The Hatters are back at it again on Tuesday night Under The Lights™ when Jack Wilshere’s side entertain Swindon Town in the second knockout stage of the Vertu Trophy (henceforth ‘The Vertu’).
No time for a long-winded introduction. Let’s get straight into it. Here are 10 good things to get your mind and mood ready as we gear up for knockout football on home turf.
Trophy Tales
So Swindon! One of the football’s greatest characters, Ian Holloway, is working wonders in Wiltshire. The Robins, who finished slap bang middle of the fourth tier last term, are riding high in second place in League Two this time around.
They’ll arrive in Bedfordshire off the back of an exceptional run of form that has seen them win nine times in their last 13 games (seven wins from their last night sounds more daunting, right? Especially in black and white).
The one thing to sit up and take notice of during this impeccable form (apart from having the best away in the division on ppg) is that in these past 13 games, Holloway’s men have conceded just six goals. (Whisper it very quietly, but it’s actually just one goal conceded in their last eight games, but again, black, white, stat, daunting).
Due to the Great British Weather, the Robins haven’t played since New Year’s Day when they beat Gillingham 2-0, and they were due to be playing in the third round of the FA Cup at the weekend but their tie at Salford was called off.
Their record in The Vertu is three wins from four, the one blemish a defeat at home to West Ham’s kids. A goal two minutes from time against Peterborough got them to this stage last time out.
Haven’t we met before?
This will be the 70th meeting between our two great clubs. The Town hold sway in the head-to-head, 25-20.
We won the last 5-0 on a Boxing Day bonanza back in 2017 when five second-half goals earned us a stunning victory in the rain at the County Ground. Just three months before, Swindon had won 3-0 at the Kenny. Funny old game, eh?
More to the point: HAVE WE MET IN THIS COMPETITION BEFORE? Who can forget the 3-2 win at the County Ground in The Checkatrade in December 2016? Josh McQuoid netted twice, Isaac Vassell scored and 134 Town fans went home happy.
The Vertu
This is the fifth incarnation of the Football League Trophy in which the Hatters have played in, after, in chronology sponsorshipy order, the Auto Windscreen Shield, the LDV Vans Trophy, the Johnstone’s Paint Trophy and the Checkatrade Trophy.
Since Mick Harford and Kevin Nicholls lifted the JPT before 42,000 Hatters fans at Wembley in 2009, our record in the competition is 13 wins, four draws and six defeats (not including penalty shootouts).
Our top scorer in the competition is Vassell with five goals, followed by Tony Thorpe on four. Strikers Jerry Yates and Lasse Nordås have three this season.
A reminder, by the way, that a win would put us in the quarter-finals of The Vertu (or southern area semi-final, if you want it sound that little bit sexier) and, if it’s a draw at the end of 90 minutes, the tie WILL be decided on penalties.
In charge
Peter Wright’s got the whistle on Tuesday night. You may – or may not – remember him officiating our 3-0 win at Burton back September.
Milestone memory
As we celebrate 140 years of history, it’s worth taking a moment to remember the time the Town led 2-1 at Anfield in the top-flight in 1990 with goals from Kingsley Black and Kurt Nogan – until a late Steve Nicol goal earned the Reds a point. Got time to spare? Check out these glorious 90s highlights.
Also on this day, another 2-2 draw. This time in the somewhat smaller surroundings: Chester on a Tuesday night. It was a genuine milestone though: it was the evening we got to zero points in League Two following our 30-point deduction. 30,000 merits if you can name the scorers (without Hatters Heritaging). (And yes, do email in!).
Town team news
Boss Jack Wilshere is expected to make changes and flex his strength in depth muscles for Tuesday’s tie with another big League One game on horizon against Lincoln on Saturday at Kenilworth Road.
New loan signing Emilio Lawrence has played for Man City’s Under-21s in the competition already BUT is allowed to feature for the Hatters. Ethon Archer never featured for Cheltenham in the competition so could make his Town debut.
Cheap tickets to watch live football
There’s NOTHING to stop you getting down to the Kenny for The Vertu this time. It’s just a fiver for adults to experience football Under The Lights™. Just look at the sight. Beauty is indeed in the eye of the beholder. Kick-off is at 7pm.
If you’re under 16 years of age you can gain entry for one English pound. One! How’s that for value? Plus, you can sit where you want (within reason). Click here to purchase and for more information.
Tune in, turn on.
If you're abroad, watch the game live on LTFC+ with audio commentary coming from the GVOAT, Simon Pitts. Passes for the remainder of the season will save you money in the long run – but matchday passes are also available.
Don’t forget, 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 night, 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...
Slow-motion Gideon Kodua nutmegs.
UTT!
