disappointing away defeat to Brentford, he flourished thereafter. An experienced player in a very young side, he led by example, proving an astute signing by the Hatters manager. He scored three goals for the club. Locke played in 40 matches and, after signing numerous month-to-month deals, he was finally secured on a more permanent basis. Locke, like Luton, had a very disappointing 2000–01 season. As the Hatters were relegated to Division Three, Locke's form suffered as a consequence and he never produced the sort of form that he had shown in the previous campaign. He started the season in the side, playing in the first game of the season, a 0–1 defeat to Notts County, but he was in and out of the side as dictated by injury and form. He still made 31 appearances in all competitions, 25 of those in the League. He also scored two goals, a volley against Wycombe Wanderers in front of the live television cameras and another at Bournemouth – although both matches ended in defeat. He had, however, done enough to persuade manager Joe Kinnear that he was worthy of a place in the squad and he signed a new one-year contract during the pre-season. Locke was merely a squad member for the Hatters, though, during the 2001–02 season and he made just three appearances in the first-team during the course of the entire season. He came on as a substitute in a 2–0 win at Carlisle United on the opening day of the season, and also in a 2–1 home win over Cheltenham Town in the following match. His last appearance of the campaign came in a 2–3 defeat at Bristol Rovers on 25 August 2001 and he didn't feature again in Luton's first-team for the rest of the season. He was released by Kinnear, having spent 3 seasons with the Hatters, scoring five goals in 62 appearances. Non-League football On leaving Luton, Locke joined fellow ex-Hatter Gavin McGowan at Isthmian League Division One North side Hornchurch. A regular for Hornchurch, making 38 appearances and scoring twice, Locke left the club during a financial crisis and signed for Bromley in 2005, where he made 21 appearances. After this brief spell, he was on the move again, signing in August 2006 for Tooting & Mitcham United, but just three months and 12 appearances later, in November 2006, he signed for Isthmian League Division