You have to go back to the depths of Covid to find the last time the Town won four games in a row.
It’s the summer of 2020. Social distancing, clapping the NHS, vaccination passports… and Jordan Clark scoring goals (see picture below against Derby in the last of those four successive wins).
Not since those days have any Hatters team strung together four victories in all competitions – and this weekend we’ll be aiming to make it five in a row when Rotherham United make the trip down the M1 for a clash between two reasonably in-form League One teams.
Here’s 10 good things to know...
Miller time.
Rotherham United, the congratulations are in order. 100 years a football club. Our visitors are celebrating their centenary after being founded on 27th May 1925. Like ourselves, they’ve had their ups and down and now, after relegation from the Championship the season before last, Matt Hamshaw’s side lie 12th in League One and come into Saturday’s game buoyed by a run of six games unbeaten in the third tier, a run stretching back to a 2-1 defeat at Mansfield in September. Among their notable results in that time include a Yorkshire derby triumph at Barnsley and, most recently, a 3-0 hammering over Lincoln.
Haven’t we met before?
None of the past meetings here will have any bearing on Saturday’s result – HOWEVER the Town do have a fine recent record against the Millers. We’re unbeaten in our last six meetings, winning half of those, including the most recent – a 2-0 win at their place in April 2023 thanks to goals from Carlton Morris and Cauley Woodrow. Rotherham last came to Bedfordshire in November 2022 when Luke Berry’s late goal (pictured below) earned us a point in a 1-1 draw with Mick Harford in the dugout. The Millers last won in LU4 in March 2009 and a few weeks later our relegation to the Conference was confirmed.
The man in the middle
Craig Hicks is overseeing this one. A man who has taken a yellow card out of his top pocket 32 times in 10 games this season – and not a single red. If ref info’s your thing, Simon Pitts has told us that Mr Hicks hasn’t officiated a Luton game since a 2-0 win over Burton in December 2018. In fact Saturday’s whistler, has never seen Luton defeated when he’s taken charge of one of our games. Honourable mention for Craig’s first game – a 2-1 win for us at Welling in the Conference in April 2014 just days after we crowned champions.
Words from Jack
"In Rotherham’s last two away games, I thought they were excellent. They are a real competitive team, an aggressive team. I know Jordan Hugill from West Ham, so I know what he’s all about and I know the way he plays.
"We have to be up for it. We have to make sure we win our duels. It’s probably, again, a game where we have to show our quality, and that will help us win the game.
"Of course we have to compete and win our duels and understand that second balls in a game like tomorrow are vital. But then when we get the ball back we have to be good with it and we have to keep it, and have to hurt them in certain areas, but we know what we are facing."
Town team news
Without giving Rotherham any sneaky selection hints, Jack admitted at his Friday press call that Jordan Clark is two to three weeks away from returning to full training, while Reuell Walters, Joe Johnson and Shayden Morris are all training but not likely to make this match.
Jacob Brown, however, had an hour in the Under-21s this week so is moving ever closer to being included in a matchday squad for the first time since mid-March.
George Saville is away on international duty (and is suspended anyway after a fifth yellow of the season at Stockport last week), as are Ali Al-Hamadi and Marvelous Nakamba and won’t be involved as they focus on games for Northern Ireland, Iraq and Zimbabwe respectively.
Tickets please!
Limited tickets remain on sale for this one. Click here and buy online – but be quick before they all go!
Pints, pies and programmes.
Join us for food and drink pre-match on the Kenilworth Road forecourt, soak in the pre-match vibes and don’t worry if it’s raining, there’s cover. Grab a programme for £4 and read the latest from the boardroom, Jack and Kal Naismith. There’s some very good photos in there too, not to mention a whole load of love for Teden Mengi and stacks of smiles from Stockport.
While we’ve got you reading this.
We did not play Rotherham in 1991/92 neither did we play them in 1997/98 or 1998/99. But what we did do during those seasons was wear THESE shirts, and you can now get your hands on these classic retro shirts in the club shop. The perfect gift for any Town fan who loved watching Mick score overhead kicks in the top-flight or adored Steve Davis being the best centre-half in the third tier. They’ll sell well, so don’t dally.
Tune in, turn on.
If you're abroad, watch the game live on LTFC+ with audio commentary coming from the delicious lips of the aforementioned Simon Pitts. Passes for the remainer of the season will save you money in the long run – but a matchday passes are also available.
The game is also live on Sky Sports+. 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.
