For Ethan, as the season gradually unfolds, the hard work put in during the preseason is finally showing its effects.
There is no doubt that Luton's preseason preparations were thorough, and this has been reflected in their performances on the pitch.
Two months have flown by, and now it's October 11—the 10th round of League Two. Luton Town is set to face Daning Port!
The entire town of Luton is in a frenzy. Fans clad in the team's signature orange jerseys fill the streets, chanting slogans and singing club anthems. The excitement reverberates throughout the town.
Local bars are thriving today, as fans pour in to watch the match. The Kenilworth Road Stadium simply cannot accommodate all of them, so they gather in pubs of all sizes. Watching matches in bars is a long-standing tradition for English football fans.
A bar near the stadium is packed to the brim. Finding a seat is out of the question, but no one seems to mind. Another English tradition prevails—standing while watching football. Even in the bars, Luton fans remain on their feet, feeling as if they are closer to the action.
On the television screens, the players from both teams are entering the pitch. When the camera focuses on Ethan, the entire bar erupts in cheers.
"Ethan! Ethan!"
Even though they are not at the stadium, the fans passionately chant his name. Inside the stadium, the roar of the crowd shakes the stands, making some journalists wonder if the small venue can handle such a deafening atmosphere.
Right now, Ethan is nothing short of a god in the eyes of Luton fans.
Nine league matches. Nine victories.
Thirty-six goals scored. Only three conceded.
Twenty-seven points.
If not for their 30-point deduction at the start of the season, Luton would be leading the league by eight points.
Now, in this 10th round fixture, if Luton wins, their points will finally return to... zero!
It sounds absurd, but for Luton, reaching zero points as quickly as possible is crucial. It means they have wiped out their penalty and can now focus on survival without having to claw back lost points.
Luton's incredible start—nine consecutive wins—has finally put them on the radar of major media outlets.
A Chinese head coach, a club hit with a heavy points deduction, a squad that lost most of its key players—none of these details would have made anyone optimistic about Luton's chances. In fact, every preseason prediction had them as relegation certainties.
Yet here they are, on the brink of their 10th consecutive victory.
Across all professional English leagues this season, only one other club, Chelsea, remains unbeaten after nine games. But even they have dropped points, with eight wins and two draws. If Luton wins today, they will achieve something extraordinary—10 straight league victories.
A relatively unknown Chinese manager leading a written-off League Two side to 10 consecutive wins? The media is loving the story.
England's football media machine has taken notice. Across the country, fans now know of this small club that refuses to surrender to adversity. With each victory, they inch closer to erasing their penalty, and all of it is credited to Ethan, whom the English press has dubbed the "Magical Chinese Coach."
Luton, a club that barely registered on the football map, is now a hot topic. Fans everywhere are eager to see if they can complete their 10-game winning streak and finally get their points back to zero.
With no Premier League matches scheduled for Friday, Sky Sports has decided to broadcast Luton's game live. A League Two match getting this kind of exposure is rare, but Luton's remarkable journey has made it a must-watch.
For Luton fans, this means they can follow the game on TV instead of just listening on the radio.
However, one man is sticking with the radio. Magis, ever the diligent worker, refuses to watch TV while manning the training ground's entrance. But even as he listens to the radio, he is completely absorbed...
Magis quietly took out a small bottle of whiskey and glanced left and right.
Alcohol was strictly forbidden at home. His wife had banned him from drinking, and he hadn't touched a drop in a long time. But today was different. Today called for a celebration. Unable to do so at home, Magis had no choice but to bring his drink to the training facility.
On the TV, commentator Letkinson's voice boomed through the room.
"Ethan! The Chinese manager has led Luton Town to a miraculous nine-game winning streak! If they win today, their points deduction will finally be cleared!"
The word "cleared" sounded harsh, but Luton had been docked 30 points at the start of the season. Against all odds, they had fought their way back.
The broadcast kept cutting to Ethan on the touchline—everyone knew he was the mastermind behind this team's transformation.
Everything rested on this young man.
"A 27-year-old Chinese manager is leading Luton to a footballing miracle!" Wright-Jinsen marveled, watching the intense and determined Ethan on screen.
Veteran commentator Letkinson had to admit—he had never seen an East Asian coach leading a professional football club in England.
Not just East Asians—there were barely any managers of color at all. While Black and other minority players had a strong presence on the pitch, the dugout remained overwhelmingly white.
Meanwhile, in Shanghai, inside a dorm room at Jiaotong University, Lin Sen carefully adjusted the satellite TV receiver on his balcony.
A passionate football fan, he watched matches from all over the world—the top five European leagues, Brazil, Argentina, even the Mexican league. If there was football on, Lin Sen would find a way to watch it.
Tonight, there were no Premier League fixtures, and the early kickoffs in other leagues hadn't started yet.
But Lin Sen remembered that Sky Sports often aired English football. If there was no Premier League match, perhaps they were broadcasting an EFL Championship game.
After fine-tuning the receiver, he hurried back inside. The commentary was getting clearer.
Wait… this wasn't the Championship.
England… League Two?!
Why would Sky Sports air a fourth-tier match instead of a Premier League or Championship fixture?
Lin Sen frowned and considered switching channels—until a figure on the screen caught his eye.
The camera focused on the touchline, where the head coach stood in front of the technical area.
Lin Sen leaned forward.
Was that an East Asian manager?
Which country was he from?
China? Japan? South Korea?
His curiosity was piqued. In all his years of watching English football, he couldn't recall ever seeing a coach of East Asian descent managing a team in England.