You have to go back to March, 1992 and a goalless draw at Kenilworth Road in the old First Division for our last competitive meeting against Luton Town.
Luton were relegated that season and missed out on English football’s revolution as the Premier League launched the following campaign, 1992/93. They remained out of the top flight until Rob Edwards guided them to promotion via the play-offs and a Wembley final victory on penalties over Coventry City in May.
So, 31 years on from our last meeting, what can we expect at a new-look Kenilworth Road in Saturday’s early kick-off?
In an ‘opposition view’ special, legendary former skipper and now Club Ambassador, podcast host and popular pundit on Sky Sports’ Soccer Saturday, Michael Dawson, runs the rule over the Hatters – he covered their first match in the Premier League, away to Brighton, back in August.
Michael: “They’ve won one and drawn one out of seven so far. I covered their first match of the season at Brighton and I’ve watched them a few times. Brighton dominated that day, 27 shots, scored four goals. Luton are very direct, very physical. Look at the goals against Everton, then the goal against Burnley on Tuesday night, where Reece Burke wins the first contact and heads down for Elijah Adebayo to score. That’s their biggest threat. They play to their strengths, and Spurs will have to deal with that. One thing they have got is spirit, in abundance. They won’t change. However, Spurs will dominate the ball, even at Kenilworth Road, and I’d expect us to have the quality on the ball to win this one.”
Players to watch
Michael: “First up, they’ve Carlton Morris up front, a player I really like, and he’s done well this season. He produced a great finish from a free-kick as they beat Everton last weekend. He’s an absolute handful, they play for set pieces and he will get his head on a lot of them. I like Ryan Giles, loads of experience in the Championship. They’ve also brought in Ross Barkley, with all his experience and quality, but he’s been injured.”
Manager – Rob Edwards
Michael: “He deserves a huge amount of credit for getting Luton promoted last season. He comes across as a class act. He did well at Forest Green, it didn’t work out at Watford but he waited for another opportunity, Luton came along and he got them promoted into the Premier League for the first time. He’s done a great job.”
Last time we met
It’s safe to say the last time we met competitively – over 31 years ago, on 11 March, 1992 – isn’t a game that would stick long in the memory. It was a goalless draw at Kenilworth Road. Gordon Durie went closest to breaking the deadlock for us, while Erik Thorstvedt kept out Luton’s best efforts from Brian Stein and Ceri Hughes. Luton were relegated in the final season of the old First Division before the Premier League arrived in 1992/93. We finished 15th. We have been to Luton in friendly action since, a 1-1 draw on 7 August, 2001, Sergei Rebrov on target.
