It’s the hope that kills you.
We’re sure that’s a line we’ve used already over the past couple of weeks and one you may have uttered yourselves coming out of Field Mill on Saturday.
Lincoln’s last-minute equaliser at Stevenage maintained that hope. Thank you Sonny Bradley and co. Allied with the point earned against the Stags, the gap remains three points.
Tonight, the Town travel up the M1 again, and head to Rotherham knowing nothing less than a positive result will keep them in the hunt to gatecrash the top six.
With Stevenage hosting Barnsley and Plymouth travelling to Bradford this evening, the picture may become clearer come 10pm tonight. As if!
Let’s get into shall we?
Playing for pride
After a decade that has seen the Millers yoyo between the Championship and League One, their 3-0 defeat at Wigan last week saw them slide in the basement division for the first time since 2013.
The season has been a struggle from the outset – a run of six defeats in their opening nine league games set the tone.
A resurgence in form in the autumn had Millers fans dreaming of a tilt at the play-offs following a nine-match unbeaten run which included a 3-0 home win over Lincoln and a 1-0 triumph at local rivals Barnsley.
However, after their goalless draw at Kenilworth Road, the Millers could not win in 11 games, losing seven in a row at one point, plummeting down the division.
Relegation looked ominous after a post-Christmas slump that then saw them win just once in 14 games leading to their ultimate demise last Tuesday.
With the pressure off, Lee Clark masterminded a victory at Leyton Orient on Saturday so go into tonight’s game looking to finish the season on a high in front of their own fans.
Haven’t we met before?
You have to go back to 2009 for the last time a Town side lost to Rotherham, a run of seven games without defeat – although four of these have been draws.
The Hatters are protecting a 100 per cent winning record at the Millers’ New York Stadium, having won 1-0 thanks to a James Collins strike in November 2020 and then 2-0 in April 2023 when Carlton Morris and Cauley Woodrow were on target.
In charge
Sam Mulhall takes charge of his first game involving the Town in his career for this one. Having risen up through the ranks, tonight will be his third game officiating at this level. In the 24 games he’s overseen so far this term he’s shown 106 yellow cards and six reds.
OTD
It’s been a good day in history for the Hatters down the years.
Last season goals from Thelo Aasgaard, Carlton Morris and Izzy Jones helped the Town defeat Bristol City while in 2018 we celebrated promotion to League One following a 1-1 draw at Carlisle.
We also lifted the Conference championship trophy after a 4-1 home win over Forest Green in 2014.
Turn it back further and a Steve Howard hat-trick helped us to a 5-0 victory at Colchester – our joint highest league away win – in 2003.
In 1990 we beat Arsenal 2-0 at Kenilworth Road in a crucial victory in our fight for survival and five years earlier a brace from Mick Harford earned a 2-1 home win over Manchester United.
Good times, indeed.
Team news
Jordan Clark missed Saturday’s 2-2 draw at Mansfield and could be in contention for a return at Rotherham. Otherwise, the Town have no fresh injury concerns following the weekend.
Pay on the night
Before tickets went off sale at the ticket office, just over 600 were purchased by Town supporters. If you still want to go, it’s not too late – you can pay on the night at Rotherham. All the information you need is right here.
Tune in, turn on.
Simon Pitts will be, as ever, on the mic on LTFC+, heading and kicking every ball as the Town go in search of a win to keep their season alive.
If you’re overseas and want to watch the game, it’s £10 for the pleasure. Just want audio? It’s available anywhere, and it’s just £2.50 for the pleasure. Clicking here gives you those possibilities.
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 – including any type of object that is thrown onto the pitch during a match – 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.
Come on Luton!
What we’re liking this week
Just watch this.
UTT.
