Jack Wilshere has challenged Luton Town to “beat” Stevenage at their own game when the sides meet at the SPORTA Arena tonight.
The Hatters boss expects the hosts to make the contest a physical battle, with Stevenage well versed in working without the ball and for their ability to turn matches into a fight.
Wilshere has talked frequently about his side earning the right to play, but insists Luton cannot simply try to do what Boro do.
“It’s not about matching it, in my opinion it’s about beating it,” he said of the host’s hard-working attributes, adding: “Stevenage are very good at it. So it’s not about us turning into Stevenage to beat Stevenage.
“It’s about winning that fight first, being aggressive, being focused, being disciplined. When the ball goes over, sprinting back. Yeah, that’s really important in any game, but probably a little bit more so in this one.”
The Hatters boss knows exactly what awaits his side, having studied last season’s meeting between the clubs at Broadhall Way, when Luton, then managed by Matt Bloomfield, went under in a 2-0 defeat that cost the former Wycombe Wanderers boss his job, and opened the door for Wilshere to take the hotseat in his first senior managerial job, 11 months ago.
Wilshere said: “We’ve got really good evidence of being terrible away from home last year. Maybe that’s harsh. I think we actually played well a lot of the time, but we had evidence of what you need to win away and what that takes in this league.
“Stevenage is probably one of the toughest places to go in terms of all the stuff off the ball — winning the fight, competing for second balls, staying focused when the ball goes back because they’re going to put it back in your box.
“Game management, being sensible, because any opportunity, even a free kick in their half, is coming into our box. That’s going to happen. There’s no surprise with that. We know that’s coming.”
Stevenage have already demonstrated their ability to produce a major result this season, recovering from a slow start to beat Barnsley 5-1 at the weekend and claim their first victory of the season, after pipping Town to the play-offs last term, with virtually the last kick of the regular campaign.
Wilshere, who masterminded a victory against Boro at Kenilworth Road in January, expects another demanding test despite their opponents’ early struggles.
“They’re hard to play against, they’re hard to beat, they defend for their lives and they’re good on set pieces,” he said.
The Luton boss also sees the game as an opportunity to demonstrate how much his side have learned from their experiences away from home last season, where they went four months between November and March with victory on their travels, but then went unbeaten until a chastening 5-2 reverse in their last away-day, last month at Mansfield.
He believes the lessons are particularly relevant against an opponent capable of making the game uncomfortable for long periods.
“It’s a game where we have to show a lot of the things we learned last year away from home that put us in a position to go on the run we did,” Wilshere said.
And while Luton want to establish their own identity with the ball, Wilshere insists that comes second tonight.
“We have to be ready for what’s coming,” he said. “There are no surprises. It’s going to be difficult, we’re going to have to fight, we’re going to have to win that fight, and earn the right to put the ball down, start playing and show who we are. But none of that matters if we don’t win the fight first.”
He added: “It’s really important in any game, but probably a little bit more so in this one.”
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