League One? Forget it. It’s cup week.
Tuesday’s comprehensive win over Exeter in The Vertu means, at about 11.45 on Saturday morning, Hatters fans around the globe, from Westoning to Wollongong, will drop everything to tune into the last-16 draw on Sky Sports where One Of Our Own Curtis Davies will help identify our next opponents.
Then – and only then – will it be time to focus all our energies into another cup competition as the Hatters take on Fleetwood Town come 3pm. But this is not just any cup competition, it’s the FA Cup and it’s the second round with a place in the third round at stake.
Okay, so let’s get into it. Here are a dozen delightful things to get your mind and mood ready as we head north to battle it out in the greatest knockout competition in the world.
Home comforts
If there’s one thing Fleetwood really want for Christmas, it’s a big old, gift-wrapped hamper of consistency. The Cod Army lie 13th in League Two but they’re just one win away from sixth spot in the fourth tier. Seven wins, five draws and six defeats are numbers that tell their own story.
BUT! And this is where the Town need to be wary: their form on home turf is up there with the best this season. Unbeaten in 10 at Highbury in all competitions, Pete Wild’s side have won six of their last seven in front of their own fans and hopes are high on the Fylde coast of a – don’t say it, don’t say it, don’t say it – cupset. They’ve also scored in all 12 home games this season in all competitions – but have only kept one clean sheet.
Haven’t we met before?
Fleetwood Town! It’s been a while, eh?! Not since February 2019 have our paths crossed, a day in which the Town beat their Football League record of 20 games unbeaten with a 2-0 victory. Overall, it’s four wins from six meetings but the Town head north on Saturday defending a perfect record at Highbury with three wins from three.
Before that win in 2019, we triumphed 3-0 in 2010 (Matthew Barnes-Homer, Claude Gnakpa and Tom Craddock on target) and followed that by earning a 2-0 win in 2012 (an own goal and Andre Gray) during our days in the Conference.
Played for both
For 99.9 per cent of us, that first meeting with Fleetwood those many moons ago was the first time we had laid our eyes on Stephen Michael McNulty.
The hair. The physique. THE SKILL!
Never judge a book by its cover, eh? As we soon discovered, to our absolute privilege by the way, this man’s presence in defence was a major force behind our long-awaited return to the Football League. I’m not crying, you are.
Sometimes – okay, maybe more than occasionally – we find ourselves watching all of his old clips (and trying his Cruyff turns in five-a-side).
We also caught up with the man himself two years ago to mark the 10-year anniversary of that promotion. What a guy.
The Football Association Challenge Cup
Neither club has won the FA Cup. But the Town came as close as you can to winning it when losing finalists in the black-and-white days of 1959.
Saturday’s tie will be our 398th in the competition. We’ve won more than we’ve lost – 182 to 131 – and there have been 84 draws. We’ve also scored more (756) than we’ve conceded (603).
Our top scorer in the competition’s history is Gordon Turner with 18. Of the current squad, Jordan Clark is closest to catching Turner, but he’s got plenty of scoring to do to break that with Clicker on four in the FA Cup.
We have won our last three FA Cup second round ties and Saturday will be our first second round tie in the competition since a 1-0 win at Bury in 2018 with Harry Cornick on target. Our a̶p̶o̶l̶o̶g̶i̶e̶s̶ ̶thanks to Simon Pitts for a̶n̶s̶w̶e̶r̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶o̶u̶r̶ ̶5̶0̶ ̶W̶h̶a̶t̶s̶A̶p̶p̶ ̶m̶e̶s̶s̶a̶g̶e̶s̶ the historical data.
Captain Centurion
Should Jack Wilshere opt to select him, Kal Naismith will make his 100th appearance in the colours of Luton Town Football Club on Saturday.
In charge
Referee Ollie Yates will possess the whistle and the cards for this one. You may remember him – he oversaw our 3-2 home defeat to Plymouth earlier this season. He sent-off Argyle’s Joe Edwards – the only player the official has red-carded this term.
Milestone memory
No standouts here – well unless your first game was a 0-0 draw at Oldham in 1980 or a 1-1 draw at Bury in 2014 – but one of the most infamous games in our history took place on 6th December 1969 when we were dumped out of the FA Cup by non-league Hillingdon Borough.
Town team news
Jake Richards is fit to travel to the north-west after recovering from the knock to the calf he received in the Huddersfield win last week. To celebrate, why not vote for him to win the PFA League One Fans' Player of the Month award for November?
Jordan Clark is back in training with the group but Fleetwood comes too soon for our longest serving outfield player, while Nahki Wells and Izzy Jones are still absent with the ankle injuries sustained at Barnsley.
Pre-match with Jack
Watch the boss’ pre-match press conference - it’s entirely free of charge right here.
Fleetwood away olé olé
A long one. An early one. It’s 422 miles there and back from 1 Maple Road, Luton. Eight hours in the car to watch the Town. You know it makes sense. Almost 700 Hatters have already accepted the challenge, and if you want to join them then it’s still not too late! You can, if you’re out the door early enough, get there in time for kick-off and pay on the day.
Tune in, turn on.
Now for some bad news. Whether you're abroad or in the UK, there’ll be no stream of this FA Cup tie – just audio commentary. That ‘just’ sounds a bit disrespectful, but not it’s not intentional, as it’s still very much an option to LTFC+ subscribers. As ever, that man again Simon Pitts will be huddled up in one of England’s coldest press boxes to describe to you the action as it happens from Highbury.
You can follow our social media channels for live updates as they happen, plus photos and behind-the-scenes content during the 90 minutes (and beyond, actually, as it may go to extra-time and pens). Stay on lutontown.co.uk post-match for a full report, post-match reaction and the all-important highlights.
And finally...don’t be THAT fan.
A reminder to all supporters, no matter who you are, how old or who you’re supporting on the day, to go about your day with respect. We continue to support the Love Football, Protect the Game campaign.
Luton Town Football Club has committed in its customer charter to providing safe match-day experiences for all supporters regardless of age, gender, ethnicity, disability or sexual orientation, and this applies equally to home and away fixtures.
In the event that any Luton supporters do make discriminatory chants, the Club will work with the police and football authorities to help identify such individuals. Any such fans would then face the strictest club sanctions, including football banning orders that would prevent them attending any matches, in addition to any criminal charges.
Furthermore, we would like to warn against pitch incursions and the use of pyrotechnics or missiles – which could lead to potential prosecution.
The Club can also be held responsible for the behaviour of its supporters, which could lead to substantial fines being imposed.
As a diverse and inclusive football club, we stand shoulder-to-shoulder with our fellow EFL clubs in supporting the FA’s ‘Love Football. Protect the Game’ campaign and call on all fans to enjoy the game in a positive spirit.
If you are offended by any discriminatory abuse of any kind at any of our games, you can report it by clicking HERE, or by contacting your nearest steward immediately.
Alternatively, email [email protected] or report the incident via Kick it Out's free, confidential reporting app on the App Store and Google Play.
We're all Luton. UTFT.
This week we're mostly liking...
Any excuse to push more McNulty magic really.
