How many times do you think you’ll read ‘Vertu Trophy dress rehearsal’ over the coming 36 hours?
Whatever that number, ‘Hatters derby’ might top it. And we’re sorry. Because it might get tiresome.
So, hands up, let’s get it out there early, shall we? Saturday is the meeting of two Hatters and is the meeting of the Vertu Trophy finalists who will meet at Wembley in a few weeks’ time. We’ll save the wordplay for later, if necessary.
Anyway, thing is: forget Wembley.
One peek at the league table, one little look at the past week’s highlights will tell you all you need to know. Saturday’s game is anything but a dress rehearsal.
Two wins on the spin for Jack Wilshere’s side have lifted hopes. Casual glances at the run-in, refreshing webpages for news of Wimbledon away sales plans (not yet). Wondering who Wycombe or Reading might have. Sideways glances at Stevenage’s social media.
It’s the hope that kills you. Yes, the top six that flickered in the distance eight days ago is now suddenly glowing that little bit brighter today. A third win in a row on Saturday will reel in Stockport, blow the race for that season-extending excitement and, all of a sudden, another cliché will appear, the Luton Town rollercoaster blah blah blah…
You’ve heard it all before, we know.
But Saturday is a big one. It’s Hatters versus Hatters.
So let’s get into it.
Top Hatters
How ever you want to phrase it, it’s clear that Stockport have been the better of the two Hatters so far this season.
Dave Challinor’s side, losing play-off semi-finalists last season, flew out of the traps in the first few months of this campaign. When we met at Edgeley Park earlier in the season they were top of the table and, until Jake Richards’ first goal for us broke the deadlock, County were looking every inch a promotion-winning side.
And it has been pretty hit and miss since that sunny November day for our visitors on Saturday with Challinor’s men winning nine, losing eight and drawing two in League One. However, boosted by that early season form, they still sit fifth and have games in hand to rubber stamp a second successive stab at the play-offs. A position definitely not to be sniffed at.
Haven’t we met before?
Before we start: a quick diversion of interest for you, here’s a little bit on Stockport’s hat-making history. Thought you would like to know.
We’re not bragging BUT, as far as we know, there’s isn’t a Stockport version of Hatters Heritage (although their Scan Scheme is worth checking out) but you might have heard of the Luton Town one. It’s got information and line-ups of every single game we’ve ever played. Scans of every programme and photos of every player, too.
Visiting their website will give you the complete record of all our meetings with the other Hatters, which goes back to our first game with them all the way back to our first meeting in 1932.
Once you’re in a (mad) Hatters Heritage rabbit hole, there’s difficulty in escaping, especially when you keep scrolling for the last the last time we actually lost to Stockport, or, for that matter, reading old copies of the once famous Mad as a Hatter fanzine.
Those County supporters in the Oak Road end on Saturday will know they need to alter recent history if their side are to beat the Town.
That’s because we have a remarkable recent record over the ‘other’ Hatters. The Town are unbeaten in their last 16 matches against Stockport in all competitions, winning 10 and drawing six, a run stretching back to County’s last win in 1968.
Only once have Stockport won on Bedfordshire soil in 11 attempts – a 3-0 victory coming back in September 1966.
Their last visit was back in 2013 when both clubs were in the National League, and a solitary goal from Stephen McNulty earned John Still his first win as Luton Town manager.
In charge
Robert ‘Bobby’ Madley takes this one. If you know your refs – or rather recognise them – we reckon you’ll be like ‘ah, yeah, him’. A former Premier League whistler up to 2018, he’s been officiating across the EFL this term, and last oversaw one of our games in October 2024. He sent-off Thomas Holmes in a 3-2 defeat at Coventry.
OTD
Nothing much to truly shout about on 21st March. You could tell your mates that back in 1903 we beat Tottenham Hotspur 3-0 when we were both playing in the Southern League.
Who remembers when a Mark Pembridge thunderbolt in the opening minute had us 1-0 up at Southampton in 1992? Only for Alan Shearer and Iain Dowie to turn things around for the Saints, as you can when you squint and look through this crystal clear 240p footage.
Team news
Striker Ali Al-Hamadi is in contention for a place in the squad having recovered from a knock sustained in the defeat at Wigan. Nahki Wells remains a doubt after picking up an injury in the win at Wycombe last weekend. The Town will also hope to be able to call upon Izzy Jones and Cohen Bramall.
Jack’s presser
Watch the manager’s press conference on LTFC+ as he discusses Saturday’s encounter. All 30 minutes and six seconds are here for all to see for free without any logging in faff. Enjoy.
Tickets, please
If any of the words to this preview were enough to make you think ‘yeah, let’s get down to Kenilworth Road’ then click here.
Football Rebooted
No green Reflo third shirts or planting trees for goals this week but our partners Utilita will be setting up their Football Rebooted station, where you can recycle your old football boots.
If you’ve got an* old pair kicking about that are stinking out the utility room, whack them in a bag, bring them down on Saturday and hand them over the Utilita stand on the Kenilworth Road forecourt.
Why? Well, for every pair of boots made, 30lbs of carbon emissions are produced and keeping boots in circulation not only reduces the number of boots needed to be made but also keeps them out of landfill, reducing long-lasting plastic build up which further impacts the environment.
[*as if you have just the one pair – bring em all down]
Get with the programme
CEO Gary Sweet has penned the boardroom notes this week. Hakeem Odoffin makes his debut on the cover. Four match action pages from Tuesday night’s win. The Trust go in-depth with Wayne Turner. A semi-difficult quiz. And, as day follows night, several thousand mentions of it being a dress rehearsal for the Vertu Trophy final.
Tune in, turn on.
Simon Pitts will be, as ever, on the mic on LTFC+, living through the 90-minute emotions of watching the Hatters while
If you’re overseas and want to watch the game, 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.
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!
What we’re liking this week
With almost 29,000 tickets sold, it’s time to get your Wembley merch!
Disclaimer: No AI was touched in the writing of this preview, although significant ‘online research’ took place to research Stockport’s hat-making past, the Anglo-Italian Cup in 1973 and ‘how many teams can still make the League One play-offs?’.
