Our last match preview’s introduction, as usual, dragged on a bit. In a nutshell, it went something like: two steps forward (Wycombe, Orient) and one step back (Exeter), let’s go and beat Doncaster.
Something along those lines. But then the game was postponed and probably nobody read it.
So, after the Donny game fell foul of the freezing weather, we try again to pick up our first win of 2026, this time back on home turf as we take on Stevenage at Kenilworth Road. It’s still nippy out there, but the pitch has had protection this week and we’re hoping the warm air under the big tent can do the trick.
Right. Shall we begin?
The boys from Broadhall Way
It would be so, so easy to be so, so condescending here about Boro. Little old Stevenage, punching above their weight, riding high in League One, blah, blah, blah. “Oh, we used to cheer their results, even went to Wembley to see them beat Kidderminster once”.
But we’re not like that.
The truth of the matter is, they are no longer that local non-league club that once made headlines when Newcastle came to town. Oh no. Boro beat us fairly and squarely to promotion from the Conference in 2009/10. Graham Westley, Ronnie Henry and co. saw to that. And they rode the crest of a wave, up into League One the following year and made the play-offs. They were a couple of games away from promotion to the Championship.
Okay so they almost went out of the EFL during Covid, but they’ve bounced back and our neighbours (15 miles as the crow flies), having won promotion back into League One in 2022/23, are now plotting promotion again.
This season, under Alex Revell, they began like a train. Won five of their first six and only lost once in their opening 10 games – including, don’t remind us, a 2-0 win over us in October.
That victory, thanks to second-half goals from Chem Campbell and Jordan Roberts, had them flying high at the top – but since then results have gone awry a little. In the following 12 games Boro have won just twice.
Yet look closer, and it’s not all bad; they’ve had two one-goal margin defeats to Cardiff and they won 3-1 at Stockport in mid-December.
All in all, it leaves Boro in seventh, two points and one place above the Hatters in the table. However, they’ve played two games less… win their games in hand and they could be back in among the top six again. Hopefully not come full-time on Saturday, though.
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. Yes, even Collin Samuel. Unreal work from an unsung team of Hatters heroes.
If you search our games with Stevenage you’ll notice that Town teams in the past have found it tough against Boro down the years. Since 2015/16 the Town have managed just one win in eight meetings, losing four of those. Goodness.
Yet, that one win was a win alright. 7-1, thank you very much. Does anything in life get better than scoring seven at home AND Luke Berry scores a perfect hat-trick?
Going further back there was a Matthew Barnes-Homer winner in our Conference days – when goal footage simply didn’t exist – and a remarkable night when Ahmet Brkovic scored the fastest hat-trick in our history in a 4-3 victory in the EFL Trophy in 2002.
Played for both
Plenty have crossed this particular Beds/Herts divide. Ronnie Henry is the only who has perhaps achieved the most with both, winning two Conference titles. Nice work, Ron.
Andy Drury was a Rolls Royce of a player for the level and eyebrows were definitely raised when our extensive internet sleuthing resulted in unlocking new knowledge: Elijah Adebayo played twice for Boro on loan in 2018/19.
In charge
History! Simon Mather is the man in the middle on Saturday – and it’s the first time ever he’ll oversee a Luton game. Want to know something else cool? He’s not shown a single red card yet this season from the 19 games he’s had the whistle.
Upon this day
Anyone reading this who made the trip to Plymouth in the FA Cup in 1948 get in touch and tell us about that 4-2 win. We’re serious.
We also beat Blackburn 6-1 on this day, also in the FA Cup, in 1953, and Leeds 5-1 here in 1959 on our way to the final.
The less said about an (exciting, admittedly) 4-3 defeat at Vicarage Road the better in 1984 (Paul Walsh hat-trick by the way), and a 4-1 reverse at Crystal Palace in the Simod Cup in 1989 (anyone who was there for that, also email in).
Not that this has any bearing on Saturday’s outcome, but the Town have won three of their last four matches on 10th January. Our last? A 4-0 victory over Chesterfield in the Checkatrade Trophy.
Town team news
Josh Keeley and Gideon Kodua are both in line for a return to the squad after missing the defeat at Exeter while new-boy Emilio Lawrence, signed on loan from Manchester City on Friday, is also in contention for his first senior game. You can read more about him here.
Jake Richards trained on Friday for the first time in a while, and he’ll sooner back in the fold than Izzy Jones, who is still making progress, says Jack Wilshere.
Jack’s presser
Watch the manager’s press conference on LTFC+ right here. All 22 minutes and four seconds all for free without any logging in faff. Enjoy.
Sing up, Town!
A few tickets are left in home areas for this one, so if you’re in the mood to get down early (yes, remember it’s a 12.30 start – we almost forgot to mention!) to the ticket office on Saturday morning, please do.
Tune in, turn on.
Simon Pitts will be on the mic on LTFC+ to give you the lowdown on how it goes down on Saturday. 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. No pressure – but 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. The game is also live on Sky for UK residents. So, there should be plenty of eyes on this one.
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...
Sit back and listen to the Town’s new boy, Emilio Lawrence, in his first interview. We resisted the temptation of posting a super-hyped video of him scoring four goals against Gibraltar.
Welcome to Luton, Emilio!
UTT!
