Saturday’s dramatic late defeat to Reading made it five League One games without a win for the Town as they suffered their first at Kenilworth Road in the league in 11 games.
Without a win on the road in the third tier since November’s victory at Stockport, the Hatters aim to get back to winning ways at Doncaster tonight.
Let’s get into it.
Rovers return
Hopes were high of a successful season for Doncaster following their League 2 title campaign last year.
However, Rovers have found the step-up tougher than expected and sit in 18th in the table, just three points above the dropzone.
When this game was originally scheduled, for 4th January, Grant McCann’s side were in the middle of a six-match winless streak – losing five of those.
But their fortunes have improved since, winning five, drawing one and losing four of their next 10 games to pull them away from the relegation zone. It had been five wins in eights, but McCann’s men have lost their last two.
Haven’t we met before?
The Town will be looking to be the first Hatters side to win at the Eco-Power Stadium (formerly the Keepmoat) this evening. In three previous visits the Town have lost twice and drawn once – a 1-1 draw in February 2017.
In fact, you have to go back to Aprila 1955 for the last time a Luton team won in these parts when two goals from Peter MacEwan and one from Jim Pemberton earned us a 3-0 win at Rovers’ old Belle Vue ground.
The Hatters won the league meeting at Kenilworth Road earlier this season thanks to Kal Naismith’s goal.
In charge
Andrew Humphries takes charge of tonight’s game. The last time he oversaw one of our games? The 2-1 win over Huddersfield in November. For those who like to know, he’s shown 93 yellow cards and five red cards this season.
OTD
Nothing jumps out off the page, or rather spreadsheet, when it comes to 10th March memories. The Town have lost eight and won just three of their last 11 games played on this day – the last of which was a home defeat to Accrington Stanley in 2018.
Our last win was a 2-0 triumph over Notts County in 2009 while 30 years before goals from Chris Turner and Ricky Hill, pictured below, secured a 2-1 home win over Orient.
On the road
Hatters fans still wishing to make the trip to Doncaster can pay on the night at the Eco-Power Stadium. Those wishing to do so must heading to Rovers’ Academy reception which is next to the away turnstiles. Prices are: adults £23, over-65s and young adults under-25 £19, under-18s £12, under-14s £7
Team news
Jack Wilshere could welcome back Mads Andersen and Ali Al-Hamadi to the squad after the pair both missed Saturday’s defeat against Reading.
Elijah Adebayo, who played over an hour, and Sverre Sandal, who featured for 45 minutes, came through the Under-21s' game at Barnet on Monday, with Adebayo closer to featuring for the first team as he continues his recovery from last season’s ACL injury.
Tune in, turn on.
Simon Pitts will be, as ever, on the mic to tell the tale of tonight on LTFC+.
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. Clicking here gives you those possibilities.
Despite this game taking place in midweek, this game will NOT be shown on Sky Sports+.
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 myvoice@lutontown.co.uk, 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!
