The Town go in search of a fourth straight success at Oakwell on Saturday aiming to continue a five-match unbeaten run in all competitions.
Can Jack Wilshere’s side make up even more ground on the third-tier’s promotion chasers? Let’s find out, shall we?
All is not as it seems
“Mid-table Barnsley” then are next on Jack and the lads’ agenda, although it doesn’t take a genius to see that there’s really no mediocrity involved this season when it comes to Conor Hourihane’s Tykes, who sit in 13th place. For Barnsley have, as we almost near December, played just 13 games in League One so far. To give some context, they’re just seven points off the top two sides but with three games in hand. Granted, after a strong start to the campaign which saw them win six of their first nine matches in all competitions, they’ve slipped a little of late. That said, six defeats in their last 11 in all comps on paper might look a lot worse than it is when you consider three of those have come in League One – although one of those was at home to Rotherham.
The main man
There’s no surprises who the Town will have to watch closely on Saturday and that’s Davis Keillor-Dunn.
The 28-year-old forward has 10 goals to his name in just 20 games this season and has scored three in his last three games, including a brace against York in the FA Cup.
Haven’t we met before?
None of the past meetings here will have any bearing on Saturday’s result – HOWEVER, if you’re looking for good omens, Town teams in recent times have the knack of heading home from Oakwell with all three points snuggly sitting on the coach for the trip back down the M1. Since 2003 the Town have remarkably won six of their last eight visits, winning the last three.
A balmy summer evening in Barnsley in August 2021 saw a solitary goal from Amari’i Bell earn a 1-0 win the Championship on our last trip. James Collins loved a goal at Oakwell – the striker scored four goals in three appearances for us there, although his brace in October 2018 was not enough in a 3-2 defeat But that setback was the catalyst for us to go on a club record 28-match unbeaten that would lead us to the League One title. Barnsley also celebrated that season, finishing runners-up.
The man in the middle
Like Barnsley, Saturday’s referee, Thomas Parsons, has overseen just 13 games this season. 42 yellow shown and just the one dismissal, he was in the middle when we opened the season against AFC Wimbledon at Kenilworth Road in August. One game this term saw him keep all his cards his pocked (a League Cup between Bromley and Wycombe if you’re asking) and last year he spoke to Sky Sports about how he lives with diabetes as a professional referee.
Jack’s take
Watch the boss’ full press conference on LTFC+ right here, right now, absolutely free of charge for your pre-match enjoyment.
Town team news
George Saville and Marvelous Nakamba come back into reckoning after their international exploits with Northern Ireland Zimbabwe respectively. Ali Al-Hamadi scored while on duty with Iraq but was injured in the process, having taken a knock to a quad. The manager revealed at his Friday press call that Saturday will come too soon for Reuell Walters and Shayden Morris, although the former featured in the Under-21s’ game in the week.
Jacob Brown, an ex-Tyke, also featured in the game while born and bred Barnsley boy Jordan Clark remains sidelined.
Stat’s the way we like it
The Town have gone three games without conceding a goal in the league after 1-0 and 3-0 wins over Northampton and Stockport respectively and last week’s stalemate with Rotherham. You have to go back to the winter of 2014 for the last time a Hatters team kept four or more clean sheets in league action when John Still’s side kept five in a row in the Conference title-winning season. For four clean sheets in a row in the Football League, you’ve gotta keep scrolling back in years before you come to the tail end of the 1996/97 season to find such a sequence.
Tickets please!
The Hatters will be backed by a hearty four-figure following on what is looking like a cold and cloudy day in South Yorkshire. Tickets are now off sale but anyone who hasn’t got a ticket and wakes up on Saturday morning with a deep feeling of fomo needn’t worry – admission is available on the day. It’ll just cost you a couple of quid more than the previously advertised price. Safe travels! More details here.
Tune in, turn on.
If you're abroad, why not watch the game live on LTFC+ with audio commentary coming from the delicious lips of Simon Pitts. Passes for the remainer of the season will save you money in the long run – but a matchday passes are also available if it’s a one-off and you’re away on holiday in Hawaii (when it’ll be a 5am start for you).
Follow our social media channels for live, pitchside updates as they happen plus photos and behind-the-scenes content. 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. UTT.
