, an unknown-to-us 19-year-old stuck in the reserves at West Ham. Lucky for us, John Still loved nothing more than a night watching the Hammers’ ressies.
He wasted no time in making a name for himself. Even though he admitted he didn’t even want to come. Cheers, mate.
Yet his all-action displays were a cheat code in the Conference. That goal at Dartford, a night where Bangers were born. It wasn’t even the winner that night, sorry Andre Gray. But a seismic strike it was, and it paved the way for the mother of all promotions – and the rebirth of Luton Town. Back in the League. At long, long last.
And although we would fade in our quest for back-to-back promotions (don’t mention Blackpool) on our return to the Football League, we wouldn’t have to wait long.
Injury issues plagued our star, but it was no surprise that his contributions laid the foundations on his return as we closed in on success once more in 2017/18. He never missed a minute of the final six games. A rocket at the Kenny End extinguished the nerves against Crewe and put a second promotion in touching distance. A week later, it was ours and League One beckoned.
Two Ps down, nobody predicted a third a year later. The third tier no match for our man and his men. 46 games, five goals, five assists and just 15 minutes of action missed, and with Micky Harford at the wheel, the Town were in the Championship.
It’s here the talk begins. The whispers of concern, of doubt.
“Is he good enough for the Championship?”
He responded in the only way he knew.
By letting the football do the talking.
After clinging on to survival on the final day, our man walks off happy. You know the smile by now.
His efforts not just rewarded with another season in the second tier but, thanks to a series of whole-hearted, never-say-die, body-on-line performances, recognised by those who mattered most. The supporters.
More years ticked off, more milestones reached. 300 up in a defeat at West Brom in August 2021. He even scored. “First time he’s scored and we’ve lost in 18 games,” the stattos would proclaim.
Gloriously, by now, not only is he still here but he’s getting better – and so is the team. Huddersfield in the play-offs. We’ll leave that there – but what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger and all that.
And so, to the fairytale’s penultimate act. Unlike the final scene, this one’s the scene. The one the story’s known for, the one where all the characters show up, including our guy – who’s in from the start.
120 minutes and six successful penalties have passed beneath the Wembley arch. It’s a day those who weren’t there for Arsenal in ‘88 dreamed of in their childhood. Luton at Wembley in the London sunshine for a big one.
There’s this photo.
Coventry’s last kick has bounced off a sea of uncontrollable orange limbs.
The camera’s focused on the touchline. Stars lined up. Masseurs, doctors, coaches and kitmen. A who’s who of unsung heroes.
It’s a moment frozen beautifully in time that encapsulates the has-that-just-happened? madness of it all. Not just this, but the journey we’ve all been on.
[While we’re here, please, take time to appreciate this, especially after what’s happened recently. We’re all Luton after all, right? Closing your eyes, you still see it, don’t you? From your seat, that kick, the people you hugged, that moment…]
That photo, though. No guesses who’s first over the touchline.
Yes, it is the man. The man who’s just completed football.
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Two years on from that disbelieving afternoon, it’s 2025, and our hero departs a Luton Town legend. An icon.
A man who wrote himself into not just Luton Town folklore but football history. The first player to go from non-league to the Premier League with the same club. OUR club.
From a debut at Staines in the FA Trophy in front of 600 to a 400th appearance at Manchester City in front of 50,000 in the Premier League, it’s been one helluva ride.
Time flies when you’re having fun.
The facial hair and haircuts might have changed a bit, but he’s still the same.
Still the same Pelly Ruddock Mpanzu.
Pelly Ruddock Mpanzu: Three words. Four promotions. Four hundred games. One Luton Town legend.
A name that will live on in family pets, pub quizzes and chants that drift off into Maple Road West.
For now, though, they are three words that will grace the teamsheet of another club, which, admittedly, might take a bit of getting used to.
So go well, Pell, and thank you for everything.
See you soon for that testimonial.
You’ve deserved it.
