Easter can mean only one thing – and no, it’s not the hunt for chocolate eggs on the Kenilworth Road forecourt, which you can of course get involved in.
No, it means a double header of football with the Hatters in action on Good Friday and Easter Monday.
With six points up for grabs, the promotion picture could become a lot clearer come Monday evening.
But, as is the message from The Brache, the players and management are taking it one game at a time.
And that begins with a home game against Peterborough on Good Friday at Kenilworth Road.
Let’s get into it, shall we?
Posh improvement
At the end of October, Posh were bottom of League One and five points from safety. Darren Ferguson’s fourth spell in charge came to an end with Peterborough winning just three of their first 13 games.
Posh turned to Luke Williams, the former Swansea and Notts County boss, and the turnaround has been nothing short of miraculous. Our visitors sit 12th in the table after winning 11 of their next 25 games.
After a bright start to Williams’ tenure, Posh’s results have tailed off a tad – it’s just four wins in their last 13 games, with no win in their last five on the road (LLDLD), but their improvement under Williams shows the Hatters will face a different proposition to who they faced back in August.
Haven’t we met before?
August’s win at London Road was the third in our last four meetings with Posh, with the Town winning the last two meetings at Kenilworth Road to an aggregate scoreline of 7-0.
An opening-day-of-the-season victory in 2021 came thanks to goals from Elijah Adebayo, Harry Cornick and Fred Onyedinma. In January 2019 a hat-trick from James Collins (two yards, six yards, 12 yards) and one from Luke Berry (spin past Ben White, yes that Ben White) helped us beat Posh 4-0.
Peterborough have only ever won twice at Kenilworth Road – their first visit in 1964 – and on the opening day of the 2002/03 season.
In charge
Isaac Searle takes charge of his first ever game involving the Hatters, and therefore Friday will be his first visit with the whistle to Kenilworth Road. In what is his second season a referee, Friday will also be Mr Searle’s first game at League One level in his career. So far this term in the 20 games he’s overseen, he’s shown 91 yellow cards and two reds.
OTD
Last time out on 3rd April an injury-hit Hatters side went down 2-0 at Arsenal in the Premier League two years ago.
It’s been 16 years since our last win – a crucial-at-the-time 1-0 victory at Stevenage in the Conference thanks to a late winner from Matthew Barnes-Homer.
We also drew 0-0 at Watford on a horribly windy and ultimately forgettable derby at Vicarage Road in 1993.
Team news
Having played in World Cup qualifiers on the other side of the Atlantic as recently as Tuesday night, Ali Al-Hamadi, who scored in Iraq’s win over Bolivia, and Kasey Palmer, who lost out with Jamaica against DR Congo, will be assessed if they’re fit to feature. There’s better news on striker Nahki Wells and defender Mads Andersen, who could return to the squad following knocks.
Jack’s presser
Watch the manager’s press conference on LTFC+ as he discusses Friday’s encounter and the Town’s squad. All 28 minutes and 14 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.
If words are not enough, perhaps prices are. Tickets for under 16s can be purchased for just one English pound.
There’s a whole load of family fun, starting from 12 noon.
Get with the programme
CFO Tom Schofield has penned the boardroom notes this week as he gives an explanation behind our recently-published accounts. There are words from the boss, the captain, cover star Emilio Lawrence and a must-read piece from the Supporters’ Trust. Throw in an 8.2/10 difficulty quiz, plenty of nicely-taken photographs and news from our academy and you’ve got a half-decent memento of the day for just four quid.
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 that only he can thanks to his vocal range of oohs, ahhs and it werent there refs.
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
Kayden will be our mascot at Wembley!
