We go again, then.
After 460 miles to Devon on Saturday, it’s back in the car, or the coach, or the train, or the plane for 316 more as the Hatters head to Huddersfield for another Big One in League One this evening.
Let’s get this out the way, first. The weekend defeat at Home Park made for one simple, grim stat: a third successive league defeat away from Kenilworth Road.
It’s one point in the last five on the road for the Hatters but let’s not dwell on the bad. PMA: victory tonight would draw the Town level on points with Huddersfield, who occupy the final play-off place – with a game in hand.
Can the Hatters rise to the occasion in Yorkshire tonight? Let’s get into it.
But first, an update from the Town Ticket Office, who advise that we have currently sold 440 tickets for tonight’s fixture and these will remain on sale until 1pm this afternoon. Tickets will be sent digitally and anyone attending is advised to download their ticket in advance of arriving at the stadium.
All change at Huddersfield
A 3-1 defeat at Burton on 17th January was just not on. That was the view of the Huddersfield board who fired manager Lee Grant after eight months at the helm.
After a bright start to the season – that saw the Terriers win five of their first seven games – it all kind of fell away. And a recent run of three wins in from 12 did not go down too well with the locals.
So they turned to former Bristol City and Norwich boss Liam Manning and the New Manager Bounce had the desired effect: a 1-0 win over Yorkshire rivals Bradford on Saturday. Allied with the Town’s set-back at Plymouth, the Terriers now sit three points clear in sixth spot.
The win over the Bantams extended a very, very decent home record for our hosts tonight. Sound familiar? They’re unbeaten in their last nine on home turf, winning six of them, and only leaders Cardiff have scored more at home in the league this season.
Haven’t we met before?
So, there’s this website. Hatters Heritage. You might have heard of it. Got information and line-ups of every single game we’ve ever played. Scans of every programme and photos of every player, too. Including Mike Newell, whose birthday it is today. Unreal work from an unsung team of Hatters heroes.
Huddersfield, then. Heartbreak in the Championship play-offs back in 2023 is the first thing that springs to mind. (Second thing was watching that big one during Covid on the telly).
That play-off game. Still hard to accept. That late Jordan Rhodes goal. A proper gut-wrencher. But, little old Luton in the Championship play-offs? Proud. A year later it would all be forgotten, though, eh?
The Town did get 0.0007% of revenge when winning on their next visit when, on New Year’s Day 2023, goals from Amari’i Bell and Reece Burke earned us a 2-1 victory.
Our record at the Accu Stadium, which is what it is called these days, is three wins, two defeats and four defeats.
Played for both
Nahki Wells is likely to receive a warm welcome by the hosts tonight. The Bermudian striker hit 49 goals in 152 games for the Terriers. His form earned a move to the Premier League with Burnley.
We could write 500 words each on the likes of Kevin Gallen, Tom Ince, Martin Craine and Efe Sodje but instead, we’ll introduce you to William, ‘Billy’ ‘Buster’ Brown.
Born in Silvertown, East London, in 1910, Billy won every honour in the schoolboy game and was snapped up by the Town when he was a teenager.
Initially playing at centre-forward he missed a complete season through injury and on his return was converted to the half-back line.
Buster you ask? The nickname came from a cartoon character of the time, Buster Brown, a busybody-type character that typified his all-action style, playing anywhere on the field.
Big clubs took notice and he was transferred to top-flight Huddersfield for a big fee in March 1935. From there, Buster enjoyed a long spell at Brentford where he was virtually ever present during the war years before joining Leyton Orient and playing until he was 39.
Buster passed away in Ealing in 1993.
In charge
Matt Corlett’s the man with the whistle tonight. Like good omens? He took charge of our 1-0 win at Northampton back in October.
So far this term it’s 21 games overseen, 84 yellow cards and one red flashed from his pocket.
On this day
Another PMA alert: We’ve won our last three away games on this day in the history books – and not lost an away game on this day in history since 1976.
Our last win was a good’un at Goodison as Cauley Woodrow’s late goal earned us a 2-1 win FA Cup win at Everton two years ago.
Turn the clock back further and 16 years ago tonight it was a midweek success at Histon in the Conference. Big Hungarian centre-half Janos Kovacs scored a debut goal in front of a crowd of 1,543 (1,000 of which at least were Town fans).
Town team news
Striker Elijah Adebayo and Ali Al-Hamadi remain in training but are unlikely to be thrown in at the deep end this evening as they continue their recovery from long-term injuries. New signing Kasey Palmer made his debut at Plymouth before being substituted in the second half.
One pilgrimage to another
Over 500 Town fans have already said yes to standing outside on a Tuesday night in the middle of Storm Chandra in Huddersfield.
Electronic, digital, tickets are available online – there’s no physical tickets – for this. If you’re still up for it, follow this link.
See you there.
Tune in, turn on.
Simon Pitts will be, as ever, on the mic on LTFC+ to give you the lowdown on how it goes down tonight if travelling all that way’s not for you.
A quick bit of Pitts appreciation: He’s still going 28 years after first picking up the microphone.
KEITH KEANE HAS SCORED DIRECT FROM-A-CORNER
Never change, Si.
If you’re overseas and want to watch, it’s £10. Just want audio? It’s available anywhere, and it’s just £2.50 for the pleasure. Clicking here gives you those possibilities.
If you are an ex-pat overseas, take advantage of the half-season Global Hatters subscription which is now just £150. All the details are right here.
You can also follow our social media channels for live updates as they happen, plus photos and behind-the-scenes content during the 90 minutes. 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, 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.
This week we're mostly liking...
In the need for an away-day pick-me-up?
How about this? 13 years ago.
COYH, UTT.
