Jack Wilshere is weighing up changes to his Luton Town side for tonight’s clash with Doncaster Rovers as the Hatters look to make it three successive League One victories at Kenilworth Road.
Town welcome Grant McCann’s side for their third home game in eight days, having beaten Barnsley 2-1 before Saturday’s dramatic 2-1 victory over Leicester City, sealed by Callum Marshall’s stoppage-time winner.
And for those fixtures, plus the two before at Wycombe and Milton Keynes, Wilshere maintained a largely unchanged side. But with a demanding run of fixtures continuing, Wilshere must decide whether to stick with the side that claimed those six points or freshen up his starting XI.
Luton have made just one change to their starting line-up across their last two league victories, with Isaiah Jones replacing the injured Hakeem Odoffin against Leicester. Jones impressed at right-back but is a doubt after taking a knock during the match, when he was fouled by John Lundstram, a challenge that saw the Foxes skipper sent off.
Wilshere also has the potential to welcome back Harrison Ashby and Dan Gore, who have moved closer to a return to action. However, Benny Benagr, Jayden Luker and Shayden Morris remain unavailable as they recover from hamstring problems.
Asked whether he could name an unchanged side again, Wilshere said: “Can we go unchanged again? I don’t know. We have to look at it. I thought Kasey [Palmer] looked tired at the end, I thought Walshy [Liam Walsh] looked tired at the end. They have to do everything they can now to recover and let’s see if we’ve got any players back.”
The Luton manager will be keen to maintain the momentum built by the victories over Barnsley and Leicester, but insists his players must approach Doncaster with the same focus they showed against the Foxes.
“We have to go again, we have to make this count, we have to make the last seven, eight minutes count where they fought and they gave everything to get the three points,” Wilshere said.
Wilshere is wary of a Doncaster side who arrive buoyed by a 2-0 win over Sheffield Wednesday on Saturday, a result that lifted them out of the League One relegation zone.
The Town manager believes his opponents will provide a stern test, pointing to their experienced manager, Grant McCann, and the quality within their squad.
“One thing I’ve also learned is we have to take one game at a time,” Wilshere said. “When I’ve been preparing for Leicester, that was the only thing on my mind. The thing that helped was, I actually watched Leicester versus Doncaster, so I know a little bit about them, and they’ll be disappointed they didn’t get something out of that game.
“They’re a good team, they’ve got a manager with a lot of experiences. They’ve got some good players, they’ve got (Alfie) May up top, they’ve got the boy (Owen) Bailey in midfield who got in the (League One) Team of the Year last year, he’s a good player.”
The Hatters boss also recalled how difficult he found the corresponding away fixture last season, when they held Rovers to a draw, warning that Doncaster’s position in the table should not disguise the challenge they pose.
“We went there last year and it was very, very difficult. It was one of the only times I felt we nicked a point away from home,” Wilshere said.
“They’re a good team, they’re fighting for their lives. When I watch them and when I went there last year, what I really felt was, they’ve got a manager they truly believe in and when you’ve got that, they’ll fight for everything. So we have to be ready for that and we have to make this three points count.”
Podcast preview – Can Luton make it nine points from nine?
The Hatters have won their first two home games in this run of three in eight days. Can they finish the job against Doncaster Rovers tonight?
They Tried to Kill Us Off podcast host Keving Harper and The Lutonian writer James Cunliffe discuss Doncaster’s threats, possible changes from Jack Wilshere, where Luton can exploit the visitors and the statistics that could shape the game.
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