Town will hope to ensure their place in the play-offs tomorrow
The Hatters will look to secure their grip on fourth in Sky Bet League Two tomorrow when they welcome Notts County to Kenilworth Road.
The race for a place in the play-offs is reaching fever pitch, as although Town currently occupy the top spot in the places outside the top three, there’s only a six-point gap between themselves and Wycombe Wanderers in 13th.
(Pictured: Danny Hylton netted his 26th goal of the season when he scored from the penalty spot in the draw against Mansfield on Monday, a result that means the Town will miss out on automatic promotion this term)
With three games to go, a win tomorrow could secure Nathan Jones’ side’s place in the end-of-season shoot-out, but that very much depends on results elsewhere.
The task is made trickier as for the final three games, as they face the in-form Notts County and Accrington Stanley, before taking on Morecambe on the final day.
The Magpies are fourth in the form table, having picked up 13 points from their past six games.
That run has secured Kevin Nolan’s team’s place in the division for another season, as they now sit 15th with 53 points.
(Pictured: Magpies boss Kevin Nolan has steered his side clear of the relegation zone since his arrival in January this year)
Jones has been impressed with the impact the former Newcastle United and West Ham United midfielder has had, but the Welshman hopes the difficulty of the game will motivate his players.
The gaffer said: “They’ll be a difficult side [to beat]. He has done a great job in there, Kev, to be fair. They have got good players, they are a dangerous side and it’ll be a difficult game, it’s no foregone conclusion.
“It’ll be a difficult game, but I prefer the difficult games. It’s the games we are expected to win that we find more difficult. So the more difficult the better.”
Leading the line for County are two experienced forwards in Jon Stead and Shola Ameobi, the former being their top scorer this season, whilst the latter has scored three times in County’s last four games.
(Pictured: County top scorer Jon Stead has netted 14 times for his side this season)
“That’s two good names for you there,” Jones continued. “So we will have to be right at it. But that tends to motivate us a little bit more than coming up against a couple of unknowns that want to make a name for themselves.
“It’ll be a stern test against Notts County, but they will also realise they have got a stern test coming up against Luton Town.”
The Hatters will be without long term absentees Danny Green and Cameron McGeehan, both of whom are recovering from broken legs.
Jordan Cook is on the mend following the knee injury he picked up against Leyton Orient with the prognosis nowhere near as bad as first feared, whilst the speed of defender Johnny Mullins’ recovery from a hamstring problem is being closely monitored.
(Pictured: Jordan Cook is helped off the pitch after picking up a knee injury against the O's)
Jones explained: “Jordan opened up his knee a little bit on the outside. We don't think there's any damage anywhere and he's feeling a lot better – it's about how quick we can get him back.
"He's been unfortunate that any time he gets a run of games something tends to happen, but he's an important player for us, so we want to get him back for the run in. He might not be available for Saturday, but hopefully we will get him back for the Accrington game."
"We're being careful with Johnny. We took him out of the firing line as we didn't want him to keep breaking down, but he wants to play and push himself now he's back."
Tomorrow’s match will be refereed by Lancashire based David Webb, who has overseen 41 games this term, dishing out 110 yellow cards and two red cards in the process.
Hatters Player subscribers can tune in for full match commentary from just before kick-off at 3pm, whilst all supporters can stay updated with all the goings on at Kenilworth Road by following the live wall.
Tickets are still available for tomorrow’s game at Kenilworth Road, which can be purchased on line tonight. From 9am tomorrow tickets can also be purchased from the Ticket Office in person or by phone on 01582 416976.
Subject to availability, tickets will also be available at Cash Turnstiles prior to the game.